Hebrew learning
Hebrew Greetings and Introductions
Greetings are the fastest way to make Hebrew useful. A confident שלום shalom, תודה todah, and סליחה slicha can change the tone of a whole interaction.
Listen and repeat
Tap a word to hear browser speech synthesis in Hebrew. IsraYeah! gives the richer app experience, but the website should still help you practise.
Time-of-day greetings
Use בוקר טוב in the morning, צהריים טובים around midday, ערב טוב in the evening, and לילה טוב when someone is going to sleep. These are polite, safe, and easy to recognise.
Israelis also use English greetings often, especially in cities and tech environments, but starting in Hebrew usually earns goodwill.
Casual Israeli style
Israeli casual speech is warm, fast, and direct. You will hear מה נשמע? and מה קורה? constantly. Both are versions of asking how things are going.
The expected answer is usually short: בסדר, סבבה, or הכל טוב.
Formal vs casual
Formal Hebrew matters in emails, government offices, schools, and healthcare. Casual Hebrew matters in taxis, cafes, markets, and neighbour conversations. Beginners should learn both but use simple polite forms when unsure.
A direct question in Israel is not always rude. Tone, context, and speed matter. If you need more time, say לאט בבקשה.
Introducing yourself
The natural phrase for "my name is" is קוראים לי, literally "they call me". Follow it with your name. To ask someone else, use איך קוראים לך?.
If you are new in Israel, the sentence אני חדש פה is useful. Women say אני חדשה פה.
Goodbyes
Use להתראות for a neutral goodbye, ביי casually, and שבת שלום from Friday afternoon into Shabbat. Around holidays, greetings change, which is why holiday vocabulary is worth learning early.
IsraYeah! includes phrasebook audio so you can practise greetings as chunks rather than isolated words.
Something missing?
Send corrections, lived experience, or source updates to israyeah@thesmios.com. IsraYeah! pages are meant to stay useful after launch.