Memrise offers Modern Hebrew courses in a very different way from other online language learning platforms I’ve experienced. Not only do you have access to a range of several different courses to choose from, but you can also choose courses on offer based on your native language. Most of this is available for free, but if you prefer to get access to extra languages, which I’ll go into below, you can also choose to pay a premium plan.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Course Structure and Content
The Memrise platform does things differently from any other online language-learning platform that I’ve seen on the market. You get to choose the course that you would like to learn, and can easily switch between courses depending on your taste, need, or just if you feel like you want something a bit different that day. The courses themselves are structured around bite-sized lessons.
For this review, I’ve chosen to mostly discuss the “Modern Hebrew complete with audio” course, which the time of writing is free to access, has 851 lessons, and takes around 14 hours on average (although this will likely rise as the course creator adds more lessons) and has 29,000 learners signed up to it.
A quick word about the other courses available for learners: some other, shorter courses dealing with either very specific aspects of modern Hebrew (such as the aleph-bet, the Hebrew alphabet) are similarly popular with almost 17,000 learners even though the course itself clocks in at a mere 33 minutes). I would say not to get intimidated by the sheer size of the “Modern Hebrew complete with audio” course, as it made for a really good starting point. And, the almost 30,000 people who have already signed up for the course can’t be wrong!
Speaking of which, once you’ve signed up for your Memrise account, you get to choose the way that you want to learn. You can either take the courses that are suggested to you on your learning path, or go off-plan and choose whichever module or interest that you’re after in that session.
An important distinction to make here: Memrise’s whizzy language learning courses offered by its own course creators aren’t available for certain languages. The platform is divided into two sets of courses: those that Memrise has created, which are limited to certain more popular languages, and what are known as community courses. Modern Hebrew falls under a community course on Memrise, which is what I’ll be referring to for the rest of this review.
So, what can you expect to find in the community courses on Memrise? A lot, as it turns out. Whether you’re looking for the basics of Biblical Hebrew, adult beginners Hebrew food, 2000 + daily conversations, everything you ever needed to know about verbs and conjugation, or just modern Hebrew for beginners, it’s all here.
While the content is vast and varied, I would say you need to be aware that since these are community-created courses, the learning methodology varies from course to course, but more on that below. But strictly on the face of it, what’s available here at Memrise is a whole range of different aspects of learning Modern Hebrew. Whether or not that will suit you is a different matter entirely.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Learning Methodology
Since Modern Hebrew at Memrise is a community-created category, the standard and methodology between different courses really vary. I highly recommend signing up for every course that looks appealing to you, and seeing if the learning methodology and delivery stick.
For example, the course that I took in “Modern Hebrew with audio” really worked for me at the beginning of my Modern Hebrew learning journey, but quickly became repetitive and a little low level the longer that I continued it.
I then moved on to the 2000+ daily conversations course, which although at a fraction of the time with fewer takers (at the time of writing, the course had 1400 learners, and could be completed in around 35 minutes), really suited my needs and my pace, but I recognize that that’s not a given for every learner of Modern Hebrew.
My advice would be to take as many courses as possible at Memrise, especially if they’re free, and see what works for you.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Unique Features
I would say that the most unique feature of Memrise is its community approach to language learning. Because Modern Hebrew is not a course that’s produced by Memrise by itself, it’s resulted in a lot of creativity from the community at Memrise to create specific courses, some of which seem to be very popular indeed.
As such, the most unique thing about learning modern Hebrew at Memrise is that you can almost fully customize your language learning journey to learn what you want and when you want, for free, which is almost impossible to find anywhere else in the online language learning space.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Flexibility and Accessibility
Memrise shines when it comes to flexibility and accessibility, which also goes for the community-created courses.
The Memrise app is available on both desktop and mobile, with your platform and learning progress tracker seamlessly synchronizing between your devices. You can also set yourself daily goals, going from 5 minutes to 20 minutes of language learning, meaning that even on busy days you’ll receive a push notification (if you downloaded the Memrise app onto your smartphone) to make sure that you complete your goal. I really liked that there was offline access, meaning I could download lessons to continue my Hebrew learning during my travels, or if I had spotty internet access.
Ultimately, Memrise is so flexible because it’s a self-paced set of courses. On the one hand, for learners like me that really works, because I’m very self-disciplined and if I set my mind to it I can achieve anything, including spending at least 15 minutes a day of language learning.
However, I recognize that not all of us are like that, so for harder-to-settle learners, or those who enjoy having a teacher-led session, Memrise might not be the right choice for you. That stands even more for those who need more structured guidance, or a range of visuals and interactive features to keep them engaged and motivated to learn.
One cool thing at Memrise that I’ve yet to see copied over to the community courses is the daily learning mode feature, where you can set your mood, and the app will tailor your lessons in intensity and volume. going from “Not feeling it” to “Ready for a challenge”. If you feel overwhelmed, the Memrise course selections will tailor its suggestions accordingly without making you feel pressured to complete your goal or learn when you really don’t feel it.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Instructor Quality
Memrise primarily offers a self-learning experience, so there isn’t a traditional instructor-led approach. Having said that, I found that the clarity of the audio clips, the selection of native speaker videos, and how easy it was to follow these videos, were pretty high.
Having said this, I did feel the lack of instructors being readily available for me to ask questions. Although there’s a set of community forums where you can easily discuss things with more experienced members or just other interested parties, it wasn’t really a replacement for a direct interaction with a Hebrew language expert.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Course Platform
The Memrise platform is intuitive and user-friendly. The design is vibrant, with clear icons and a clutter-free interface. Lessons are organized into modules, with progress indicators showing how much of a module has been completed.
Features like the daily streak counter and leaderboards are on full display at all times, adding a gamified element to the learning experience. The platform also offers customization options, allowing you to choose themes or adjust your notification settings.
However, with its vast content, navigation can sometimes be overwhelming. A more streamlined dashboard or a personalized content recommendation feature would really enhance the user experience (at least for me).
One thing I really enjoyed, even with the community courses that I was limited to for modern Hebrew, is that Memrise’s design also caters to learners who might have visual or auditory impairments. With adjustable font sizes, contrast settings, and subtitle options for videos, Memrise ensures inclusivity in its design. This attention to detail, ensuring that the platform is accessible to all, was truly commendable.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Student Interaction and Engagement
Memrise has a vibrant community. The forums are really active, with learners sharing resources, seeking clarifications, or discussing cultural nuances. These discussions really gave me a lot, especially because I felt a little bit lacking in the language expert interaction from my course, and often offer insights beyond the curriculum, making them a valuable resource.
Memrise’s forums are also a hotspot for challenges and competitions, which I think really boosted my learning process and encouraged me to engage more deeply. For instance, there are monthly challenges where you aim to maintain a daily streak or achieve specific point thresholds. These challenges, coupled with the leaderboard feature make things just a tad more competitive, driving engagement.
However, if I had one suggestion for improvement it would be that the platform could benefit from more structured group activities or even virtual meet-ups, allowing learners to practice conversational Hebrew in real-time.
Memrise Modern Hebrew Cost and Value for Money
Memrise offers both free and premium plans. The free version provides access to basic lessons, while the premium plan unlocks advanced features like grammar lessons, native speaker videos, and offline access.
An important note here: for Modern Hebrew learners, Memrise currently only offers community-created courses. That means, everything you have access to is free.
But, if you were interested in learning another language alongside, and it’s a language that Memrise has produced a course for itself, the premium plan offers substantial value. To get full access to every language, including 30,000 native speaker videos across languages, a monthly plan is $15 a month, an annual plan is $7.50 per month, or $90 billed annually, or a lifetime plan is a one-time payment of $200. With the lifetime plan, you get lifetime access.
When I compare it to other offerings and other online language learning platforms, Memrise’s pricing feels slightly on the higher side, and especially if you are only looking to learn Modern Hebrew, there’s no need to buy the premium plans.
The Bottom Line on Memrise Modern Hebrew Course
Memrise is an interesting app, with a really solid community that creates engaging and comprehensive Modern Hebrew courses. If you’re looking for something quick, easy to engage with, and most importantly, free, then I highly recommend you check out everything on offer here.
If you’re more into instructed learning, or a more controlled learning environment, then Memrise probably isn’t for you. You could either wait until Memrise offers its own created course, or you could check out other online language learning platforms for something that’s more suitable for you. However, I still recommend signing up and checking out what’s on offer here, because you never know you might just find something that works for you.