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Colloquial Hebrew
Colloquial Hebrew provides a step-by-step course in Hebrew as it is written and spoken today. Combining a user-friendly approach with a thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Hebrew in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required. Key features • progressive coverage of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills • structured, jargon-free explanations of grammar • an extensive range of focused and stimulating exercises • realistic and entertaining dialogues covering a broad variety of scenarios • useful vocabulary lists throughout the text • additional resources available at the back of the book, including a full answer key, a grammar summary and bilingual glossaries Balanced, comprehensive and rewarding, Colloquial Hebrew will be an indispensable resource both for independent learners and students taking courses in Hebrew. Course The complete course comprises the book and audio materials. These are available to purchase separately in paperback, ebook, CD and MP3 format. The paperback and CDs can also be purchased together in the great-value Colloquials pack. 978-0-415-24048-2 (please note this does not include the audio) CDs : 978-0-415-30260-9 978-0-203-98726-1 (please note this does not include the audio, available from www.tandfebooks.com ) 978-0-415-47087-2 (available from www.tandfebooks.com ) Pack : 978-0-415-43159-0 (paperback and CDs) For the eBook and MP3 pack, please find instructions on how to access the supplementary content for this title in the Prelims section.
- GenresLanguage
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
22 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 2, 2021
The Routledge Colloquial Series is exceptional. This is a great primer for someone serious about modern Israeli-Hebrew. The book is basic and clear enough for a beginner and advances enough for some with working knowledge to brush up on their skills. The book follows the typical dialogue, vocabulary building exercises, and grammar.
The author devotes the first chapter to learning the Hebrew alphabet. I found it helpful the author gives both the standard block format (what you would read in newspapers, billboards, store fronts, etc) and the handwritten format which is very different.
Other Routledge books I have focus on pronunciation and the typical "Hello, how are you. I am/you are, etc." This one seems to focus on travel to Israel from the beginning. The first dialogue is Peter arriving in Israel airport, getting in town, going to a restaurant, etc. It's not bad but the author's presentation of the language focuses on travel in addition to learning other components of Hebrew.
I purchased this is 2014 and it came with audio CDs. Now Routledge has moved to mp3 audio that can be downloaded for free from their website. I would recommend this book alongside the mp3 audio for the dialogue passages. Thanks!
The author devotes the first chapter to learning the Hebrew alphabet. I found it helpful the author gives both the standard block format (what you would read in newspapers, billboards, store fronts, etc) and the handwritten format which is very different.
Other Routledge books I have focus on pronunciation and the typical "Hello, how are you. I am/you are, etc." This one seems to focus on travel to Israel from the beginning. The first dialogue is Peter arriving in Israel airport, getting in town, going to a restaurant, etc. It's not bad but the author's presentation of the language focuses on travel in addition to learning other components of Hebrew.
I purchased this is 2014 and it came with audio CDs. Now Routledge has moved to mp3 audio that can be downloaded for free from their website. I would recommend this book alongside the mp3 audio for the dialogue passages. Thanks!
June 24, 2012
It is a good beginners intro to Modern Israeli Hebrew.Covers conversational Hebrew with sample dialogues. Also has some graphics showing Hebrew as it used in Israeli day-to-day items. CD and cassettes available.
September 25, 2008
A great book for someone with basic knowledge of Hebrew (aleph bet, some grammar) but I don't recommend it for beginners. The level of difficulty jumps tremendously between the starting chapters.
November 12, 2021
This may be one of the worst language books I've ever used. I can't find anything redeeming about it.
Others have noted that this is no book for beginners. Certainly, a background in the Hebrew alphabet is required. Lyttleton and Wang make a very weak attempt at teaching the basics of the consonants, and the recordings are of absolutely no help. Vowels are mentioned once in passing and then completely forgotten, as this book makes no use of niqqud.
The lack of niqqud and the lack of any real alphabet lesson causes problems quickly. In only the third chapter, for example, the authors teach the difference between "in an office" (b'misrad) and "in the office" (ba'misrad). In what feels like a slap in the face to any beginning learner, both words are written as בּמשׂרד without any niqqud to help distinguish between the two. The authors make a feeble effort at explaining how this would make more sense if only the niqqud were there, and assure the student that she will understand with time. And it only gets worse from there.
The audio tracks are confusing at best. None of the audio in any of the Colloquial language series is all that great to start with. Here, it's hard to tell which sentences and words have audio and which do not. Most audio tracks are filled with English explanations - an extremely outdated approach in the internet age, in which most people would prefer to get straight to the native speaker. You'll also find that the vocal inflections are annoying and off-putting. There are better free online resources with native speaker audio.
Finally, the difficulty ramp-up in this book is really fast and intense. Unlike Routledge's excellent Comprehensive Grammar series, its Colloquial instruction series is noted for the complete lack of any grammatical explanations whatsoever. The student is merely taken along on a ride through sentence after sentence and scenario after scenario with nary an explanation in sight. And then, in the ultimate betrayal, all dialogue translations abruptly end with Chapter 9 - as if the remaining text were any easier to understand than what came before!
I cannot recommend this book - or this series - to anybody. Not only is this book extremely frustrating in its lack of explanations and randomly assigned audio tracks, but it also offers a difficulty level that will frustrate even the most advanced language learner. To top it off, as mentioned in other reviews, many of the translations in this book are simply wrong.
It's time to end the practice of developing overpriced book-based foreign language manuals. There are many internet based solutions that have made these books essentially obsolete. You can do a lot better than Colloquial Hebrew, and I strongly urge you to spend your money and time elsewhere.
Others have noted that this is no book for beginners. Certainly, a background in the Hebrew alphabet is required. Lyttleton and Wang make a very weak attempt at teaching the basics of the consonants, and the recordings are of absolutely no help. Vowels are mentioned once in passing and then completely forgotten, as this book makes no use of niqqud.
The lack of niqqud and the lack of any real alphabet lesson causes problems quickly. In only the third chapter, for example, the authors teach the difference between "in an office" (b'misrad) and "in the office" (ba'misrad). In what feels like a slap in the face to any beginning learner, both words are written as בּמשׂרד without any niqqud to help distinguish between the two. The authors make a feeble effort at explaining how this would make more sense if only the niqqud were there, and assure the student that she will understand with time. And it only gets worse from there.
The audio tracks are confusing at best. None of the audio in any of the Colloquial language series is all that great to start with. Here, it's hard to tell which sentences and words have audio and which do not. Most audio tracks are filled with English explanations - an extremely outdated approach in the internet age, in which most people would prefer to get straight to the native speaker. You'll also find that the vocal inflections are annoying and off-putting. There are better free online resources with native speaker audio.
Finally, the difficulty ramp-up in this book is really fast and intense. Unlike Routledge's excellent Comprehensive Grammar series, its Colloquial instruction series is noted for the complete lack of any grammatical explanations whatsoever. The student is merely taken along on a ride through sentence after sentence and scenario after scenario with nary an explanation in sight. And then, in the ultimate betrayal, all dialogue translations abruptly end with Chapter 9 - as if the remaining text were any easier to understand than what came before!
I cannot recommend this book - or this series - to anybody. Not only is this book extremely frustrating in its lack of explanations and randomly assigned audio tracks, but it also offers a difficulty level that will frustrate even the most advanced language learner. To top it off, as mentioned in other reviews, many of the translations in this book are simply wrong.
It's time to end the practice of developing overpriced book-based foreign language manuals. There are many internet based solutions that have made these books essentially obsolete. You can do a lot better than Colloquial Hebrew, and I strongly urge you to spend your money and time elsewhere.
Want to read
March 27, 2007Mamash, aval mamash!!
February 18, 2009
This book is next on the list, after Hebrew for Dummies. I like the look of it so far, and hope I'll enjoy reading it.
November 9, 2014
Very good additon to my hebrew class. I love it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews