Phrases & Vocabulary

Time

Today
היום (hah-YOHM)

Yesterday
אתמול (et-MOHL)

Tomorrow
מחר (mah-KHAHR)

The day before yesterday
שלשום (shil-SHOHM)

The day after tomorrow
מחרתיים (makh-rah-TAH-yeem)

Days

Except for Shabbat, these are ordinal numbers. But both these and the names of the first 6 letters in the Hebrew Alfa-Beit are used.

Sunday
יום ראשון (yohm ree-SHOHN)

Monday
יום שני (yohm shey-NEE)

Tuesday
יום שלישי (yohm shlee-SHEE)

Wednesday
יום רביעי (yohm rvee-EE)

Thursday
יום חמישי (yohm khah-mee-SHEE)

Friday
יום ששי (yohm shee-SHEE)

Saturday
שבת (shah-BAHT)

Months

In everyday life, most Israelis use the Gregorian Calendar. The month names pronunciation resembles Central-European (e.g. German) pronunciation.

January
ינואר ("Yah-no-ar")

February
פברואר ("Feb-ruh-ar")

March
מרץ ("Meh-rtz")

April
אפריל ("Ah-pril")

May
מאי ("Mah-y")

June
יוני ("Yuh-nee")

July
יולי ("Yuh-lee")

August
אוגוסט ("O-guh-st")

September
ספטמבר ("September")

October
אוקטובר ("October")

November
נובמבר ("November")

December
דצמבר ("Deh-tsember")

For holidays and events, Israeli Jews and Jews worldwide use a lunisolar calendar, in which the month begins at the new moon and a thirteenth month is added every few years. The months are numbered starting from Nisan or Aviv (March-April), but the year number is incremented in Tishrei; thus Elul 5760 is followed by Tishrei 5761. Besides meaning "spring" and "Nisan", "Aviv" is also the name of a stage that the growth of barley reaches at that time.

Nisan
ניסן (nee-SAHN)

Iyar
אייר (ee-YAHR)

Sivan
סיון (see-VAHN)

Tammuz
תמוז (tah-MOOZ)

Av
אב (ahv)

Elul
אלול (eh-LOOL)

Tishrei
תשרי (TISH-rey)

Cheshvan
חשון (khesh-VAN)

Kislev
כסלו (KISS-lev)

Tevet
טבת (tey-VET)

Shevat
שבט (shuh-VAT)

Adar
אדר (ah-DAR)

Second Adar (the leap month)
אדר שני (ah-DAR shey-NEE)

Duration

Day
יום (yom)

Week
שבוע (shah-VOOah)

Month
חודש (KHO-desh)

Year
שנה (shah-NAH)

Hour
שעה (shah-AH)

Minute
דקה (dah-KAH)

Second
שניה (shnee-YAH)

Time
זמן (zmahn)

Seasons

Spring
אביב (ah-VEEV)

Summer
קיץ (KAH-yits)

Autumn
סתיו (stahv)

Winter
חורף (KHO-ref)

What time is it?
מה השעה? (mah hah-shah-AH?)