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Tia
Lv 6
Tia asked in TravelAfrica & Middle EastIsrael · 1 decade ago

Is Hebrew easy to learn.....?

how easy Hebrew is as a language?

does it have different dialects?

Update:

@ Dean, actually Hebrew does sound alot like Arabic, when I listen to Hebrew talk i need like 5 seconds to realise it isn't Arabic...

tbh I'm not sure why I want to learn Hebrew, but it makes more sense to learn Hebrew than French or German considering the Middle East's situation... don't you think?

11 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    An Arab knows it is Hebrew at once ,5 seconds is OK

    it is easy to a person knows Arabic influentially to learn Hebrew ,specially the knowledge of grammar , it is then concerned with the teacher , all Hebrew teachers I met were excellent , but some times you may meet a teacher who is his pronunciation is not perfect ,then you may have some difficulty,the letter (3) you might hear it as ayn ,the same thing with (7) so it could be h ,saying for instance Hasan instead of 7asan or the 5asan , its also

    some Palestinians even speak it up they for instance say Amal instead of 3amal . you know its the same as when you listen to some TV interview ,you may see the person in the interview says " Ana ru7t England , weshtarait few things , wesme3t music .

    the Jews from Yemen speak it prompt , so good luck ,

    notice in grammar both Arabic and Hebrew has the similar rules which is very hard to other Hebrew learners to swallow

  • ?
    Lv 4
    4 years ago

    Is Hebrew Easy To Learn

  • ?
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    Want To Learn Hebrew Fast?

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It depends. I would say that, if you are dedicated and immerse yourself into the language and the culture attached to it, then you will learn it pretty fast. If not, then no. And regardless, you will have a much more difficult time compared to when you were younger, if you are over the age of 18. It's best to learn a language at a young age.

    There aren't different dialects to Hebrew; however, there are different pronunciations. Throughout the world, since Hebrew is the language of the Torah, certain groups have learned to pronounce things differently. Arabic has faced a similar phenomenon, where sounds and pronunciations from Morocco are incredibly different that those in Iraq. There is Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Hebrew, mostly; however, pronunciation of the Modern Hebrew language in Israel matches the Sephardi pronunciation. Accordingly, many synagogues not identifying too much with ethnicity or origin have modified their pronunciation to Sephardi Hebrew. I'm technically Ashkenazi Jewish; however, those who pray in Ashkenazi Hebrew sound so foreign to me, since I've learned a more Sephardi sounding way (but, I'm also part Sephardi, so it works). In terms of Israel, there is only one.

    Coming back full circle, it would be easy for you to learn it, since I'm assuming you know Arabic. Forgive me if I'm making an identity mistake, but aren't you from Lebanon, or somewhere else in the Arab world? Hebrew's closest relative is Arabic, and vice versa; though, neither seem to want to admit it. It is apparent in the pronouns (Ana = Ani; Anta = Ata, Anti = At, Hu=Huwa (I think) Hiwa = Hi, ....). Also, similar words like Shalom and Saalam, and Shalom Alekhem and Saalam Alekum. Though, if I'm right, I am curious on why you want to learn.

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  • Shay p
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Hebrew is not an easy language, but then again it isn't too difficult either. I think that Hebrew is easier to learn than English, English is a composite of many different languages and therefore doesn't really have one overriding rule structure. I would compare Hebrew to a Romance language, both languages have gendered conjugation. Hebrew does have a relatively large number of exceptions to the rules and that makes it a more difficult to learn, but all in all I'd say compared to English it's relatively easy.

    No different dialects !

  • 1 decade ago

    Like any language, the ease of learning depends on where you're starting. It will be very easy to learn if you speak Arabic. If you speak only English, then it will be more difficult. I still think it is an easier language to learn than Arabic.

    There are two dialects, but unless you're a scholar and really want to learn liturgical Samaritan Hebrew, there is really only one of importance: the Jewish one. There are Sephardi and Ashkenazi pronunciations. There are also Mizrahi and Temani pronunciations, but the first two I mentioned are the most important ones.

  • 1 decade ago

    Quite easy--most learn it in a year in an ulpan or language school.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    i think it's the easiest language to learn, considering that i'm a palestinian, many of my friends can speak fluent Hebrew, many of the words sound similar to Arabic, it's very weak linguistically, they emerge loads of foreign words to it just like they are, without any slightest change, weird i know!

    i'd never bother to learn this damn language though, i'd rather learning German, French or whatever.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It's on the middle side.

    it has it's difficult parts, but other than that - pretty easy.

    harder than english and, for example, italian.

    a lot easier than japanease or chinese, or even french i think.

    but considering you have to learn a new alphabet, it's not for everyone, obviously.

  • 5 years ago

    That is a good observation

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