how to say “availability” in Hebrew

זְמִינוּת, פְּנִיּוּת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-1.mp3″ /]

The Hebrew root ז.מ.נ (z.m.n) meaning time finds itself in a variety of verbal applications. One of these is the word for available – זמין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-2.mp3″ /] in the masculine, and זמינה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-3.mp3″ /] in the feminine.

For example, you might text (a woman):

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-4.mp3″ /]את זמינה? אפשר להתקשר?

Are you (a female) available? May I call?

Likewise, availability in the technical sense is זמינות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-5.mp3″ /], for example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-6.mp3″ /]מה הזמינות שלך מבחינת שעות?

What’s your availability in terms of hours?

There’s also availability that usually does not have to do with time, but rather with feelings – emotional availability. This is פניות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-7.mp3″ /] in Hebrew.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-8.mp3″ /]אני לא בטוח שיש לה עכשיו הפניות לדבר על זה.

I’m not sure she has the emotional availability right now to talk about it.

פניות comes from the word פנוי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זמינות-9.mp3″ /], which means free/available either in the logistical sense or in the emotional sense.