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While Israelis are known around the world for their great English skills, there are still some unique mistakes they make when it comes to speaking it. Today, we collaborated with the Novakid online English learning platform to highlight these common stumbles.

The 'h' sound

Since the h sound is often dropped entirely in Hebrew, many Israelis can carry this habit to English, even though there are many English words that absolutely require you to pronounce it clearly.

Third-person verbs

Another common mistake is not unique to Hebrew speakers, but it is quite common among them. Israelis often forget to add 's' at the end of third-person singular verbs, saying 'she tells' instead of 'she tells', for instance.

Passive voice and gerunds

Israelis might confuse passive voice and gerunds, resulting in sentences like 'I am impressing' instead of 'I am impressed'. Unfortunately, this one isn't easy to fix — it requires studying the grammar rules behind these phrases.

Going extra with 'must' and 'can'

Hebrew speakers can unintentionally add an extra 'to' after 'must' or 'can', which results in clunky phrases like 'I can join you today'. Fortunately, this habit is easy to fix!

Being unsure about 'a'

Since there is no equivalent to a/an in Hebrew, many Israelis aren't sure how to properly use it, sometimes omitting it when it is actually required and vice versa.

Future and conditions

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Israelis often confuse future tense with conditional, which is understandable since Hebrew doesn't have a conditional tense at all. However, this may lead to confusion when talking with native English speakers, which is why we recommend that parents teach kids English online with Novakid before this habit gets ingrained and hard to get rid of.

Pronouncing 'w' and 'th'

Since there is no 'w' or 'th' sound in Hebrew, many Israelis say 'w' like 'v', which is common for some Europeans and Asians as well. However, there are words in English that sound exactly the same if you don't properly pronounce the letter, so this requires training to avoid confusion.

Present Continuous instead of Simple

Israelis often overuse the Present Continuous, even for sentences that are clearly supposed to be in the Present Simple. This is because Hebrew only has one form of present, and it feels more natural to use Continuous even when switching to a different language.

Masculine and feminine objects

Many Israelis refer to objects using gendered pronouns like 'he' or 'she', while English requires the use of 'it'. In general, you should only use gendered pronouns when speaking of people, and not inanimate objects.

Invitations, reservations, and orders

Hebrew uses the same word for orders, reservations, and invitations, but all three are distinct in English, and this can cause confusion. Considering that these three words are especially common among tourists, learning the difference is highly important.

The Fun, Fast and Effective Way to Improve English

Mastering English can feel tricky, but the good news is that these mistakes are easy to overcome with the right guidance. Luckily, Novakid makes learning fun, practical, and it's tailored for kids and adults alike — ensuring Hebrew speakers can speak English with confidence anywhere in the world.