The Best Way to Learn Hebrew in 2026

The best way to learn Hebrew is to spend most of each week on Hebrew you can follow, play the audio as you read, and then say the new words to someone. This kind of Hebrew is called comprehensible input, and our Hebrew comprehensible input guide shows where to find it at each level. Most everyday Hebrew leaves out the vowel marks, so it helps to hear each word from your first weeks.

Bubblegum is a language app for the reading and listening part. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Hebrew lessons for your level on topics you pick, with audio for every line. For conversation, add a tutor or a friend who speaks Hebrew.

Give the most time to reading with audio, and use the other methods below for the gaps it leaves. In a review of 49 studies, Jeon and Day (2016) found that plenty of easy reading helped people read better in English as a second or foreign language. Those studies looked at English, so they don't tell us about Hebrew directly. Choose texts where roughly one word per sentence is new and the story still makes sense.

What you want Hebrew for decides what to read and who to practice with.

• 💬Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear casual Hebrew about meals and visits. Ask a relative how they say things at home, since textbook phrases can sound stiff.
• ✈️Travel in IsraelRead about taking a bus and ordering food. Rehearse your questions out loud with a tutor before you go.
• 🏠Live in IsraelNew immigrants can join an ulpan, an intensive Hebrew class. Most morning ulpan courses meet 5 days a week for about 5 months. Learn the letters before you go, and the first class will be easier to follow.
• 🎓Study in IsraelAsk the university or college whether it wants a Hebrew test. Many ask for the YAEL from applicants who took their entrance exams in another language.
• 📖Read the Hebrew BibleBiblical Hebrew is taught apart from Modern Hebrew, so look for a course that says Biblical Hebrew.
• 📰Follow the NewsChoose stories you've already read about in English. Start with easy news on Chadshon, and read only the headline and the opening lines until they come easily.

The YAEL is a Hebrew test of about an hour and a half, with three multiple-choice sections and one writing task. Most universities and colleges in Israel ask for it from applicants who took the entrance test or the school exit exams in another language, and each one sets its own rules. Biblical Hebrew has its own resources: Aleph with Beth is a free video series, Mango has a Biblical Hebrew course, and Biblingo is an app for reading the Hebrew Bible.

To see how the hours add up, read the fastest way to learn Hebrew.

When short stories start to feel easy, try the news on Chadshon.

• 🔤Leaving the Script for LaterIf you only learn by listening, you can't read signs or menus. Bubblegum's alphabet course teaches the vowel marks along with the letters, so start there and add a few letters each session.
• 🗺️Mixing Up Modern and Biblical HebrewModern Hebrew is the language people speak in Israel today, and Biblical Hebrew is a separate course. If you want to talk with people, check that an app or course says it teaches Modern Hebrew.
• 🗂️Starting With a Word ListA word list gives you meanings, but not how a word is used or how it sounds in quick speech. Learn each new word inside a sentence you can hear.