- For the Site, see Ling: Learn Hebrew.
- Available both on the browser and as an iPhone App.
- I've found the initial page-load to be a bit slow in the browser (at least using Chrome), so anyone clicking the above link may need to be somewhat patient.
- Ling Introduction:
- The Hebrew language is very closely tied to the religion of Judaism, even to the point that many of the sacred religious texts are written in the language. Israel is the only country where it is an official language, but any country with a Jewish population will have people who understand the language. So, what is it like to learn Hebrew? Is it worth learning even if you don’t belong to the religion? Let’s find out.
- There are currently around 9 million speakers of Hebrew, with around 7 million of them being classed as fluent. It is a Semitic language, with languages like Arabic being other notable members. There are two major types of Hebrew - the biblical variety and the modern variety. Both are written using the Hebrew alphabet, which is read from right to left.
- Inflections play an important role in the Hebrew language. It changes adjectives and nouns to achieve different grammatical purposes such as number. Grammatical gender is applied to every noun in Hebrew, with no real structure for determining which nouns belong to which gender. Otherwise, Modern Hebrew follows a SVO word order.
- With a notable number of speakers spread around the world, choosing to learn Hebrew makes a lot of sense. You can form closer bonds with those in these communities and discover the scriptures of Judaism for yourself. Overall, it is a fascinating language with a long history to boot.
Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)
- Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2025
- Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)