22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best pocket-sized phrasebook and dictionary for price, June 8, 2001
This phrasebook is easily one of the best I have seen. It's small size will fit conveniently into a pocket, making it more useful than larger ones. Although it does not have a huge dictionary, it does have many common words and phrases. Since it does fit into a pocket, I found myself going to this book much more often than the larger dictionary that I had with me. It contains very useful sections on pronunciation and grammar as well as phrases arranged by topic. There is a dictionary in the back that is both English-to-Hebrew (with phonetic pronunciation!)as well as Hebrew-to-English. Both dictionaries contain the words in English, the phonetic pronunciation, and the Hebrew spelling. The English-to-Hebrew dictionary lists the English word, the Hebrew pronunciation, and then the Hebrew word. The Hebrew-to-English dictionary is designed for English speakers; the words are given by their pronunciation, then the English word, then the Hebrew spelling. There is also a good section that covers the correct wording based on gender. This guide is designed for english speakers, and unlike most of the Hebrew dictionaries out there, it does not require prior knowledge of the Hebrew aleph-bet. There are also interesting cultural anecdotes and tidbits sprinkled throughout the text as well as descriptions of all the important Jewish festivals and holidays.
This book gives the best bang for your buck; you can spend more money on a more extensive phrase book, but this one will get you through most situations.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Hebrew phrase book for most travellers, February 25, 2007
Overall, this phrase book is the best I've seen for Hebrew. While there are a few things that I would like to see added, it contains a lot of information for its price and size!
Some of the nice features of this phrase book are:
- The grammer section is quite extensive and gives a good foundation for you to create your own phrases using the words and structures of other phrases
- There are quite a few cultural notes and tips, given the book's small size
- Most phrases use a passive form so that it can be said by and to anyone. When this is not possible, both male and female forms are given for nearly all phrases so that you will be correct whether you are a man or woman and whether you are speaking to a man or woman
- The section on numbers includes both masculine and feminine forms, so you can count, tell time, give distances and say quantities in the correct form
- There is a two-page section with key Arabic phrases (though it is only transliterated into English, so you won't be able to read any signs or show it to an Arabic speaker)
- There is a small, but useful English-Hebrew dictionary as well as a Hebrew-English dictionary included
- There is an index which makes it easier to locate a specific topic
- There is a Hebrew finder (Hebrew index), which makes it easy for a Hebrew speaker to use your book and find a phrase (they can also use the Hebrew-English dictionary)
- There are several pages for your own notes (you can write down important phrases for yourself that will use so you can tell waiters, medics, etc.)
Some of the cons of this book (found in the Berlitz phrase book) are:
- Only British English is used - so Americans must know some British vocabulary to find certain words and topics (i.e. a pharmacist is called a chemist in British English)
- There are no conversion references for American travellers who may not be familiar with the metric system
- There are no genders given for Hebrew words in the included dictionaries (though you can usually guess this by the ending of the word)
- The Hebrew text is smaller and closer to the binding than that in the Berlitz phrase book, which makes it sometimes hard to read
- There is no specific "sign" or "menu" reader, though the Hebrew-English dictionary can be used for this
- The last page is an advertisement for Lonely Planet, rather than emergency phrases and phone numbers (as a fix - tear this page out and use the last of the included pages for notes to write down the number to your embassy and/or consulate, emergency numbers [i.e. Police: 100 Ambulance: 101 Fire: 102], and any other emergency information you want to access fast)
Overall, this dictionary includes the most phrases and features for its size and price. I would recommend it for most travellers and even as a useful guide if you are learning Hebrew.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Resourceful Book with Tons of Information, September 3, 2003
As usual, this is one the many wonderful phrase books published by Lonely Planet. The "Hebrew Phrasebook" gives the reader indept knowledge about the origins of the Hebrew language. With it's idioms and pronunciations, this phrasebook would be an excellent compliment to the Pimsleur Hebrew program. Unlike the media, this book reflects the positive side of Israel. I love the details about the different religious customs and festivals. The author also gives a detailed description of Israel's palatable produce and tasty traditional meals. There's a small section about the Israeli army and how to respond when approached by a soldier. Also, I find the medical emergency section to be very helpful. Many countries want you to think that they have a utopian atmosphere, in which sometimes is far from the truth. That's why it's very important to know how to ask for help when encountering dangerous situations and medical emergencies. For anyone traveling to Israel, this book is a treasure to have. It's very informative and fun to read.
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