How to say optimal in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

 

having trouble seeing the print?

אוֹפְּטִימָלִי, מֵיטָבִי

 

 

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The word meaning optimal you’re most likely to hear in Spoken Hebrew is אוֹפְּטִימָלִי (ohp-tee-MAH-lee). But the Israeli media is control of much of public opinion as well as public language, and today I saw an article in a major newspaper using a proper Modern Hebrew word in place of אופטימלי. 


Modern Hebrew takes the Biblical word מֵיטָב (meh-ee-TAHV) meaning the best and adds the ee sound to the end, creating the new word for optimal – מֵיטָבִי (meh-ee-tah-VEE). For instance, the optimal situation would be הַמָּצָּב הַמֵּיטָבִי (hah-mah-TSAHV hah-meh-ee-tah-VEE).


מיטבי can also mean my best, as in אֲנִי לֹא בְּמֵיטָבִי הַיּוֹם (ah-NEE loh beh-meh-ee-tah-VEE hah-YOHM) – I’m not at my best (health, mood, etc) today. In this case the ee sound at the end of the word means my and is not essential to the word itself.


The root of מיטב and מיטבי is ט.ו.ב (t.w.b) meaning good.


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