If like me, you have been attracted to Hebrew, the original language of the Bible, but you thought it's too difficult: the letters are strange, the language is strange, the language is read Right to Left instead of Left to Right, then I have good news for you. I have found a series of easy-to-use Software Hebrew Tutorials. The first program is called "At Home With Hebrew"; the second program is "Hebrew Kindergarten"; and the third program is called "Shirei Ha-Shabbat."
"At Home With Hebrew" is a cool Hebrew Tutorial. Many Hebrew course programs will give you a word and expect you to pronounce it - almost from the beginning, but, "At Home With Hebrew" is different. First, the creator/developer of the program, Neal Walters, is a professional teacher/trainer and student himself. He knows what it is like to learn a new language; so, he developed this program with regular people like you and me in mind.
You start by learning the Hebrew Alef-Bet (or Alphabet) - click on the character and hear the Hebrew letter pronounced. From there, you'll learn the vowel sounds which are very similar to the vowel sounds of Spanish or Italian. After that, you'll be learning words and simple phrases. Andwhat's cool about the program is you can mouse-over (or point-and-click) on the word and hear it pronounced and see an English transliteration of the word so you can phonetically pronounce it.
The next program in the series is "Hebrew Kindergarten." Don't be fooled! This is your next step to learn Hebrew. It picks up where "At Home With Hebrew" leaves off; only, the program introduces you to more advanced grammar concepts.
It's just like Neal to build continuity into his software packages. With "Hebrew Kindergarten," you get the same mouse-over (or point-and-click) feature: you hear the word pronounced and you see a transliteration of the word. Butthis program has more to make sure you learn Hebrew: there are quizzes, games, simple video animations, and audio instructional material - you hear Neal having a conversation with an Israeli speaker discussing grammar and pronunciation. This Hebrew course comes complete with a 200 page instructional manual - Simply amazing!
The last program in the series is actually the latest creation from Neal Walters and his crew. It's called "Shirei Ha-Shabbat: Songs of The Shabbat." This Hebrew tutorial introduces you to the beautiful sounds of traditional Shabbat-Jewish liturgy.
I can't help but say it - it's another cool way to learn Hebrew. You learn two different styles of Canting Hebrew liturgy: Ashkenazi and Sephardi. The program incorporates a feature which allows you to hear two young cantors - one Ashkenazi and the other Sephardi - sing, or cant, some of the songs from the Shabbat Liturgical services. Plus, the program includes all the features previously mentioned above so you learn Hebrew as well: mouse-over (or point-and-click), games, and quizzes.
All in all, I was very impressed by these programs. You learn Hebrew and at the same time you are having fun learning - Now, isn't that a switch? How many other Hebrew courses on the market can say that?