Learn Hebrew from French for Free at PBC Languages
Free Hebrew classes for French speakers at PBC Languages: small groups with native teachers plus 1-to-1 exchanges, half hour each language.
Create your free accountNo card needed. Exchanges between members are always free.
If you speak French, the two sounds that will slow you down are ח (as in חם, cham, hot) and ע (as in עברית, Ivrit, Hebrew itself), neither of which exists in French. French also has ק and כ landing on your ear as the same 'k', so you'll mishear words for weeks before your ear splits them apart. On the plus side, French speakers already stress the last syllable of words most of the time, which happens to match Hebrew's own rhythm, so your intonation won't sound as foreign as it does to English or German speakers.
The real trap is grammar, not vocabulary. Hebrew verbs run on three-letter roots slotted into patterns (binyanim), and there's no French equivalent to lean on, so students keep trying to conjugate as if there were a fixed stem plus endings, like parler/parlons/parlez, and it just doesn't work that way. Gender agreement, at least, is a concept you already know from le/la, but the genders don't line up: יד (yad, hand) is feminine like French 'main', which helps by coincidence, while שולחן (shulchan, table) is masculine in Hebrew and feminine in French ('la table'), which trips people constantly.
Where you'll move fast: Hebrew word order is close enough to French SVO that sentences don't need to be rebuilt from scratch in your head, and Israeli Hebrew is full of French loanwords straight from Moroccan, Tunisian and Algerian Jewish immigrants, so you'll recognize chunks of vocabulary on day one without anyone teaching them to you.
Words you will actually hear
| Here | Elsewhere | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| רנדבו (randevu) | rendez-vous | Borrowed directly into Israeli slang for 'a date' — same word, same idea, no trick. |
| סלון (salon) | salon | Means 'living room' in Hebrew, matching the French sense of a reception room. |
| תיאטרון (teatron) | théâtre | Theatre, in both languages — recognizable once you know the Hebrew letters. |
| קומבינה (kombina) | combine | Keeps the French sense of a scheme or workaround, just used more casually on the street. |
| קורס (kurs) | cours | A class or course — an easy vocabulary freebie for beginners. |
| פרובוקציה (provokatsia) | provocation | Same meaning, spelled out phonetically once you learn the Hebrew consonants. |
| אקטואלי (aktuali) | actuel | Means 'current, topical', matching French exactly — a true friend, unlike its English cousin. |
| פנסיה (pensia) | pension | In Hebrew this is retirement money; French 'pension' more often means a boarding house or maintenance payment — different enough to confuse. |
| קומדיה (komedia) | comédie | Both mean 'comedy' as a genre, but Hebrew also uses it for 'what a mess!' ('eizo komedia'), a use French doesn't have. |
How it works here
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Sign up and say your level
Two minutes. If you do not know your level, we place you in the first class.
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Pick a class or an exchange
Classes are led by a native teacher. An exchange is with another member: half the time in their language, half in yours.
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Join by video, nothing to install
From your phone or your computer. If you cannot make it, cancel and get your place back.
Questions about this
How long does it take a French speaker to get comfortable in Hebrew?
The alphabet and reading take a few weeks if you practice daily, since it's only 22 letters and there's no verb-ending memorization like in French. The binyan system (verb patterns) is what actually takes months, because there's nothing in French to map it onto. Regular group classes plus weekly exchanges speed this up a lot compared to studying alone.
Is the one-on-one exchange really free?
Yes. You spend half an hour speaking Hebrew with your partner and half an hour helping them with French, so nobody pays and nobody teaches for money. It works because both people get something out of the hour.
What level do I need before joining a group class or an exchange?
For the exchanges, even absolute beginners work, since your partner adjusts and you get real spoken Hebrew from day one instead of textbook dialogues. For group classes, the teacher places you by level so you're not stuck listening to people three steps ahead of you.
How exactly does the half-hour split work in an exchange?
You agree with your partner on which half comes first, then switch languages on the clock, no negotiating mid-conversation. Most pairs settle into a rhythm after two or three sessions and stop needing to check the time.
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