How to Say Hello, Thank You, and Goodbye in Hebrew

If you only learn a few Hebrew phrases first, start here. These are the greetings and farewells you will hear constantly in Israel:

• שלום — shalom — hello / goodbye / peace
• היי — hi — hi
• מה נשמע — ma nishma — what's up / how are things?
• תודה — toda — thank you
• להתראות — lehitraot — goodbye / see you
• ביי — bye — bye

If you're completely new to Hebrew, it may also help to look at the Complete Beginner Guide to Hebrew or the Hebrew Alphabet Chart: Letters, Pronunciation, and Final Forms.

Hello in Hebrew

The most common Hebrew word you will see is:

שלום

Pronunciation: shalom

Meaning: hello / goodbye / peace

Shalom is very flexible. It can be used as a greeting, and in some contexts it can also work as a farewell. It is one of the first words many learners notice because it appears everywhere.

Example:

שלום! מה שלומך?
Shalom! Ma shlomcha?
Hello! How are you?

Casual greetings

In everyday spoken Hebrew, people often use more casual greetings:

היי

Pronunciation: hi

Meaning: hi

מה נשמע

Pronunciation: ma nishma

Meaning: what's up / how are things?

Example:

היי, מה נשמע?
Hi, ma nishma?
Hi, what's up?

These are very common in relaxed conversation and show up often in Essential Hebrew Phrases for Everyday Life.

Thank You in Hebrew

The standard way to say thank you is:

תודה

Pronunciation: toda

Meaning: thank you

Example:

תודה רבה
toda raba
Thank you very much.

רבה means a lot / very much, so the phrase literally means something like many thanks.

Example:

תודה על העזרה
toda al ha-ezra
Thank you for the help.

If you want more high-frequency vocabulary, see 100 Common Hebrew Words for Everyday Conversation.

Goodbye in Hebrew

There are a few ways to say goodbye in Hebrew.

The most common standard form is:

להתראות

Pronunciation: lehitraot

Meaning: see you / goodbye

It literally comes from the idea of seeing each other again.

Example:

להתראות מחר
Lehitraot machar
See you tomorrow.

In casual speech, people also say:

ביי

Pronunciation: bye

Meaning: bye

And in very casual Israeli conversation, you may hear:

יאללה ביי

Pronunciation: yalla bye

Meaning: alright, bye

What Israelis usually say in real conversation

A short everyday exchange might sound like this:

היי
Hi

מה נשמע?
What's up?

בסדר
Fine / okay

ביי
Bye

Or:

שלום
Hello / goodbye

להתראות
See you

If you want to understand how these phrases fit into real sentences, the next helpful step is How Hebrew Sentence Structure Works: A Beginner’s Guide.

A few usage notes

• שלום is the safest all-purpose word to recognize first.
• היי and מה נשמע sound natural in casual conversation.
• תודה is the basic word for thank you.
• להתראות is a very common goodbye.
• ביי is informal, just like in English.

For more everyday spoken expressions, you can also check Israeli Slang You’ll Actually Hear in Real Life.

Quick recap

• שלום — shalom — hello / goodbye / peace
• היי — hi — hi
• מה נשמע — ma nishma — what's up?
• תודה — toda — thank you
• להתראות — lehitraot — goodbye / see you
• ביי — bye — bye

These are among the first Hebrew words worth learning because they show up constantly in daily life.