Languages · עברית
Video Chat with Hebrew Speakers
To practice Hebrew with native speakers on Omlet, set the country filter to Israel and press Start for a free 1-on-1 video chat, with no account needed. Hearing everyday Israeli Hebrew on camera, with its quick rhythm and casual slang, is great practice for anyone who learned mostly from textbooks.
Modern Hebrew (עברית, ivrit) is the main everyday language of Israel and is also spoken by communities around the world. It's written from right to left in its own 22-letter alphabet, usually without vowel marks, which is why every phrase below comes with a romanized pronunciation guide.
Omlet doesn't match people by language and its interface is in English, so practicing means filtering by country or simply asking whoever you meet; here's how language exchange on video chat works. Below are chat-ready phrases, how gender shapes everyday sentences, and tips for reading and typing Hebrew.
Where people speak Hebrew
Hebrew (עברית) is an official language in 1 country or territory. To meet people from one of them, pick it with the country filter.
Useful Hebrew phrases for video chat
Short, natural phrases you can use in your first minute on camera. The pronunciation is a simple English-style guide; stressed syllables are in capitals.
| English | Hebrew | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye | שלום | shah-LOHM |
| What's up? How's it going? | מה נשמע? | mah nish-MAH |
| How are you? (to a man / to a woman) | מה שלומך? | mah shlohm-KHA / mah shloh-MEKH |
| Fine, thanks. And you? (to a man / to a woman) | בסדר, תודה. ואתה? / ואת? | beh-SEH-der, toh-DAH. veh-ah-TAH / veh-AHT |
| My name is … | קוראים לי … | koh-REEM lee … |
| Nice to meet you. | נעים מאוד. | nah-EEM meh-OHD |
| Where are you from? (to a man / to a woman) | מאיפה אתה? / מאיפה את? | meh-AY-foh ah-TAH / meh-AY-foh AHT |
| I'm learning Hebrew. (said by a man / by a woman) | אני לומד עברית. / אני לומדת עברית. | ah-NEE loh-MED eev-REET / ah-NEE loh-MEH-det eev-REET |
| Can you speak more slowly? (to a man / to a woman) | אתה יכול לדבר יותר לאט? / את יכולה לדבר יותר לאט? | ah-TAH yah-KHOL leh-dah-BER yoh-TER leh-AHT / AHT yeh-khoh-LAH leh-dah-BER yoh-TER leh-AHT |
| How do you say … in Hebrew? | איך אומרים … בעברית? | EKH ohm-REEM … beh-eev-REET |
| What do you do for work? (to a man / to a woman) | במה אתה עובד? / במה את עובדת? | BAH-meh ah-TAH oh-VED / BAH-meh AHT oh-VEH-det |
| I didn't understand. | לא הבנתי. | loh heh-VAN-tee |
| Thanks for the chat! | תודה על השיחה! | toh-DAH al hah-see-KHAH |
| See you! / Bye! | להתראות! | leh-heet-rah-OHT |
Tips for practicing Hebrew on video chat
- Learn ma nishma? ("what's up?") first. It's friendly, works with anyone and saves you from choosing between masculine and feminine forms.
- Most Hebrew words are stressed on the last syllable (shah-LOHM, toh-DAH), but plenty of everyday words aren't, so copy what you hear rather than guessing.
- Add a Hebrew keyboard in your phone's or computer's keyboard settings. Then you can type a word into the text chat and ask your partner to correct the spelling.
- In Israel the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday is a regular workday. Keep that and the time difference in mind; our guide to the best time to chat across time zones has a quick table.
- If you get stuck, switch to English for a moment and then come back. If your partner speaks English, they can often help you find the Hebrew word you were reaching for.
Talking to a man or a woman: gender in Hebrew
Hebrew has no formal "you", so you never have to choose between polite and casual address. What changes instead is gender: "you" is אתה (ata) to a man and את (at) to a woman, and verbs and adjectives change to match, including when you talk about yourself.
| English | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| you | אתה (ata) | את (at) |
| How are you | מה שלומך (ma shlomkha) | מה שלומך (ma shlomekh) |
| I'm learning | אני לומד (ani lomed) | אני לומדת (ani lomedet) |
| you can | אתה יכול (ata yakhol) | את יכולה (at yekhola) |
Notice that מה שלומך is spelled the same both ways; only the vowels you say change. When you're unsure which form fits, neutral phrases like ma nishma and toda raba (thanks a lot) work for everyone, and a learner who mixes up an ending is easy to forgive.
Reading Hebrew without vowels
Everyday Hebrew is written with consonants only. Vowel marks (niqqud) appear in poetry, dictionaries and learner materials, but not on signs, websites or messages, so over time you learn to recognize words by their shape and context.
- Hebrew runs right to left, but numbers are written left to right, just as in English.
- Five letters take a special form at the end of a word: כ becomes ך, מ becomes ם, נ becomes ן, פ becomes ף and צ becomes ץ.
- The letter ח, and כ without a dot, make a throaty "kh", like the end of German "Bach". Most Israelis pronounce ר (resh) far back in the throat, a little like a French r.
- Hebrew has just five vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u), so the romanization in the table is close to how words really sound.
Before each chat, read one phrase from the table aloud, then ask your partner to say it back to you. Hearing it right after you've read it locks in both the letters and the sound.
Small words that make you sound natural
Israeli conversation is full of short, friendly words. You don't need them to be understood, but knowing them helps you follow fast speech and sound less like a textbook. Our guide to learning slang in a new language has more ways to pick them up.
- סבבה (sababa): cool, great, fine by me.
- יאללה (yalla): come on, let's go; "yalla bye" is a common casual goodbye.
- אחלה (akhla): great, excellent.
- בסדר (beseder): OK, fine, all good.
- נו (nu): so? well? come on, depending on the tone.
- אהלן (ahlan): hi, a casual alternative to shalom.
Use them with people your age on a relaxed chat, and stick with shalom and toda when the conversation feels more formal.
Practice Hebrew with the country filter
Omlet's interface is in English only, and it doesn't match people by language or translate anything. There are two easy ways to find Hebrew speakers:
- Use the country filter. Press Country, pick a country where Hebrew is spoken (for example Israel), then press Start.
- Ask whoever you meet. On Worldwide matching, a quick "Do you speak Hebrew?" costs nothing to try.
The country filter's first day is free (you add a card to start, and can cancel in Settings before the charge). After that it's $3 one time for that device and browser, with no subscription. It can make matching slower when fewer people from that country are online; if a match takes a while, try another country or switch back to Worldwide.
Say you're practicing Hebrew in your first sentence and ask your partner to slow down or correct you. It's a normal request.