Essential Words and Phrases

Now that you know all 22 Hebrew letters, the five final forms, the nikkud system, and special marks, it is time to put everything together. This lesson introduces essential Hebrew words and phrases that you can start using immediately.

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Greetings

Hebrew	Transliteration	Meaning	When to Use
שָׁלוֹם	shalom	hello / goodbye / peace	Any time
בֹּקֶר טוֹב	boker tov	good morning	Morning
צָהֳרַיִם טוֹבִים	tsohorayim tovim	good afternoon	Afternoon
עֶרֶב טוֹב	erev tov	good evening	Evening
לַיְלָה טוֹב	layla tov	good night	Bedtime
לְהִתְרָאוֹת	lehitraot	goodbye (see you)	Parting
מָה נִשְׁמָע?	ma nishma?	what's up? / how are you?	Informal
מָה שְׁלוֹמְךָ?	ma shlomkha? (m)	how are you?	Formal (to male)
מָה שְׁלוֹמֵךְ?	ma shlomekh? (f)	how are you?	Formal (to female)

Cultural note: שָׁלוֹם (shalom) is the most versatile word in Hebrew — it means "hello", "goodbye", and "peace". It comes from the root שׁ-ל-ם relating to wholeness and completeness.

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Polite Expressions

Hebrew	Transliteration	Meaning
תּוֹדָה	toda	thank you
תּוֹדָה רַבָּה	toda raba	thank you very much
בְּבַקָּשָׁה	bevakasha	please / you're welcome
סְלִיחָה	slicha	excuse me / sorry
אֵין בְּעָד מָה	ein be'ad ma	you're welcome (it's nothing)

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Essential Questions

Hebrew	Transliteration	Meaning
מָה?	ma?	what?
מִי?	mi?	who?
אֵיפֹה?	eifo?	where?
מָתַי?	matay?	when?
לָמָּה?	lama?	why?
אֵיךְ?	eikh?	how?
כַּמָּה?	kama?	how much? / how many?

Example:
אֵיפֹה הַשֵּׁרוּתִים? (eifo hasherutim?) — Where are the toilets?
כַּמָּה זֶה עוֹלֶה? (kama ze ole?) — How much does this cost?

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Numbers 1–10

Number	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gematria Letter
1	אֶחָד	echad	א
2	שְׁנַיִם	shnayim	ב
3	שְׁלוֹשָׁה	shlosha	ג
4	אַרְבָּעָה	arba'a	ד
5	חֲמִשָּׁה	chamisha	ה
6	שִׁשָּׁה	shisha	ו
7	שִׁבְעָה	shiv'a	ז
8	שְׁמוֹנָה	shmona	ח
9	תִּשְׁעָה	tish'a	ט
10	עֲשָׂרָה	asara	י

Note: Hebrew numbers have masculine and feminine forms. The forms above are masculine. Feminine forms drop the final ה: אַחַת, שְׁתַּיִם, שָׁלוֹשׁ, etc.

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Days of the Week

In Hebrew, days are simply numbered (Sunday = day 1), except for Shabbat: