Listening To Hebrew Is Vital

By Author: Gordon M
Total Articles: 9
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Learn to speak Hebrew: Listening to Hebrew is critical
When you are learning Hebrew what you are thinking of is speaking Hebrew. The goal is to learn to speak Hebrew to be able to hold a conversation but to achieve this you need to be able to listen and listen well. How many times have you been abroad and made an attempt to speak and been completely confused by a torrent of words coming back to you from a native speaker. To actually have a conversation you need to listen and listen hard. To do this you need to spend time practising your listening skills using a number of resources.
 
Passive resources for improving your Hebrew listening skills
 
When I moved to Israel I used radio and television in the background to help me get a better grasp of the spoken word. So instead of just switching on to the usual English channels I consciously choose to turn on a Hebrew station. What you gain from this is a good ear for the way the Hebrew language sounds. You will also pick new vocabulary and colloquialisms that will not be in a text books, using TV or radio in such a way will really help not only ...
... to learn to speak Hebrew but to speak Hebrew with the correct tone and accent. 
 
Active resources
 
Most of my DVD collection have subtitles and audio in a choice of languages. I often use this feature to acclimatise my brain to listening. The subtitles also help to confirm what you are hearing. You can rewind back and check out certain phrases. You are really checking your hearing out with this exercise. Of course you may have to do this alone as other people might not appreciate what you are doing.
 
The use of audio to help you Learn to speak Hebrew is also very useful most courses will have downloadable MP3's and you should play these in you car as you go about your daily routines, this is also a very good way to put your time to good use when stuck in traffic. I don't worry about doing the course material while I am driving but use it as listening practice. You do need a fair few to stop this being boring. I am reasonably fluent in Hebrew now but when I was just starting out I would listen to beginners and advanced vocabulary MP3's to improve my listening skills I found this to be a very useful technique.
 
Friends who speak the lingo.
 
Live conversation is no doubt the best way to improve your Hebrew skills. I have a many friends here in Israel that are native Hebrew speakers they are good company but also they help me learn to speak Hebrew, while I help them learn English so it is a win win situation. You get coaching on your accent and practice listening in a natural environment that is non threatening way, this may not be an option for you if you want to Learn to speak Hebrew and you don't actually live in Israel, however there are some excellent online communities where you can exchange language with a native Hebrew speaker
 
The main point of these resources is to spend time immersed in the Hebrew language, so that you learn to speak Hebrew using all the resources available to you. When you do go to Israel and need to speak and listen for real you will have had plenty of practice.