how to say “grief” in Hebrew

צַעַר, יָגוֹן, עֶצֶב, עָגְמַת נֶפֶשׁ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עגמת-נפש-1.mp3″ /]

Genuine grief, that painful feeling that comes with loss, is variably called in Hebrew צער[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עגמת-נפש-2.mp3″ /] (pain), יגון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עגמת-נפש-3.mp3″ /] (anguish), עצב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עגמת-נפש-4.mp3″ /] (sadness) and עגמת נפש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עגמת-נפש-5.mp3″ /] (suffering, anguish of the soul).

The latter term, עגמת נפש, is sometimes used the way grief is in English in certain contexts – not necessarily in the mournful sense, but rather in the sense of aggravation.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עגמת-נפש-6.mp3″ /]לקח לי יום שלם של טלפונים לקבל את הפיצוי – איזו עגמת נפש!

It took me a full day of phone calls to get the compensation – what grief!