School Vocabulary in Hebrew

Do you remember those days at school? The bell ringing, your classmates running, the -not so- lovely math teacher giving you tons of homework? We are sure you have some outstanding memories of that period of your life when school, sports and homework were your biggest concerns.

Today, we want to awaken the inner child in you and mix it with a little bit of Hebrew. In this article, you’ll find Hebrew vocabulary that is entirely related to those days at the בית ספר. Hebrew words for class, classmates, homework, and even for that part of the day we all waited for: the break.

Even though we know that you prefer vacations in Israel more than going to class and that you waited all day to get home and listen to your favorite Israeli musicians, we invite you to get ready, to prepare your scrapbook and to start learning these Hebrew words about school and students.

Hebrew words about school, students, and teachers

Let’s begin with the basics. Don’t worry, slowly slowly we’ll progress until we reach some more advanced words. But to start with, take a look at these Hebrew words:

School: School in Hebrew is בית ספר (pronounced: beyit seh-fehr), and it literally means “the house of the books”. Even though nowadays we use more technology than actual books in schools worldwide, this name is pretty accurate. School is the place where we learn and gain knowledge. In Israel, most schools are public and are high quality, placing Israel in one of the highest places in international education rankings. Way to go, Israel!

Students: Houston, we got a problem! For this specific word, we’ll need to divide “students” in 2 different age groups. Those students who are in university are called סטודנטים (pronounced: stoo-dent-eem), which we assume you won’t have many issues pronouncing.

In the case of school students, the right Hebrew word will be תלמידים (pronounced: tal-me-deem). The literal translation to this is “learners”, and even if sometimes the students (and especially the Israeli ones) don’t use school time to actually learn, we can say that it is a great way to call them. Don’t you agree?

Teacher: Very simple, teacher in Hebrew is מורה (pronounced: moh-rah if is a female teacher and moh-reh if is a male teacher). Some people say that the word comes from the same root as לְהַראוֹת which means “to show”, “to exhibit” or “to demonstrate”… and we think that it is a lovely association. What do you think?

Class: Class in Hebrew is כיתה (pronounced: kee-tah) and it makes reference to the grade your kids (or grandchildren) are at. In the case you want to talk about, for example, the Math Class, the right name it would be שיעור (pronounced: she-oor). So, do you already know which שיעור your kids will take when they pass to כיתה ד?

Yup, you saw it right! The grade numbers for the scholar system here are expressed in letters. And if you need some help understanding which letter is which grade, take a look at this article we published a few weeks ago.

Classroom: Believe it or not, classroom in Hebrew is also כיתה (pronounced: kee-tah). This is the place where your children will spend most of their day while at school.

Break: Break, oh break! That part of the day our kids wait so much for. The time when teenagers first start their love stories, when little fights happen, and when we build the strongest relationship with our childhood friends. Break in Hebrew is הפסקה (pronounced: haf-sah-kah). Learn this word quickly, because your children will most likely ask you for one the next time you ask them to clean their room!

Some other elements of the classroom and the school

Indeed, these 6 Hebrew words we presented above are not the only ones you’ll need to know. Therefore, we present you 2 bonus Hebrew words that are related to school, classes, and children. Learn them well, because even if you don’t like some of them, they’ll be very useful at one point or another. Ready? Here we go!

Parent meetings: A very important part of school life! Because schools aren’t only about our kids and require lots of participation from parents, it is very important that you also learn this Hebrew word. Parent meetings in Hebrew are called אסיפת הורים (pronounced: ah-seh-fat hoh-reem) and are a fundamental part of life at school. Are you ready for some coffee and old cookies? Go to your next אסיפת הורים, meet other parents and get fresh updates from the teachers.

Grades report card: The reason to reward, encourage, or punish your little ones! Grade reports in Hebrew are called גיליון ציונים (pronounced: gee-lee-on tzee-uh-neem), and you’ll receive a few each semester, and most likely, one each time you go to an אסיפת הורים.

Learn Hebrew today. You don’t need to drive to school!

Did you have fun learning these Hebrew words? Now you have the chance to learn more and to strengthen this ancient language without having to drive to a school or going through parent meetings.

You can now learn Hebrew online, by joining one of our live Hebrew courses. We promise you that you’ll progress way faster than you think and that sooner than later you’ll be speaking Hebrew like a pro. Are you ready? Check out our online Hebrew classes here and begin today! בהצלחה!