Family and Friends: Describing Relationships
Build your Hebrew vocabulary for the people in your life. Learn the words for family and friends, from an only child to a penfriend, and the words to describe what someone is like, all in Hebrew script read right to left.
Practise it before the paper, not after
Free, interactive practice on the words and structures the examiner keeps asking for.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Words for family and friends
This module builds your Hebrew vocabulary for talking about the people in your life: your family, your friends and how you get on with them. Remember that Hebrew is read from right to left. Meet each word paired with its English meaning, then practise until you know them.
People in your life
Start with four words for the people and bonds around you. Each Hebrew word is shown with its English meaning.
Match the person
- בן יחיד
- נכד
- חבר לעט
- חברות
- An only child
- A grandchild
- A penfriend
- Friendship
Find the word
Which Hebrew word means "friendship"?
- חברות
- חבר לעט
- נכד
- בן יחיד
Two kinds of word
Some words name a person or a bond. Others describe what a person is like. Sort them in your mind.
Match the description
- שאפתן
- עצמאי
- מיושן
- מפורסם
- Ambitious
- Independent
- Old-fashioned
- Famous
Read it right to left
Hebrew is read from right to left. Put the steps of reading a Hebrew word in order.
- Start at the first letter on the right-hand side
- Read each letter as you move to the left
- Finish at the last letter on the far left
Choose the word
A child with no brothers or sisters is _____. The child of your son or daughter is your _____. A friend you write letters to is a _____. A close bond between friends is _____. Someone who works hard to succeed is _____.
Hebrew needs no word for is
These words become sentences with two patterns. Hebrew reads right to left and has no word for "is" in the present: - יש לי חבר לעט = "I have a penfriend". Hebrew has no verb "to have" - it says "there is to me". The opposite is אין לי חבר לעט, "I do not have a penfriend". - הוא חבר לעט שלי = "he is my penfriend". Nothing stands for "is", and שלי means "my". For a woman you would say היא instead of הוא.
Which sentence means "I have a penfriend"?
Which sentence means "I have a penfriend"?
- יש לי חבר לעט
- אין לי חבר לעט
- הוא חבר לעט שלי
- יש לי נכד
No vowels to see
In everyday Modern Hebrew the small vowel marks are usually left out, so a word is written with its consonants only. Readers know the vowels from experience. That is why the words in this module look short: you are seeing the consonant letters, read from right to left.
Describing a person
Which of these Hebrew words describe what a person is like? Choose all that apply.
- שאפתן
- עצמאי
- מיושן
- גיל
- נכד
Spot the people
Tap the two words that name a person.
- בן יחיד
- נכד
- חברות
- מפורסם
The Hebrew word for an only child
Which Hebrew word means "an only child"?
- בן יחיד
- נכד
- לבד
- עצמאי
Which word fits?
Read each description and choose the Hebrew word that fits.
- Dan has no brothers or sisters. Which word describes him?
- Maya writes letters to a friend in another country. That friend is her ...
- Noa works very hard because she wants to succeed. She is ...
Your turn: write in Hebrew
Describe someone important to you IN HEBREW. Write in Hebrew script, right to left - the transliteration in brackets is a reading aid only.
- Say how you are connected with the pattern from step 9: יש לי חבר לעט (yesh li chaver le-et - I have a penfriend), or swap in נכד (neched - a grandchild)
- Say who they are to you: הוא חבר לעט שלי (hu chaver le-et sheli - he is my penfriend), using שלי (sheli - my)
- Say what they are like - Hebrew needs no word for "is" in the present: הוא מפורסם (hu mefursam - he is famous), or use שאפתן (sha'aftan - ambitious), עצמאי (atzma'i - independent) or מיושן (meyushan - old-fashioned)
- The adjective changes form when you describe a woman, so keep to הוא (hu - he) unless you already know the feminine form