how to say “bathroom” in Hebrew (not as obvious as you might think)
שֵׁרוּתִים, חֲדַר אַמְבַּטְיָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שירותים-1.mp3″ /]
This post elaborates on an earlier one.
To Americans, the bathroom is where people do what they need to do. Sometimes it has a bathtub in it, sometimes it doesn’t.
But to people from the Commonwealth, a bathroom is only called such if it has a tub, while the toilet is the room with an actual toilet.
Hebrew follows the Commonwealth distinction, so that שירותים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שירותים-2.mp3″ /] is a restroom/toilet, while חדר אמבטיה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שירותים-3.mp3″ /] is the room with a bathtub in it. שירותים means literally services; חדר אמבטיה means literally room of bathtub.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שירותים-4.mp3″ /]איפה השירותים?
Where’s the restroom?
and
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שירותים-5.mp3″ /]צאי כבר מחדר האמבטיה!
Get out of the bathroom already! (to a female)