There are many reasons for learning to read Hebrew. To learn the language, you need to understand how to read and pronounce letters. Jews and converts should learn Hebrew, as many prayer services are only, or for the most part, in Hebrew. Whatever the reason, learning to read Hebrew is a fun thing.
Steps
Step 1. Learn the letters and how to pronounce them
The Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two letters, five of which appear different when found at the end of a word. Remember that none of these letters can be pronounced because they are consonants. If you try to pronounce them, it will be like pronouncing the consonants of the Italian alphabet. Here are all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order;
- א Alef. This is probably the easiest letter of the alphabet to learn. Because it has no sound! In order to give it a sound, it must be accompanied by a vowel. It is often found at the end of a word, without producing any sound. Think of this letter as the "E" in English; it is at the end of many words but it is silent.
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Bet (בּ) and Vet (ב). While these letters sound different due to their different sounds, they are actually treated as one letter. Bet has a point while Vet doesn't. Bet makes the sound "B", but it doesn't really have a pronunciation until it is accompanied by a vowel. Vet gives the sound "V" but needs a vowel to be read.
- ג Ghimmel. Since Bet and Vet are practically the same letter, this is the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It has a harsh "G" sound, like "cat". It never has the sweet "G" sound like in "giraffe". Remember this when you say it in a word. However, a ghimmel with an apostrophe or a period (') gives the ghimmel of' giraffe '.
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ד Dalet. As you can imagine, Dalet gives the sound "D". Like all other letters in the alphabet, it needs the addition of a vowel for pronunciation.
- ה Hey. Hey gives the aspirated sound "H", as in English "H" in "hey". It never gives the sweet sound of "CI" as in "circus", and is often placed at the end of a word as a closing, just like Aleph, is sometimes added to the end of a word.
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ו Vav. Vav makes the same sound as Vet, but it's a different letter.
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ז Zayin. This letter is pronounced like the "Z" in "mosquito".
- ח Chet. Chet is one of the best known letters in Hebrew. His is a guttural throat sound that does not exist in Italian. If these examples don't help, try feeling the Chet by gargle without water or growling from the bottom of your throat. It's a sweeter version of the sound you get by doing this. Remember that Chet never makes the sweet "CI" sound like in "circus".
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ט Tet. Tet gives the "T" sound as in "tango".
- י Yod. This letter sounds like an "I". Sometimes the sound is softened by making it longer like a double "I". Most of the time when the letter is in the middle of a word, it is pronounced double "I".
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Chaf, (כּ) Kaf (כ), Chaf Sofit (ךּ), and Kaf Sofit (ך). This is one of the most confusing letters. Although they appear to be four different letters, they are actually one. Chaf is pronounced as Chet, and Kaf is pronounced as the "C" in "house". Chaf Sofit is pronounced the same as Chaf, but is found at the end of words. Kaf Sofit is pronounced like Kaf, but it is found only at the end of words. While it may seem confusing at first, just keep practicing. It will become as clear as the alphabet of your native language if you keep practicing.
- ל Lamed. Lamed gives the sound "L", as in the word "light".
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Mem (מ) and Mem Sofit (ם). Again these are actually one word but have a different version at the end of the word. They give the "M" sound as in "Michele". Mem Sofit looks the same as Mem, only it is closed at the bottom and looks more like a box.
- Nun (נ) and Nun Sofit (ן). Nun and Nun Sofit are pronounced like the "N" of "November". You will find the Nun only at the beginning or in the middle of a word, while you will find the Nun Sofit only at the end.
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ס Samech. Samech gives the "S" sound in "greenhouse". But he never gives his "SC" as in "sci".
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ע Ayin. This is one of the most deceptive Hebrew letters to pronounce for a foreigner, because the Latin and Germanic languages do not have this sound. It is pronounced differently depending on the area to make it easier to pronounce. Technically it is a "pharyngeal vocalized approximant / fricative," and has equivalents in Semitic languages, such as Arabic and Syrian. In general, foreigners (and also many Israeli natives) treat this letter as an alef, that is, they do not pronounce it, but only the vowel below. If you want to try to pronounce the ayin, but can't get a pharyngeal vocalized approximant / fricative, try pronouncing it as "ng" in "angle" or as "nc" in "anchor." Jews from different parts of the world pronounce it this way. But it is also perfectly acceptable to leave it silent.
- Pey (פ) Fey, (פּ) Fey Sofit (ףּ) and Pey Sofit (ף) Pey is pronounced like the "P" in "dad", and the Fey is pronounced like the "F" in "foxtrot". Fey Sofit is a different version with the same pronunciation as Fey, but it comes at the end of a word. Pey Sofit has the same pronunciation as its other versions, but it is found only at the end of a word.
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Zadi (צ) and Zadi Sofit (ץ) (Pronounced Zadi, very often also Zadik - as a mistake). Zadi and Zadi Sofit are pronounced as "zz" in "pizza." Zadi Sofit is the same as Zadie, but only at the end of a word. It is also pronounced 'tz' and, if you put a dot or apostrophe (') next to it, it sounds like CI, made of chocolate.
- ק Qof. Qof gives the sound "K", as in "kilo". It can also be pronounced "Q", but the "K" sound is more common.
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ר Resh. This letter gives the sound "R", as in "Berlin".
- Shin (שׂ) and Sin (שׁ). Shin and Sin have only one difference: Shin has a point above the top left line, and Sin has a point on the top right line. Shin is pronounced "SC", as in "Scirocco". Sin gives the "S" sound, like Samech and Zadi.
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ת Tav. Tav has the same sound as Tet; like the "T" of "tango".
Read Hebrew Step 2 Step 2. Learn the vowels
Hebrew vowels are added to consonants to make a sound. For example, Samech can just give "S" by itself, if you add a line below it, it becomes "sah". Hebrew vowels are usually easy to understand with a little practice.
- אֵ Patach. Basically Patach is a line to put under any letter, which becomes a letter with the sound "A" after it, as in "water".
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אָ Kamatz. Kamatz makes the same sound as Patach, and looks pretty much the same. The only difference is that it has a small dash in the middle.
- וֹ Cholam Malei. Basically Cholam Malei is the letter Vav with a dot on it. This gives the "O" sound as in "poor". However, it does not create the "VO" sound, because the v is lost as the dot is added.
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בֹּ Cholam Chaser. This vowel cannot stay with all consonants, which is why there is also a Cholam Malei. When this little dot is above (or a little to the left, but still above) each consonant, the consonant gains the "O" sound as an addition to its consonant sound.
- אֶ Segol. Segol are three points under a letter that creates a triangle shape. These three points add the sound "E" as in "echo" to the consonant. For example, adding it to the Bet would give the sound "well".
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בֵּ Tzeirei. Tzeirei are two points under a letter that create a horizontal line (not to be confused with sh'va, which instead creates a vertical line). This adds the "E" sound to the consonant, just like Segol. For example, adding this vowel to the Vet would create the sound "veh".
- מְ Sh'va. Sh'va adds the sound "UH" to the consonant. This also has two points but they create a vertical line instead of a horizontal one. Adding this to the Mem would give "muh".
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וּ Shuruk. This vowel creates the "U" sound, as in "blue". It never gives the "UH" sound that Sh'va gives. This vowel can only be added to Vav, which loses its v in the process.
- אֻ Kubutz. Kubutz are three horizontal points below any consonant, to the right. Create the "U" sound, such as "man" or "one". Adding this to Bet would give "bu".
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אֲ Chataf Patach, Chataf Segol, and Chataf Kamatz. Chataf are two points that create a vertical line, never added to Patach, Segol, or Kamatz to shorten the vowel. Think of it as a staccato in the music, which shortens the note.
- נִ Chirik. Chirik gives the sound "i", as in "gray" or "soup". It consists of a period under any consonant. For example, Chirik under Bet gives "bi".
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רָ Kamatz Katan. This vowel resembles Kamatz, only the second line is not really joined to the middle section. Kamatz Katan creates the "U" sound, like "hole".
Read Hebrew Step 3 Step 3. Practice
It may all seem very hostile at first but, with a little practice, you will become an expert in no time. Consider taking classes or talking to a friend who has experience with letters.
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If a friend teaches you literature, you will really enjoy learning why, he / she is not a random person who pays to teach you Hebrew and can use funny examples of things that really happened to you.
If a friend teaches you Hebrew letters and vowels, try not to end up having a random conversation and distract yourself from what your friend is supposed to teach you
Advice
- Remember, Hebrew is read backwards! If you are finding it difficult to pronounce the words, remember to read from right to left, not left to right like in other languages.
- Traditionally, Hebrew is written without vowels. However, many books such as Chumashim and Siddurim contain them to facilitate reading. Hebrew words are usually created from three root words. For example, the root of work (Avoda, Ayin-Beit-Vav-Dalet-Reish-Hei) is Ayin-Beit-Dalet, which means work or work. From this, we can also derive slave, forced labor, etc. In Torah Judaism, women are seen as more intelligent, because they have been "built," which has a similar root to Binah.
- There are alternations of letters, as in writing and in different spellings. Get ready to decrypt!
- All letters have a version with "Sofit" at the end which means that one is for the middle or the beginning of a word, and the other version is for the end of a word. The concept is the same as that of capital letters and other languages.
- Exercise, exercise, exercise!
- If Chet is at the end of a word with a Patach underneath, it creates the sound "ACH", as in "Bach".
- Remember, if you put a vowel below any consonant, (with the exception of Cholam Malei and Shuruk), the vowel sound is added to that of the consonant.
- Although there are roots, a root can mean two different things. For example, Beit-Reish-Kaph can mean Barack (Blessed) or Berekh (knee)! Context and place in the sentence are important.
- If you are having a hard time, remember that even people who have been reading Hebrew for years still have a hard time.
- There are different transliterations for many of the Hebrew letters. For example, Qof is also called Kuf and Pey can also be Pei.
- If it all sounds too hazy or overwhelming, consider hiring a teacher or talking to an experienced friend.
- Since sounds can be hard to remember all at once, try sites like Cartoon Hebrew which have animated letters and help you remember.
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