Learn Hebrew for Free: Online Courses, Apps and Resources

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You can learn Modern Hebrew for free, but one long list of apps will not give you a study plan. You need a resource for the script and sounds, a structured beginner course, regular listening and reading, and somewhere to get feedback on what you produce.

This guide focuses on Modern Israeli Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew and liturgical Hebrew overlap with it, but their grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation traditions and learning goals differ. Choose a course made for the variety you actually want to use.

I checked the access models and link destinations in August 2026. Some resources are completely free; others have a limited free tier or trial. I have labelled the difference so you know what you are signing up for.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

How to Use These Free Hebrew Resources

1. Learn the script and sound system first. Hebrew reads from right to left. Learn the letter shapes, final forms and the vowel-point system called nikkud. Most everyday Modern Hebrew is written without vowel points, but they are useful while you are learning to decode words.
2. Pick one structured beginner course. Follow its lesson order for grammar and high-frequency vocabulary instead of jumping between five apps.
3. Add short daily listening. Replay one clip, read any available transcript, then listen again without looking.
4. Review a small useful vocabulary set. Put full phrases into a spaced-repetition deck and include audio when you can.
5. Produce Hebrew and get feedback. Write a few sentences, record yourself, or speak with an exchange partner. Save corrections and use them in the next round of practice.

A simple weekly routine is enough: three course lessons, five short listening sessions, two writing or speaking attempts, and one review day. The resource list below gives you choices for each part.

Learn Hebrew Script and Pronunciation for Free

• Virtual Ulpan (free): Start with the alphabet, vowel points, handwriting and introductory grammar.
• The WORD in HEBREW crash course (free on YouTube): This six-part series introduces the letters, final forms, vowel points and basic reading practice.
• Pealim (free): Look up verbs and other common words, see conjugation tables and listen to recorded forms. Use it as a reference rather than a course.
• Teach Me Hebrew (free): Work through alphabet, vocabulary, grammar, transliterated dialogues and songs.

Do not rely on transliteration for long. It can help you through the first few days, but reading the Hebrew script directly will make every other resource easier to use.

Free Online Hebrew Courses and Lesson Systems

• Goethe Verlag book2 (free): Work through 100 topic-based lessons with phrases and audio. It is most useful for beginner vocabulary and routine situations.
• Live Lingua’s FSI Hebrew course (free): Download the public-domain coursebook and audio. The presentation is dated, so combine it with current spoken material.
• Loecsen Hebrew (free lessons): Learn beginner phrases by topic with audio and short activities.
• Teacher Mike’s blog (free): Use the short videos and written notes to review individual Modern Hebrew grammar and vocabulary points.
• HebrewPod101 (limited free account and trial): The free material includes selected audio and video lessons. A trial opens more of the library, then paid plans are offered. This is an affiliate link.

Use one of these as your course spine. The other sections are for extra input and practice, not a reason to restart at lesson one somewhere else every week. If HebrewPod101 is the one you’re considering for that course spine, read my full HebrewPod101 review.

Free Hebrew Audio, Podcasts and Listening Practice

• Streetwise Hebrew (free podcast): Explore how a word or expression is used in everyday Israeli Hebrew. The English explanations make it approachable before you can follow a full Hebrew podcast.
• Piece of Hebrew (free podcast and videos; paid study extras): Listen to clear intermediate Hebrew on everyday subjects. Full study packs and community features are part of its paid club.
• Hebrew radio on TuneIn (free with ads): Sample live stations and save the ones that match your interests. Radio is challenging, so start with a short familiar segment.
• TED talks in Hebrew (free): Choose a subject you already understand, watch with available subtitles, then replay a short section without them.

For intensive listening, work with 30–60 seconds at a time. Write down what you hear, compare it with the captions or transcript, then record yourself copying the rhythm.

Free Hebrew Video Lessons and Native Media

• Easy Hebrew (free on YouTube): Watch street interviews with Hebrew and English subtitles. Pause after a short answer and try to repeat it before reading the translation.
• Kan 11 (free on YouTube): Israel’s public broadcaster publishes news, documentaries, entertainment and clips for native speakers. Use it once learner material starts to feel too controlled.
• HebrewPod101’s YouTube channel (free): Browse beginner vocabulary, grammar and listening videos without a paid subscription.

Video is still listening practice. Pick one short clip and do something with it: shadow a sentence, write a summary, or tell an exchange partner what happened.

Free and Freemium Hebrew Apps

• Anki (desktop and web free) and AnkiDroid (Android free): Build your own phrase deck or import one you have checked. The official AnkiMobile app for iPhone and iPad is paid, so do not confuse it with the free web and desktop versions.
• Duolingo Hebrew (free tier with ads): Use it for a regular beginner habit and sentence exposure, but add outside listening and speaking.
• Clozemaster Hebrew (free tier): Fill gaps in sentences to meet vocabulary in context. It suits learners who already know the script and basic grammar.
• Drops Hebrew (time-limited free tier): Practise themed vocabulary in short visual sessions. Add your own sentence practice so the words do not stay isolated.
• Hebrew by Nemo for iPhone and iPad or Android (free basic app with in-app purchases): Record yourself and compare your version with the supplied audio.

Free Hebrew Reading and Advanced Native Material

• Hebrew Wikipedia (free): Start with an article about a subject you know and compare it with the version in another language. The articles will not always match section for section, so use the comparison as support rather than a line-by-line translation.
• Google News in Hebrew (free): Follow one continuing story so names and background stay familiar while you learn the news vocabulary.
• Project Ben-Yehuda (free): Read public-domain Hebrew literature in a volunteer-built digital library. Some works also have recorded readings.
• Sefaria (free): Explore Jewish texts with translations and commentaries. This is a textual resource, not a Modern Hebrew speaking course, and the language spans different historical periods.

Practise Hebrew for Free with Feedback

ConversationExchange is free to join and lets you look for Hebrew exchange partners. Agree on a simple format before the call: 20 minutes in Hebrew, 20 minutes in your partner’s language, and a short correction note for each person.

If a live call feels like too much, write five sentences about your day and ask a partner to mark only the mistakes that affect meaning. Rewrite the corrected version, then use two of those sentences in your next conversation.

Choose Your Free Hebrew Toolkit

You do not need every resource on this page. Start with Virtual Ulpan or another structured course, Pealim as your reference, one listening source, Anki for review and one exchange partner. Use that combination for four weeks before you decide what is missing.

For more options, see Benny’s recommended Hebrew resources. Check the free-versus-paid label before signing up, because access models can change after this article is updated.