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Glite Dictionary
🇮🇱 Standard Hebrew 🇮🇱 Israeli language
Modern Hebrew

Modern Hebrew

4.9
The form of Hebrew spoken and written in Israel today, brought back from ancient Hebrew
  • proper noun
  • /ˈmɒdərn ˈhiːbruː/
translation icon : hebreo moderno
  • Modern Hebrew has incorporated words from many different languages.

Examples

  • She studied Modern Hebrew at university as part of her linguistics degree.

  • Have you ever studied Modern Hebrew?

  • Many immigrants to Israel learn Modern Hebrew to communicate in their new country.

  • I am learning Modern Hebrew at university.

  • In her language class, she learned to speak Modern Hebrew with confidence.

  • Many tourists find it helpful to learn some basic Modern Hebrew before visiting Israel.

  • He enjoys reading literature written in Modern Hebrew as it reflects contemporary Israeli culture.

Synonyms

Hebrew language
vsModern Hebrew
1 4.6

A language first used by ancient Jewish people, now the main language of Israel

is the specific present-day spoken and written form used in Israel
Hebrew
vsModern Hebrew
6.0

An ancient language now used as the modern language of Israel

focuses on the contemporary spoken and written form rather than the ancient stage

Surface Forms

Modern Hebrew main

Morphology

modern + Hebrew

The phrase 'Modern Hebrew' is compositionally transparent: 'modern' simply qualifies 'Hebrew' to indicate the contemporary form of the language, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the current/revived standard. This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows straightforward English compounding, making the meaning accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Modern Hebrew comes from a time when ancient Hebrew was mostly used in books and prayers, and then people in the 1800s and 1900s brought it back as a language for everyday life. That's why Modern Hebrew now means 'the Hebrew spoken and written in Israel today'.