๐ฎ๐ฑ Hebrew level test
Free Hebrew level test: find your real level by speaking
Quick answer
The SpeakBase Hebrew level test is a free 3-minute spoken conversation in Modern Hebrew with an AI tutor, graded on the CEFR scale from A1 to C1. You speak, Kate adjusts the difficulty, and you get your level free at the end. No download, no card, no Hebrew keyboard needed.
Most online Hebrew tests are multiple choice, so they measure reading and guessing. This one measures the thing you actually want: whether you can hold a Hebrew conversation. You talk with Kate for about three minutes, she raises the difficulty until you start to struggle, and you get a CEFR level (A1 to C1) with specific tips in English on what to fix first.
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What the test sounds like
Kate opens easy and adapts to you. A typical three minutes moves through prompts like these, in Hebrew:
- Tell me about yourself: where you live and what you do.
- You are at a cafe in Tel Aviv. Order a coffee and something to eat.
- What are your plans for the coming year?
If you are stuck, say so in English. Kate explains and moves on; struggling near the end is normal and is exactly what tells the grader where your ceiling is.
What the levels mean in Hebrew
| Level | What you can do |
|---|---|
| A1 to A2 | Greet, introduce yourself, order, ask prices, talk about your family and your day in the present tense. |
| B1 | Talk in the past and future, handle a shop, a taxi or a doctor, explain what you want and why. |
| B2 and above | Follow fast Israeli speech, argue a point, switch binyanim without stopping to think. |
What you get at the end
- Free: your CEFR level, from A1 to C1, based on the hardest questions you handled, and a one-line summary.
- Free: the rest of your free minutes, to keep talking with Kate at the level the test just measured.
- With Premium: scores for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and interaction, and up to three concrete tips in English on what to fix first.
The test is part of your free first lesson. After it, Premium is $11.99 a month, billed in US dollars, for Hebrew conversation with Kate and a retest every seven days, so you can watch your level move.
What each level sounds like in Hebrew
Most people misjudge themselves, usually downward if they went to Hebrew school and can read, upward if they have a long app streak. Here is one question answered at each level.
The question
ืื ืขืฉืืช ืืกืืฃ ืืฉืืืข?
Ma asita be'sof hashavua?
What did you do on the weekend?
A1
ืื ื... ืืืช. ืืฉืคืื. ืืืื ืืื.
Ani... bayit. Mishpacha. Ochel tov.
I... home. Family. Good food.
Single words, no past tense yet.
A2
ืืฉืืช ืืืืชื ืืื ืขื ืืืฉืคืื. ืืืื ื ืื. ืืื ืืคื.
Beshabat hayiti bayam im hamishpacha. Achalnu dag. Haya yafe.
On Shabbat I was at the beach with the family. We ate fish. It was nice.
Short sentences that work, past tense on common verbs.
B1
ืืฉืืช ื ืกืขื ื ืืื ืื ืืื ืืืื ืื. ืืืืืื ืฉืืืงื ืืื ื ืงืจืืชื ืกืคืจ, ืืืขืจื ืืืื ื ืืฆื ืืืืชื.
Beshabat nasanu layam ki haya me'od cham. Hayeladim sichaku ve'ani karati sefer, uva'erev achalnu etzel achoti.
On Shabbat we drove to the beach because it was very hot. The kids played and I read a book, and in the evening we ate at my sister's.
Connected story, reasons, several verbs in the right form.
B2
ืื ืืืืชื ืืืืข ืฉืืืจื ืืฉื, ืื ืืืื ื ื ืืกืขืื ืืื, ืืื ืืกืืฃ ืืฉืื ื ืืืืช ืงืคื ืืืืฉ ื ืื ืื ื.
Im hayiti yode'a sheyered geshem, lo hayinu nos'im layam, aval basof yashavnu bebeit kafe umamash neheneinu.
If I had known it would rain, we would not have driven to the beach, but in the end we sat in a cafe and really enjoyed it.
Things that did not happen, natural everyday phrasing.
C1
ืชืื ื ืชื ืื ืฆื ืืช ืกืืฃ ืืฉืืืข ืืื ืืืฉืืื ืขืืืื, ืืื ืืกืืฃ ืืืชืจืชื ืขื ืืืื ืืื ืืขืืืจ ืืืืืชื ืืืขืืจ ืืืจื, ืืื ื ืืืฉ ืื ืืชืืจื.
Tichnanti lenatzel et sof hashavua kedei lehashlim avoda, aval basof vitarti al hakol kedei la'azor le'achoti bema'avar dira, ve'ani mamash lo mitcharet.
I planned to use the weekend to catch up on work, but in the end I gave it all up to help my sister move, and I really do not regret it.
Precise verbs and long sentences, without stopping to build them.
These answers were written by us as examples. They are not recordings of students, and the test judges far more than one answer.
What the test hears in English speakers' Hebrew
These are the patterns that decide a level. You can read every one of them correctly on a page and still get them wrong out loud.
Ani rotze (said by a woman)
Ani rotza
ืื ื ืจืืฆื
Spelled the same, said differently. Reading never forces the choice. Speaking forces it in every sentence.
Ani yesh bayit
Yesh li bayit
ืืฉ ืื ืืืช
Hebrew has no verb 'to have'. English speakers build the sentence word for word, and it marks them as A1 or A2 at once.
Ani ro'e haseret
Ani ro'e et haseret
ืื ื ืจืืื ืืช ืืกืจื
'Et' has no English translation, so it gets dropped. It goes before a definite object.
Habayit gadol (meaning 'the big house')
Habayit hagadol
ืืืืช ืืืืื
Without the second 'ha' you have said 'the house is big'. That is a different sentence.
Etmol ani halach
Etmol halachti
ืืชืืื ืืืืชื
'Halach' is the form for 'he went'. For 'I went' the verb takes -ti, and the ending already means 'I', so 'ani' is not needed. This is the most common way a story falls apart.
If you can read Hebrew but cannot speak it
This is the most common American Hebrew learner: years of Hebrew school or synagogue, confident with the letters, and silent at a falafel stand. The test is built for you. There is nothing to read, so your reading cannot hide your speaking, and you may land at A1 or A2 even after ten years of classes.
That result is not a judgment of what you learned. Prayer-book Hebrew and Israeli speech share an alphabet and much less vocabulary than you would expect. Your reading is a real head start, because you will recognise roots and pick up new words faster once you start talking.
What level do you need?
This is our rule of thumb, not an official standard. Ask the program itself if you need a level for a university or an employer.
| Your goal | Aim for | What that gets you |
|---|---|---|
| A trip to Israel | A2 | Ordering, directions and small talk, even when people answer in English first. |
| Talking with Israeli family | B1 | Telling stories at the table and following most of what is said to you. |
| Daily life after aliyah | B1 to B2 | Doctors, landlords and phone calls with government offices. |
| Working in an Israeli office | B2 or above | Meetings, opinions and fast speech from several people at once. |
How to get a fair result
- Use a quiet room and headphones. Kate hears you better, and her voice will not echo back into your microphone.
- Keep talking when you are unsure. A broken sentence gives the grader something to judge. Silence gives it nothing.
- Say it in English when you are stuck. Kate will help and move on. Reaching your limit near the end is how the test finds your level.
- Do not prepare. The point is to learn where you are now, and a rehearsed answer only delays that.
What the test cannot tell you
It is a placement, not a certificate. Three minutes is enough to find your band, not to describe everything you can do, and a bad night's sleep can move you a little. Use the level to choose where to start, then measure again after a few weeks of practice.
It measures speaking only: fluency, vocabulary, grammar and how well you hold up your end of a conversation. It does not test reading or writing, and it does not score your accent, so a strong accent will not lower your level if you can be understood.
The result stops at C1. If you are close to native Hebrew, it will tell you little you do not already know.
The level and a one-line summary are free. The four scores and the tips come with Premium, which also lets you retake the test every seven days. A free account gets one graded test.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read Hebrew to take the test?
No. The test is entirely spoken. You listen and talk; there is nothing to read and no Hebrew keyboard involved. Kate explains in English whenever you are stuck.
Is it Ulpan-level aligned?
The result uses CEFR bands (A1 to C1). Roughly, Ulpan Aleph corresponds to A1 to A2, Bet to B1, Gimel and above to B2. Use it to pick the right Ulpan class or to measure progress between them.
What does the result include?
Your CEFR level and a one-line summary are free. Scores for fluency, vocabulary, grammar and interaction, and up to three tips in English, come with Premium on what to fix first, for example gender agreement or a verb pattern you keep missing.
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