# Abbott & Costello Learn Hebrew **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 7, 2017, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-costello-learn-hebrew/788336 "2017-06-07T05:19:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-costello-learn-hebrew/788336/1 "2017-06-07T05:19:18Z")
[This](http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/humor/AbbotCostelloLearnHebrew.html) is probably ancient, but I’ve never seen it, and it’s funny: > [@Rabbi Jack Moline](#): > > ABBOTT: > I see you’re here for your Hebrew lesson. > > COSTELLO: > I’m ready to learn. > > A: > Now, the first thing you must understand is that Hebrew and English have many words which sound alike, but they do not mean the same thing. > > C: > Sure, I understand. > > A: > Now, don’t be too quick to say that. > > C: > How stupid do you think I am -don’t answer that. It’s simple-some words in Hebrew sound like words in English, but they don’t mean the same. > > A: > Precisely. > > C: > We have that word in English, too. What does it mean in Hebrew? > > A: > No, no. Precisely is an English word. > > C: > I didn’t come here to learn English, I came to learn Hebrew. So make with the Hebrew. > > A: > Fine. Let’s start with mee. > > C: > You. > > A: > No , mee. > > C: > Fine, we’ll start with you. > > A: > No, we’ll start with mee. > > C: > Okay, have it your way. > > A: > Now, mee is who. > > C: > You is Abbott. It goes on from there. It really captures the essence of the original. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-costello-learn-hebrew/788336/2 "2017-06-07T05:28:33Z")
In other words similar to their “Who’s on First” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kTcRRaXV-fg/hqdefault.jpg "Abbott & Costello Who's On First") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-costello-learn-hebrew/788336/3 "2017-06-07T06:03:24Z")
There are some Youtube videos of this Hebrew… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r3xtCAU2lXg/maxresdefault.jpg "Hebrew Lesson") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3xtCAU2lXg) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2017, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-costello-learn-hebrew/788336/4 "2017-06-07T07:14:56Z")
“If mee is who and hee is she, then hoo is he?” How to remember your Hebrew third person (subjective) pronouns. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-costello-learn-hebrew/788336/5 "2017-06-08T01:12:29Z")
I’m a big, big fan of Abbott & Costello. I’ve even performed a couple their skits, including Who’s On First? and My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean. WOF? was a crowd pleaser and my partner and I performed it many, many times, often impromptu at a party or something; it never failed to delight the crowd. I’m only sorry that I didn’t know about this skit sooner. This would have been popular enough in 1980s South Florida that I would now be semi-famous and living off residuals from my collaborations with Weird Al. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-costello-learn-hebrew/788336/6 "2017-06-08T01:45:43Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > [This](http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/humor/AbbotCostelloLearnHebrew.html) is probably ancient, but I’ve never seen it, and it’s funny. It is ancient. It’s still funny.