Learning Hebrew online

[u/TheGreatFatTurk]

Shalom!

I'm just beginning my journey to learn the Hebrew language, but I'm doing it completely on my own using only the internet as my teacher/guide. There are many free courses online and I was wondering if you guys could help me out to pick one. I'm kinda getting lost in a sea of courses with multiple tabs open....that is NOT efficient at all. I want to stick to one course if possible, to understand the basics at first.

Also, do you guys have any tips that might help me learn the language in a more efficient way? Things that you might have found out halfway through your studies and thought: I wish I knew this earlier....

Any/all tips are more than welcome! And thanks in advance. Have a blessed day.

[u/ResponsibleWing931]

You'll make faster progress if you choose one resource and actually finish it rather than bouncing between five half-done courses. Duolingo gets a lot of criticism but it's structured well enough for absolute beginners, and the gamification keeps people showing up daily, which matters more than the perfect curriculum in month one.

Here's what I wish more beginners do : Hebrew vowels (nikud, nikkud) disappear in real text, so don't get too comfortable reading with them. Street signs, WhatsApp messages, news sites none of them have vowels. If your course uses nikud for everything, start weaning yourself off by month two. Try reading the same sentence with and without the dots.

One more thing. Record yourself speaking from day one, even if it's just repeating a word. Most people wait until they "sound better," but your brain needs to hear the gap between what you think you're saying and what's actually coming out.
this i my biggest tips !!!

[u/Meekrobb]

So full disclosure, I'm american israeli, so my hebrew mostly came from home and hearing my parents. So not entirely sure about courses, and which ones are good and which ones aren't. However, i will say, try to study the foundational stuff like male vs female, single vs plural, prefix and suffix, etc, alongside pure vocabulary (root words). I think the combination of both happening simultaneously will give you a very decent chunk of vocabulary that you know and understand, and as you go through the foundational stuff things will click. Which could keep you motivated to keep going.

I just remember my days back in school when I was in hebrew class and they would focus too much on the foundational stuff, which was good. But it's really demoralizing, and falls apart, when you dont truly see it in action. Bc the end goal is to be able to speak it, not just learn it.

That's my 2 cents. Maybe people who have gone through the same journey you're planning to go through, will disagree and have better ideas though.

[u/Zaddyshemesh]

When you’re learning Hebrew, you must understand that you’re learning to central parts. The reading/writing and the speaking.

I would start with reading and writing to allow your brain to comprehend a language that has a root system and so much more.

Once you get the basics, understand the conjugations, than move on to infinites and breaking down their respected participles (אני = I , את = you (f), אתה = you (m), אנחנו (we) Etc.)

[u/Practical-Bat7964]

Pay for ChaiFlicks and IZZY and watch Hebrew shows. Listen to Israeli music. Immerse yourself in it.