# Stage 0, 0.1: How Hebrew works

Lesson page with audio: https://hebrew-course.pages.dev/#/unit/beginner-1

By the end of this unit, you will know how Hebrew text is arranged, recognize the alphabet and its special word-final forms, understand what vowel marks do, and know a little about how Hebrew words are built.

### 1. Hebrew goes from right to left

Hebrew words and sentences are read from **right to left**. The first word of a sentence is on the right; the sentence continues toward the left.

For example:

**שלום**
*shalom* — hello; peace

When you write Hebrew by hand, begin on the right side of the page and move left. Hebrew books open from what may feel like the “back” to an English reader.

Hebrew text can contain numbers, English words, or other left-to-right text. A sentence may therefore look mixed. For now, follow the Hebrew words from right to left and read any English text in its usual direction.

**Try it:** Point to the first letter in each Hebrew word:

- שלום
- תודה
- ישראל

The first letter is the one on the **right**.

### 2. A letter has a name and a sound

The name of a letter is what you call it. Its sound is what you pronounce when reading a word. These are related, but they are not always the same.

For example, the letter **מ** is called **mem**. In a word, it usually sounds like **m**, as in *mother*.

Here is the Hebrew alphabet. The pronunciation column gives a practical guide to common Modern Israeli Hebrew sounds. English spellings are only approximations: listening to Hebrew speakers will help you learn the sounds more accurately.

| Letter | Name | Common sound |
|---|---|---|
| א | alef | Often silent or a vowel carrier |
| בּ / ב | bet / vet | **b** / **v** |
| ג | gimel | **g**, as in *go* |
| ד | dalet | **d** |
| ה | he | **h** |
| ו | vav | **v**; can also help represent a vowel |
| ז | zayin | **z** |
| ח | ḥet | A throaty **kh** sound |
| ט | tet | **t** |
| י | yod | **y**; can also help represent a vowel |
| כּ / כ | kaf / khaf | **k** / **kh** |
| ל | lamed | **l** |
| מ | mem | **m** |
| נ | nun | **n** |
| ס | samekh | **s** |
| ע | ayin | Often silent or a vowel carrier in modern speech |
| פּ / פ | pe / fe | **p** / **f** |
| צ | tsadi | **ts**, as in *cats* |
| ק | qof | **k** |
| ר | resh | A Hebrew **r** sound |
| שׁ / שׂ | shin / sin | **sh** / **s** |
| ת | tav | **t** |

A few letters have two common pronunciations. The dot shown inside **בּ, כּ, פּ** is called a *dagesh*. In these common cases, it marks the harder sound: **b**, **k**, or **p**. Without it, those letters are usually pronounced **v**, **kh**, or **f**. In everyday writing, the dot is often omitted, so readers use their knowledge of the word to tell which sound is intended.

The letter **ש** has a dot above one side or the other when vowel marks are written:

- **שׁ** — *shin*, pronounced **sh**
- **שׂ** — *sin*, pronounced **s**

In ordinary Hebrew text, these dots are usually omitted too. You will learn to recognize common words from their spelling and context.

### 3. Five letters change shape at the end of a word

Five Hebrew letters have a special form when they appear at the **end** of a word. The sound stays the same; only the shape changes.

| Usual form | Final form | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| כ | ך | kaf / khaf | דרך — *derekh*, “way” |
| מ | ם | mem | יום — *yom*, “day” |
| נ | ן | nun | בן — *ben*, “son” |
| פ | ף | pe / fe | סוף — *sof*, “end” |
| צ | ץ | tsadi | ארץ — *erets*, “land” |

A final form appears only at the end of a word. For example, **מ** changes to **ם** in **יום** because it is the last letter.

**Practice:** Find the final-form letter in each word.

- מלך
- שלום
- קטן
- עוף
- ארץ

### 4. Printed letters and handwriting

The letter shapes in books, signs, and most screens are called **printed** or **block** letters. People often use a different style of handwriting called **cursive**.

Some handwritten letters look quite different from their printed versions. Learn to recognize both, but begin by reading and writing the printed alphabet. Handwriting can come next, one letter at a time.

When you copy a Hebrew word:

1. Start at the right.
2. Write its letters in order as you move left.
3. Keep the letters connected only if you are using cursive; printed Hebrew letters are written separately.
4. Check whether the last letter needs a final form.

Copy these printed words:

- אבא — *aba*, dad
- אמא — *ima*, mom
- בית — *bayit*, house
- מים — *mayim*, water
- שלום — *shalom*, hello; peace

Then compare your writing with the printed word. Check the direction, letter order, and final forms.

### 5. Vowel marks: *nikud*

Hebrew letters mainly show consonants. **Nikud** is a system of marks placed above, below, or inside the letters to show vowels and some pronunciation details.

For example, the word for “hello” can be written with vowel marks:

**שָׁלוֹם**

It is usually written without them:

**שלום**

The spelling without vowel marks is called **unpointed** Hebrew. It is the standard form in most everyday writing, including books for adults, newspapers, messages, signs, and websites.

Nikud is useful for:

- Teaching beginners to read.
- Children’s books.
- Dictionaries.
- Poetry, prayer, and some religious texts.
- Showing how an unfamiliar word should be pronounced.

As you progress, you will learn common words and spelling patterns well enough to read many unpointed words. When you meet an unfamiliar word, use its letters, the surrounding sentence, and a dictionary or audio example to work out the pronunciation.

**Compare:**

- With nikud: **מַיִם**
- Without nikud: **מים**
- Meaning: water

### 6. Numbers, punctuation, and English inside Hebrew

Hebrew uses ordinary digits in daily life:

**1, 2, 3, 4, 5**

Numbers are generally written from left to right, even inside right-to-left Hebrew text. Dates, phone numbers, prices, and times may therefore sit visually among Hebrew words.

Hebrew also uses punctuation marks such as commas, periods, question marks, and quotation marks. A question mark appears at the end of a Hebrew question, just as it does in English.

Examples:

- מה זה? — What is this?
- שלום, דנה. — Hello, Dana.
- הוא גר בתל אביב. — He lives in Tel Aviv.

English names or words may also appear inside Hebrew text. Read each writing system in its usual direction: Hebrew right to left, English and numbers left to right. A phone or computer may place the pieces on screen in a surprising order, so check which characters belong to which word.

### 7. Roots and word patterns: a first look

Many Hebrew words are related because they share a set of consonants called a **root**. A word pattern supplies a structure around those root letters and helps form a particular kind of word.

For example, these words share the root **כ־ת־ב**, associated with writing:

- **כָּתַב** (*katav*) — he wrote
- **כּוֹתֵב** (*kotev*) — writes; writing
- **מִכְתָּב** (*mikhtav*) — letter, as in a written message

You do not need to analyze every word yet. Just notice that related Hebrew words may share consonants while their vowels and surrounding letters change. You will study roots and patterns gradually as you learn more vocabulary and verbs.

### Practice set

**A. Reading direction**

Circle the letter that comes first when you read each word:

- תודה
- חבר
- ספר

**B. Letter recognition**

Find these letters in the alphabet table and say their names:

- מ
- ש
- צ
- ב
- י

**C. Final forms**

Match each usual letter to its final form:

- כ → ___
- מ → ___
- נ → ___
- פ → ___
- צ → ___

**D. Spot nikud**

Which version has vowel marks?

- מים
- מַיִם

**E. Copying**

Copy each word twice, starting from the right:

- שלום
- בית
- יום
- ארץ

**F. Word families**

In the three words below, underline the letters that belong to the shared root:

- כתב
- כותב
- מכתב

### Vocabulary pack

Seven expressions for active use. Set your level for each one honestly: anything you mark joins your reviews on the Vocabulary page.

#### Active vocabulary

| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| שלום | sha-**LOM** | Hello; goodbye; peace | Use it when you arrive and when you leave. |
| תודה | to-**DA** | Thank you | Say it after any help or kindness. |
| מה זה? | ma ze? | What is this? | Point at something and ask. |
| אבא | **A**-ba | Dad | Use it as a name, or when talking about your dad. |
| אמא | **I**-ma | Mom | Begin with an “ee” sound. |
| בית | **BA**-yit | House; home | The stress is on the first syllable. |
| מים | **MA**-yim | Water | The word ends with the final letter **ם**. |

#### Recognition vocabulary

You only need to understand these for now.

| Hebrew | Meaning |
|---|---|
| אות | Letter of the alphabet |
| ניקוד | Vowel marks |
| יום | Day |
| דרך | Way |
| ארץ | Land |
| ישראל | Israel |

#### Word families

- **כתב, כותב, מכתב** — he wrote, writes, a letter.
- **יום, ימים** — day, days.

#### Collocations

- **בית ספר** — a school; literally, a house of books.
- **יום טוב** — a good day.
- **שלום, דנה.** — Hello, Dana.

#### Model sentences

**זה בית.**
This is a house.

**זה מכתב.**
This is a letter.

**תודה, אמא.**
Thank you, Mom.

#### Retrieve without looking

Say each one aloud before you check the answer key.

1. Greet someone.
2. Thank someone.
3. Point at something and ask what it is.
4. Say the word for water.
5. Say the words for dad and mom.

#### Hear and respond

Listen without reading, then answer aloud.

- **שלום!**
- **מה זה?**

#### Review task

There is no earlier vocabulary yet, so review this unit’s words on a different day. Write **שלום**, **בית**, and **מים** from memory, starting from the right, and check each final letter.

#### Completion task

Without notes, greet someone at home, point at two objects and ask **מה זה?**, then thank them. Afterward, write all seven active expressions in printed letters from memory.

### Answer key

**A.** In each word, the first letter is the one on the right: **ת**, **ח**, **ס**.

**C.** כ → ך; מ → ם; נ → ן; פ → ף; צ → ץ.

**D.** **מַיִם** has vowel marks.

**F.** The shared root letters are **כ־ת־ב**.

**Vocabulary pack**

1. שלום
2. תודה
3. מה זה?
4. מים
5. אבא, אמא

### Unit check

You have completed this unit when you can:

- Explain that Hebrew is read and written from right to left.
- Recognize the 22 letters and the five final forms.
- Tell the difference between a letter’s name and its common sound.
- Explain what nikud shows and why it is often left out.
- Copy a short printed word in the correct direction.
- Find a shared root in a few familiar words.
- Recognize that numbers and embedded English may follow a different direction from the Hebrew around them.

## Pointed readings

Where two readings are given, the context decides which one applies.

- שלום = שָׁלוֹם
- תודה = תּוֹדָה
- ישראל = יִשְׂרָאֵל
- דרך = דֶּרֶךְ
- יום = יוֹם
- בן = בֵּן
- סוף = סוֹף
- ארץ = אֶרֶץ
- מלך = מֶלֶךְ
- קטן = קָטָן
- עוף = עוֹף
- אבא = אַבָּא
- אמא = אִמָּא
- בית = בַּיִת
- מים = מַיִם
- שָׁלוֹם = שָׁלוֹם
- מַיִם = מַיִם
- מה זה? = מָה זֶה?
- שלום, דנה. = שָׁלוֹם, דָּנָה.
- הוא גר בתל אביב. = הוּא גָּר בְּתֵל אָבִיב.
- כָּתַב = כָּתַב
- כּוֹתֵב = כּוֹתֵב
- מִכְתָּב = מִכְתָּב
- חבר = חָבֵר
- ספר = סֵפֶר
- כתב = כָּתַב
- כותב = כּוֹתֵב
- מכתב = מִכְתָּב
- אות = אוֹת
- ניקוד = נִקּוּד
- כתב, כותב, מכתב = כָּתַב, כּוֹתֵב, מִכְתָּב
- יום, ימים = יוֹם, יָמִים
- בית ספר = בֵּית סֵפֶר
- יום טוב = יוֹם טוֹב
- זה בית. = זֶה בַּיִת.
- זה מכתב. = זֶה מִכְתָּב.
- תודה, אמא. = תּוֹדָה, אִמָּא.
- אבא, אמא = אַבָּא, אִמָּא
- שלום! = שָׁלוֹם!