Hebrew phrasebook
A Hebrew phrasebook arranged by situation, not alphabetically: introductions, cafés, directions. Each has both sides' lines, so you understand not only what to say but what you will be told back.
Conversations by situation
- 💬Meeting peopleA conversation in the park
- 💬At the cafeOrdering at an Israeli cafe
- 💬How to get thereLooking for the station
- 💬Haggling at the shukShuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv, a fruit stall
- 💬Everything dripsThe kitchen tap is dripping, we call the landlord
- 💬The pharmacist's adviceThe duty pharmacy, third day of a cold
- 💬Rain and SaturdayFriends arranging to meet before the weekend
- 💬What do you doTwo neighbors talking on the staircase
- 💬Checking in for the flightThe check-in desk at the airport, a flight to Athens
- 💬Renting a boatA rental on the shore of the Kinneret, two tourists and the boat owner
- 💬Trying it on at the shopA clothes shop, choosing and trying on a coat
- 💬Sorry, I am lateOne friend is late for a meeting, the other waits by the station
- 💬Cooking soupThe kitchen, two people making dinner
- 💬Wi-fi at the cafeA coffee house in Tel Aviv, a guest with a dead phone
- 💬Signing up at the libraryThe city library, a reader registers
- 💬First time in the gymThe gym, a first session with a trainer
- 💬A wedding invitationTwo colleagues at the lunch break, an envelope with an invitation
- 💬How old the children areA playground in the park, two parents on a bench
- 💬University enrollmentThe admissions office of a Tel Aviv university, the end of August
- 💬A mortgage at the bankA bank branch in Haifa, a talk with a consultant
- 💬A cold or the fluA clinic of the health fund, a morning appointment
- 💬A job interviewA small firm in Ra'anana, the manager's office
- 💬Moving to the new apartmentThe yard of an old house in the morning, boxes and a car
- 💬A rental carBen Gurion airport, the car rental desk, early morning
- 💬News and rumorsThe living room, evening, two people arguing by the TV
- 💬At the Ministry of the InteriorThe registration office window, Tuesday morning
- 💬To take or not to takeThe kitchen, evening, a talk about a job offer in another city
- 💬The tenants' meetingThe entrance hall of a building, evening, a broken elevator is discussed
- 💬A portrait of the neighborThe office kitchen, two colleagues over coffee discuss a new neighbor on the floor
- 💬After the quarrelA bench in the yard, a friend waits for a friend after a quarrel
- 💬Grandma's recipe over the phoneThe kitchen, a grandson calls his grandmother half an hour before the guests
- 💬An exchange at the shopThe till at the mall, Saturday after lunch
- 💬Intake at the service centerThe service center intake desk, Tuesday morning
- 💬The forecast for the weekendTwo neighbors by the entrance decide whether to go to the sea on Saturday
- 💬How to get to the stationA visitor stops a passer-by at a crossroads in the city center
- 💬A course for beginnersThe desk of a language school, a woman choosing a group
- 💬Let's do ThursdayA phone call between two colleagues on Monday morning
- 💬Say it againThe window of a government office, the visitor did not understand half of what was said
- 💬What is your professionA small office, a manager talks to a person who came in answer to a job ad
- 💬Before the signatureTwo people sit over a rental contract: one rents out the apartment, the other reads such a text for the first time
- 💬Raising money for the playgroundThe yard of an apartment block, a neighbor goes from door to door with a signature sheet
- 💬Choosing a giftA customer looks for a gift in a bookshop and does not know what to choose
- 💬Back to the clubThe desk of a fitness club, a man returns to training after a long break
- 💬At the electronics storeAn electronics counter, a customer chooses a projector and measures everything in words
- 💬The test resultsA doctor's office, a person has come for the test results
- 💬What to give at a weddingTwo friends discuss a wedding invitation and a gift
- 💬A disagreement about the priceA small firm, two people differ about a new price
- 💬Moving and doubtsTwo friends at a cafe, one has been offered a job in another city
- 💬A shelf to replaceA customer in a building materials shop describes an old shelf to the seller
- 💬The sofa to the windowTwo people rearrange the furniture in a room and argue about what goes where
- 💬The order for the weekAt a cafe they count how much to order for the week
- 💬The work stalledA manager and an employee go over why the work stalled
- 💬Should one believe the figuresTwo employees decide whether the figures in the report can be trusted
- 💬Grandma about the old timesA grandson asks his grandmother how people lived in the village half a century ago
- 💬Where to throw the packagingA new tenant asks a neighbor about the containers and sorting in the yard
- 💬A batch with a defectA warehouse keeper and a driver sort out a batch of goods that arrived with a defect
- 💬What happened in the yardTwo neighbors discuss a power cut that one saw and the other knows only by hearsay
- 💬What he is like at workTwo colleagues on a break discuss what the new person is like at work
Phrases that always rescue you
These are learned first not for politeness. They bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong — which makes them more useful than any list of nouns.
- שלוםшаломhi
- תודהтодаthank you
- סליחהслихаexcuse me
- בבקשהбевакашаplease (as a request)
- אני לא מביןани ло мэвинI don't understand
- תחזרו בבקשהтахзеру бевакашаrepeat, please
- לאטлеатslowly
- אתם מדברים אנגלית?атем медабрим англит?do you speak English?
- הצילו!хацилу!help!
- אין בעד מהэйн бэад маyou're welcome
- אבדתיавадтиI'm lost
- אני צריך רופאани царих рофэI need a doctor
Frequently asked
Which Hebrew phrases to learn first?
To start a conversation: “hi”, “thank you” and “excuse me”. To rescue it when it goes wrong: “I don't understand” and “repeat, please”.
Is a phrasebook enough without grammar?
For a short trip — yes. For living in the country — no: memorized phrases do not assemble into new ones, and the other person does not follow your script.