hebrew

hebrew — noun

1. the language spoken by Jewish people for thousands of years, now the national la

1.名詞B1
釋義

the language spoken by Jewish people for thousands of years, now the national language of Israel

例句

Renata has been studying Hebrew for two years and can now read simple news articles.

collocation: study/learn/speak/read Hebrew

The library has a large collection of Hebrew poetry from the Middle Ages.

Hebrew poetry: noun phrase for cultural material in Hebrew

用法筆記

As with all language names, Hebrew is capitalized. It is uncountable, so you cannot say 'a Hebrew' to mean the language. The phrase 'in Hebrew' is common: 'The sign was written in Hebrew.'

常見錯誤

She can speak hebrew.
She can speak Hebrew.
💡Language names are always capitalized in English.
I am learning a new Hebrew.
I am learning Hebrew.
💡Hebrew is uncountable; do not use 'a' before the language name.

2. a person who belongs to the Jewish people, especially one from the period of anc

2.名詞B2
釋義

a person who belongs to the Jewish people, especially one from the period of ancient Israel

例句

Dario's essay examines how the ancient Hebrews organized their laws and festivals.

ancient Hebrews: common historical plural usage

Devika found a book about the daily life of the Hebrews under King Solomon.

同義詞
  • Jew

    broader term used for Jewish people of any period; 'Hebrew' has a more historical or biblical tone

  • Israelite

    more specific to the people of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah; 'Hebrew' can refer to earlier patriarchal figures

用法筆記

In modern contexts, 'Jewish person' or 'Jew' is far more common than 'Hebrew' when referring to living people. 'Hebrew' for a person is used mainly in historical, biblical, or archaeological writing.

常見錯誤

Three Hebrews walked into a restaurant.
Three Jewish people walked into a restaurant.
💡'Hebrew' for a person sounds unnatural in modern everyday contexts.
He is a Hebrew from Tel Aviv.
He is Jewish and lives in Tel Aviv.
💡Use 'Jewish' for modern identity; 'Hebrew' is reserved for historical contexts.

hebrew — adjective