Hebrew For Dummies

Jill Suzanne Jacobs is a fluent Hebrew speaker having picked up the language through study, three years of living in Israel, and multiple extended visits. She holds graduate degrees in Jewish and Israel education, and she taught in the classroom for ten years before moving into leadership roles in educational nonprofits. She is the author of the first edition of Hebrew For Dummies and mom to a second generation diaspora Hebrew speaker.

• Introduction 1Part 1: Getting Started with Hebrew 7Chapter 1: You Already Know Some Hebrew 9Chapter 2: The Nitty-Gritty: Basic Hebrew Grammar 27Chapter 3: Shalom, Shalom!: Meeting and Greeting 45Part 2: Hebrew in Action 63Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 65Chapter 5: Eat! Eat! You’re So Thin! 81Chapter 6: Going Shopping 105Chapter 7: Having Fun Hebrew Style 121Chapter 8: Enjoying Your Free Time: Hobbies, Sports, and Other Fun Activities 141Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone 157Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House 171Part 3: Hebrew on the Go 189Chapter 11: Planning and Taking a Trip 191Chapter 12: Getting Around: Flying, Driving, and Riding 221Chapter 13: Money, Money, Money 235Chapter 14: Handling Emergencies 249Part 4: Diving Deeper into Hebrew Life 265Chapter 15: An Introduction to Israel 267Chapter 16: War and Peace 279Part 5: Sacred Hebrew 287Chapter 17: Let’s Get Biblical 289Chapter 18: Like a Prayer 299Chapter 19: Sacred Time, Sacred Space 315Part 6: The Part of Tens 331Chapter 20: Ten Books on Hebrew You Just Gotta Have 333Chapter 21: Ten Favorite Hebrew Expressions 337Chapter 22: Ten Great Israeli Phrases 341Appendix A: Verb Tables 345Appendix B: Hebrew–English Mini-Dictionary 355Appendix C: Answer Key 377Index 383Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2How This Book Is Organized 3Part 1: Getting Started 3Part 2: Hebrew in Action 3Part 3: Hebrew on the Go 4Part 4: Israeli Life 4Part 5: Sacred Hebrew 4Part 6: The Part of Tens 4Appendixes 4Icons Used in This Book 5Beyond the Book 5Where to Go from Here 6Part 1: Getting Started with Hebrew 7Chapter 1: You Already Know Some Hebrew 9Taking Stock of What’s Familiar 10Speaking Hebrew Like a Native 12Stressing out (not) 12Getting out the gutturals 13Opening your mouth to say “Ah!” 14Counting in Hebrew 14Counting objects 15Counting higher 15Recognizing Tips to Help You Read Hebrew 18Figuring out the Hebrew alphabet’s shapes, sounds, and stories 18Reading and writing from right to left 23Chapter 2: The Nitty-Gritty: Basic Hebrew Grammar 27Making Sense of Hebrew Syntax 28Putting your sentences in order 28Questioning 29Recognizing Parts of Speech 30Naming nouns 30Perfecting your pronouns 32Applying adjectives 36Pinpointing Hebrew verbs 37Detecting adverbs 40Spotting prepositions 41Understanding Gender and Number 42Chapter 3: Shalom, Shalom!: Meeting and Greeting 45Greeting and Saying Goodbye 46Greeting all day long 46Replying to a greeting 47Putting a name to a face 49Making Grand Introductions 51Introducing yourself 51Introducing others 51Getting Better Acquainted 54Finding out who speaks English 54Talking about where you come from 56Chatting about how you feel 57Extending and Responding to Invitations 58Asking Questions: The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How 59Asking yes or no questions 60Forming negative questions 60Part 2: Hebrew in Action 63Chapter 4: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 65Shootin’ the Breeze 65Talking About Yourself and Your Family 67Chatting About the Weather 69Six Days You Shall Labor: Talking About Work 73Getting Addresses, Phone Numbers, Email, and Instagram/ Twitter handles 76Asking and telling where you live 76Asking and giving a phone number, email address, or Instagram handle 77Chapter 5: Eat! Eat! You’re So Thin! 81Jewish Love Means Never Having to Say “I’m Hungry” 81Quieting a growling stomach 83Taming a wild thirst 83Getting Down to Business: Food, Glorious Food! 84Starting the day with breakfast 84Enjoying lunch 86Eating dinner 86Raiding the refrigerator 87Going to Shabbat dinner 88Chefing it up at home 89Matching Adjectives and Nouns 90Taking Your Grocery List to the Market 95Going Out for a Bite 98Chapter 6: Going Shopping 105Exploring Places to Shop 105Selecting the Perfect Outfit 106Styling Your Clothes around the Seasons 111Fall fashion 111The winter look 111Spring attire 113Summer wear 113Sweatin’ it out in the summer 113Color Me Beautiful 117The Israeli Fashion Scene 117Getting More (and Less) Than You Bargained For 118Making comparisons 118Speaking in hyperbole 119Chapter 7: Having Fun Hebrew Style 121Counting the Hours and Minutes 121Telling time like an American 121Knowing the time of day 123Relating time to the past, present, and future 123Discovering the Days in a Week 128Catching Some Culture 128Visiting museums and art galleries 129Going to the movies 129Enjoying live entertainment: Music and theater 130The Israeli Music Scene 135The Animals Went on the Ark Two by Two: Visiting the Zoo! 136Spicing Up Your Sentences with Adverbs 137Chapter 8: Enjoying Your Free Time: Hobbies, Sports, and Other Fun Activities 141Chatting About Your Hobbies 141Amassing an amazing collection 142Creating things with your hands 142Playing and Watching Sports 146Kickin’ to score in soccer 146Shooting for three in basketball 147Swinging away at baseball 147Taking a dip in the pool 149Working up a sweat playing other sports 149Venturing Outdoors for Some Fun 152Boogieing Till You Drop 153Chapter 9: Talking on the Phone 157Dialing Up the Basics 158Finding someone’s number 158Telling someone to call you 158Socializing in fake time (also known as social media) 159Asking for People and Getting the Message 160Leaving a message 161Dealing with voicemail and other annoyances 163Making Arrangements over the Phone 165Talking About the Past: How Was Your Shabbat? 166Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House 171Finding Your Way Around Your Job 171Supplying your office 172Searching for the perfect job 174Working from Home 178Hanging Out at Home 180Looking through the rooms 180Furnishing your humble abode 181Residing in an Apartment 183Hunting for your very own flat 183Giving your apartment some flair 185Keeping your apartment safe 185Commanding People: Do As I Say 187Part 3: Hebrew on the Go 189Chapter 11: Planning and Taking a Trip 191Choosing Your Final Destination (And When You Want to Go) 191Whittling down your choices — so many places you can go! 192Finding your way around 194Packing 195Booking a trip 196Traveling internationally 196Coming and Going: Knowing Where You Are 197Discussing the Future: Verb Forms and Popular Expressions 199Finding the Hotel That’s Right for You 200Making your reservations 201Asking about the price 203Checking In: Names, Addresses and Room Numbers 204Filling out the registration form 204Settling into your room 206Checking Out and Paying the Bill 207Asking for your bill 207Asking about special charges 208Leaving the hotel 208Staying at an Airbnb 211Making Sure You Don’t Get Lost 212Giving and Understanding Directions For Lost Souls 215Keeping North, South, East, and West Straight 218Chapter 12: Getting Around: Flying, Driving, and Riding 221Getting Through the Airport 221Checking in 222Suffering through the flight 223Getting your feet back on the ground 223Renting a Vehicle and a Phone to Go with It 224Renting a car 225Understanding the rental contract 226Navigating Public Transportation 228Traveling by taxi 229Watching the wheels on the bus go round and round 229Traveling on trains and the light rail 230Reading maps and schedules 232Being Early or Late 233Chapter 13: Money, Money, Money 235Going to the Bank 235Talking to tellers 235Counting your change 236Changing Money 240Flowing with the Currency 242Using Credit Cards 243Using Electronic and Digital Currency 243Directing Your Objects 243Chapter 14: Handling Emergencies 249Tackling Your Uncooperative Car 249Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News 253The knee bone’s connected to the leg bone: Identifying your body parts 253Describing your symptoms 254Explaining your unique medical needs 255Receiving a thorough examination 255Paying attention to the diagnosis 256Going to the pharmacy 258Getting Help After You’ve Been Robbed 260Part 4: Diving Deeper Into Hebrew Life 265Chapter 15: An Introduction to Israel 267Discovering Multicultural Israel 267Touring Israeli Cities and Towns 269Starting at the Beginning: A Brief History Lesson 271Fleeing to and from Europe 274Wanting to be in charge: Nationalism, self-determination, and the Jewish State 274Chapter 16: War and Peace 279The Big Bang 279War 280Paths to Peace 282Environmental Cooperation May Be the Key 284Part 5: Sacred Hebrew 287Chapter 17: Let’s Get Biblical 289Figuring Out the Word Order in Biblical Hebrew 290Emphasizing When God Really Meant It 292Wishing, Intending, and Prohibiting 294Deciphering One-Word Wonders 295Counting Down the Greatest Biblical Hits 296Chapter 18: Like a Prayer 299Blessing: The Basics 299Deciphering the blessing formula 300Identifying some basic blessings 301Spiritually Speaking: Figuring Your Way around the Prayer Book 306The Sh’ma and her blessings 306Dissecting the Standing Prayer 310Concluding prayers 310Praying for peace 311Making Prayer Meaningful 313Chapter 19: Sacred Time, Sacred Space 315Going to a Synagogue 315Checking Out Holy Words for Holy Days 316Shabbat: The Sabbath 317Rosh HaShanah: The Jewish New Year 318Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement 318Sukkot: The Fall Harvest Festival 319Sh’mini Atzeret and Simchat Torah: Praying for Rain and Rejoicing in the Torah 319Celebrating Sigd: The Holiday of Ethiopian Jews 320Hạnukkah: The Jewish Festival of Lights 321HaHag shel HaHagim: The Festival of Festivals 321Tu BiShevat: The Birthday of the Trees 322Purim: A Jewish Mardi Gras 322Pesach: Passover 323Yom HaShoah V’Ha’G’vurah: Holocaust Remembrance Day 324Yom HaZikaron: Israeli Memorial Day 324Yom HaAtzma’ut: Israeli Independence Day 324Lag B’Omer: The 33rd Day of the Omer 325Shavuot: The Festival of Weeks 325Tisha B’Av: The Ninth of Av 325Tu B’Av: The Holiday of Love 326All My Life’s a Circle: Jewish Life-Cycle Events 326Brit/Simchat Bat: Welcome to the family 327B’nai Mitzvah: Coming of Age 327Kiddushin: Sacred Partnership 327Baruḥ Dayan HaEmet: End of Life 328Part 6: the Part of Tens 331Chapter 20: Ten Books on Hebrew You Just Gotta Have 333Hebrew Roots Jewish Routes: A Tribal Language in a Global World 333Hebrew: The Eternal Language 334The Tongue of the Prophets: The Life Story of Eliezer Ben Yehuda 334The Hebrew Alphabet: A Mystical Journey 334Hebrew Talk: 101 Hebrew Roots And The Stories They Tell 334Aleph-Bet Yoga: Embodying the Hebrew Letters for Physical and Spiritual Well-Being 335The Word: The Dictionary that Reveals the Hebrew Source of English 335How the Hebrew Language Grew 335The Story of Hebrew 335Poems of Jerusalem and Love Poems 336Chapter 21: Ten Favorite Hebrew Expressions 337Mazal Tov 337B’Karov Etzlehḥ 338Titchadesh 338B’Teavon 338B’Ezrat HaShem 339Yishar Koahḥ 339Dash 339Nu 340Kol HaKavod 340L’Ḥaim 340Chapter 22: Ten Great Israeli Phrases 341Mah Pitom 341Yesh G’vul L’Chol Ta’alul 341Pa’am Shlishit Glidah 342Im K’var, Az K’var 342B’Shum Panim VaOfen Lo 342Stam 343Betahḥ 343Hạval Al HaZ’man 343Hạzak V’Amatz 343Yehiyeh Tov 344Appendix A: Verb Tables 345Appendix B: Hebrew–english Mini-dictionary 355Appendix C: Answer Key 377Index 383