Denis Valentinovich Manturov Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian ...
Learning foreign languages is a hobby, but it can be an urgent need. For example, like the new immigrants in Israel, who need to learn Hebrew in order to achieve something and become their own in new country... What do we know about Hebrew?
Hebrew is the Hebrew language modernized in the 20th century and the state language of modern Israel. Naturally, almost everyone here speaks it, and newcomers should try to master at least the basics as soon as possible.
Hebrew is considered an uncomplicated language. According to the classification existing in linguistics, it is simpler than English, German or French. For the majority of Russian-speaking repatriates, the most incomprehensible is the absence of vowels. You can remember the meaning of the word, but here's how to pronounce it? That is why, when mastering Hebrew, not only the learning process itself is important, but also the possibility of immersion in the language environment.
How is language learning done? There are several basic principles that will make learning Hebrew as easy and enjoyable as possible, especially if you are not studying alone, but in a special school - ulpan.
The principle of expediency
The first thing that is necessary for mastering any foreign language is motivation. Without an accurate understanding of why you need a language and how your life will change with the acquisition of the ability to communicate fluently in it, it will not be easy to learn Hebrew.
In order to become a full-fledged member of Israeli society, knowledge of Hebrew is essential. Many will say that there is enough English or Russian, and it is quite possible to do without Hebrew if you live in some "Russian quarter". However, such people will never be able to approach the social and cultural life of Israel and even a little understand what this country breathes. And let about 30% of the population speak Russian in Israel, and a little more English, but this does not change the essence - Hebrew is needed here like air.
Consider an average situation. Let's say that you are an “ole hadash” (a new repatriate), your motivation is all right, you live in a country that is still foreign and unfamiliar to you for only a few weeks or months. Maybe you even have a good specialty, or you are already working, or your relatives are still helping you. But to get a more promising and high-paying job, you need to master Hebrew as soon as possible.
The principle of consistency
You need to pay attention to learning the language systematically. Daily activities will bring results, even if you practice for 20-30 minutes a day.
First, build a learning habit, and second, constant repetition will help you memorize better.
If today you have learned 50 words, and then you will not remember the lessons for a week, then out of these five dozen in your memory, at best, only one or two will remain. And if you learn 5 words every day, constantly repeating those that you memorized before, then in 10 days your vocabulary base will increase by 50 words.
Priority principle
This principle is simple enough to understand and consists in the fact that in learning a language, as in everything, you need a system. For example, without memorizing the alphabet, one cannot learn to read sounds and write letters; it is impossible to pronounce and read words and sentences without understanding the grammatical structures and rules of pronunciation of sounds and vocalizations; without typing a vocabulary base and communicating with native speakers, it is very difficult to assess the level of your training and how correctly the information is assimilated. The principle of consistency is one of the main ones, which are used not only in language learning, but also in very many areas of life.
The last principle that will make learning Hebrew as easy as possible is the principle of total immersion.
If you already live in Israel, it will be much easier to immerse yourself in the environment of native speakers than if you were just going to move here for permanent residence. You can read local newspapers, listen to the radio, watch TV, chat with passers-by, or go to themed events and meetings. You can change the interface language on the phone and on the computer. A good option is to find new friends who speak Hebrew, or sign up for a section or circle where there will be many like-minded people who also speak Hebrew.
One of the main points, if not the most important, which will help you to quickly understand the language of Israel, is to enroll in a Hebrew school - ulpan. By law, each new repatriate is entitled to one free state Hebrew course with a duration of 5-10 months of study, within 10 years from the date of repatriation.
However, for a high-quality study of a language, this course alone is certainly not enough, it will provide only the necessary foundations, but what next? Either continue to study Hebrew on your own based on the above principles, or enroll in a private ulpan, where the price of the course can reach many thousands of shekels. Both options have a right to exist, but there is another possibility that is worth paying attention to.
"Ulpan sheli" - private ulpan free of charge
This year, within the framework of the Voucher program conducted by the Ministry of Absorption, new repatriates in 2017 from all CIS countries and repatriates in 2016 from Ukraine, France and Belgium can study at Ulpan Sheli for free.
The main difference between a private ulpan and a public one is that classes are held in small groups (4-8 people), courses open throughout the country, in any city where there are at least 4 people who want to study. They find a room especially for them, draw up a personal class schedule and invite the best Hebrew teachers. Therefore, the level of language learning here is very good, the teacher has time to work with each student personally. Groups of different levels are gathered - depending on the knowledge and training of students. You can take the course at Ulpan Sheli first, and then enter the state ulpan for the next level. Or vice versa - start with the state and consolidate and deepen your knowledge in "Ulpan Sheli".
The main thing to remember is that studying under the voucher program does not deprive you of your rights to the state ulpan. Therefore, it is worth using all the existing possibilities for language learning.
To find out more and check your eligibility for free classes in a private ulpan, contact the Russian-speaking coordinator or in the Facebook group.
Photo courtesy of a PR agency
Hebrew has not been used in colloquial speech for over one and a half thousand years, but since the last century it has been revived, becoming the official language of Israel. Word formation in Hebrew is a fairly logical and understandable process, you just need to memorize the basic rules.
At first glance, the language may seem complicated: studying letters of an unusual configuration and writing texts from right to left. But don't worry, the 22-letter Israelite alphabet can be learned in just a few lessons. ALL ONLINE COURSES have selected the best free online resources to learn Hebrew from scratch at home.
Free tutorial "Boach le Shalom". The resource offers mastering the alphabet, writing, the basics of grammar and speaking. The course is divided into thematic blocks. Each lesson, in addition to explanatory material, includes exercises for reviewing the past, texts and dialogues using new words. The situations played out in strengthening exercises reflect modern life realities. Sections "Alphabet", "Reading" and "Writing" contain text and graphic information, and lessons in the "Parts of Speech" block are supported by audio recordings that allow you to pronounce phrases in Hebrew correctly. The only paid option on the resource is the help of a teacher and passing exams.
Self-study guide based on the textbook. Relevant for an audience of beginners who decide to master Hebrew without a teacher. There are headings "Primer", "Verbs", a thematic phrasebook "Hebrew-Russian", a dictionary, exercises for memorizing words, an online translator. The site contains convenient schemes that give an understanding of grammar, the meaning of binyans, roots, etc. After completing the lessons in full, you can begin to read and navigate in the 2000 word range.
Channel with a playlist of hundreds of videos. Positioned as an assistant for beginners. Several lessons are devoted to the study of the alphabet, a number of stories introduces Hebrew while walking around Tel Aviv, the topics "Family", "Colors", "Verbs", "Parts of the body", "Shopping" are separately covered.
The material is designed for a Russian-speaking audience. The duration of the video lessons is different - there are short stories of 4-5 minutes, but at the same time, two lessons "Hebrew for the lazy" are offered, each lasting about an hour.
A site with diverse content. The selection of audio lessons includes 23 conversational topics for every day and online radio in Hebrew. The video block contains: serials, cartoons and feature films popular with Israelis; practical video course "Mishpahat Gurevich"; lessons from youtube; course "Hebrew katan" with an original presentation; 30 thematic video lessons. In the section of text lessons - the alphabet, parts of speech, sentence construction, pronunciation features, teaching writing and reading, as well as 99 most popular questions in Hebrew. From articles in the "Useful" category, you can learn how to expand vocabulary, congratulate in Hebrew, find an interlocutor, read an uncoordinated text.
Free resource with non-standard content. Designed for Russian-speaking users with different levels of Hebrew: beginner, intermediate and high. Lesson topics range from health, zoo visits and fairy tales to reading labels and anecdotes. A feature of the project is the availability of an online grammar trainer and a video vocabulary trainer. The possibility of interactive solving crosswords is provided.
23 Hebrew lessons for beginners. The first 5 lessons are devoted to the study of letters, the rest give an idea of the peculiarities of the parts of speech. The basis of the lessons is the materials of the self-instruction manual of Yaakov Eyal. After completing this free course, you can get a well-grounded understanding of the structure of the language, the ability to freely express your thoughts in Hebrew. Lessons are based on dialogues and situations that are often encountered in everyday life. Each lesson is supplemented with exercises on the topic covered, there are answers and tips, a link to download the course "Conversational Hebrew in dialogues."
Author's experience self-study Hebrew. A blog about a step-by-step approach developed without the participation of teachers. It tells about the pros and cons of looking for like-minded people in social networks and forums, mastering the alphabet in two weeks, selecting study guides, passing tests. There is a video that users with an intermediate level of Hebrew should be able to understand, and links to electronic materials.
Offer from the series "50 language courses", no prior knowledge of Hebrew is required to complete the program. The project includes 100 free lessons with text content and mp3 audio files. Classes have diverse topics - from the peculiarities of building communication in the family, institutions, transport to familiarization with parts of speech. The materials are available online and as apps for iPhone and Android.
An overview material for those who are afraid to take up the study of Hebrew. Communicate easily the difficulties that newcomers traditionally fear and how to overcome the fear.
A block of small video lessons from the teacher Veronica Mendel, the author of the Successful Hebrew methodology. Several videos are dedicated to the study of language norms: abbreviations and abbreviations, pronunciation of prepositions, vocalization. The rest of the plots are designed to expand the vocabulary in certain situations: in the forest, on the beach, in training, while driving.
A handy translator for those who have just started learning Hebrew. Works online on any device, you don't need to download and install it. Among the advantages of the resource is the support of vocalizations, the ability to read the correct pronunciation and determine the stress setting. During translation, the meanings and some synonyms of the entered word are additionally displayed. A relative disadvantage of the site is that it does not support translation of phrases and sentences, but processes only single words.
Audio dictionary-phrasebook of 100 parts. The duration of each part is 3-4 minutes. The basis is made up of words and phrases repeated twice by a native Hebrew speaker. The dictionary can be used online or by downloading it for free in mp3 format.
The Hebrew textbook (self-study guide) presented here has existed on the Internet since the late 90s of the last century. During this time, hundreds of thousands of people have used it. Letters of thanks from our students and positive reviews in blogs and forums gave us strength and desire to continue and expand the project.
The textbook is intended for those who want to learn Hebrew from the very beginning and at the same time experience difficulties associated with the lack of a Hebrew-speaking environment and the inability to easily enroll in the Hebrew courses closest to home. The focus on those who learn the language from scratch, and, moreover, without a teacher is the main feature of the proposed course.
True, if you really want to speak Hebrew at a high level, then at a certain stage you will have to start reading adapted (and then not adapted) literature, listen to the radio (there are Israeli radio stations broadcasting over the Internet), etc.
And nevertheless, this tutorial is enough to start reading and navigate within 2000 words - and this is quite a lot, given that in Israel, a course in which only 1000 words are studied is considered sufficient to "enter the people" and start working.
I would like to emphasize one important thing here. Our Hebrew self-study guide is not an official manual, but a living Internet project. Thanks to numerous letters from our students, comments from well-wishers, as well as a "review" of ill-wishers-competitors that was accidentally discovered once on the Internet (it's a pity that it was too short), over the many years of our project's existence, we have corrected a number of typos and errors in it. This process continues.
We can NOT be mistaken in the main thing - in our method, in the convenient schemes provided to you that give UNDERSTANDING of Hebrew grammar, the meaning of roots, Binyans, etc. We believe in our methodology, especially seeing how successful our project is among Internet users.
We wish you easy and fun learning!
I have no idea. But I have been living in Tel Aviv for three weeks now (no, soon home), and when a voice in the electronic queue says "mispar arbaim e khomesh", and I have just the forty-fifth number, I the turn has come.
I have known a few words in Hebrew since childhood: thank you, please, excuse me, good morning, good night, bon appetit, birthday, head, air conditioner, good. Everyone knows how to say hello.
And I could count from one to nineteen. The easiest way to remember is six - shesh. It's also easy to remember eight - shmone. As a child, I had a friend named Petya Oliker, and he said: "In Israeli prisons, the shmon always starts at exactly eight." How can you forget?
Now I know more words and have learned to read those that I recognize by ear. In the first week, I didn't even try to read. In the article I wrote that "in Israel, words are perceived as just unknown squiggles." There is no chance of deciphering such a text:
However, when you are surrounded by signs on the streets and packs in stores long enough, you begin to notice that some letters are different. From the alphabet I knew only the letter א (Aleph). This is not # 36, but 36a:
When I opened the whole alphabet, I was horrified, remembered ב (bet) and closed it, having managed to accidentally notice that the letter ש looks like NS and it seems to be read the same way. And for some reason I also realized that ל is l.
Of course, when you know at least some letters, you try to find them everywhere. It helps a lot that the street signs are duplicated in English:
Oh, is this how Rothschild is spelled? OK, NS and l I knew, and when I saw, I realized that d also knew from somewhere. It's cute that R similar to lowercase English r just looking from right to left is easy to remember too. I also remembered that and is the single quote above. The main thing is not to confuse it with an apostrophe:
Here I already know d, O, l- naturally, I remember m and with.
Well, then you walk down the street like this, you see the word:
And you rejoice: "Discount!"
On sh- begins, on -arma ends, smells like shawarma:
Or here (forgive me for blocking the letters with a column):
At first it may seem that "supr shnkin" is nonsense. But this is a supermarket, and it is on Sheinkin Street. Probably it says "Super Sheinkin"?
However, hell knows, because Sheinkin's street sign says differently:
If not super Sheinkin, then the mini Allenby should be correct:
Well, or here's another sign:
I have no idea what is written here, but it looks like Bazooka. But maybe not.
And here's the coolest sign:
It's a difficult word, but luckily this falafelnitsa has a wifi called akosem. See what a cool font. By the way, do not know which one it is?
The most difficult thing was to deal with these "PPPs" on electronic screens in buses:
Do you see the word at the beginning? Too the same three letters. And two of them read the same (to my ear). It is written "hatahana" (more precisely, hthnh; this is "stop"). Later it turned out that "khatakhana haba" is the next stop, it seems to be written here.
