having trouble seeing the print? מְהַדֵּק The Hebrew word for stapler is מְהַדֵּק (meh-hah-DEK), of the Mishnaic-Hebrew root ה.ד.ק (h.d.k) meaning to press; a stapler is a device that presses together pieces of paper. להדק is an active-intensive פיעל verb. Another Modern-Hebrew word of the same root is הֶדֶק (HEH-dek), meaning the trigger of a gun. The Hebrew…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/מחצית-#.m4a” /]מַחֲצִית Halftime is a concept familiar to sports lovers around the world, whether it’s soccer or American football or basketball. The Hebrew word for halftime is מחצית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/מחצית-#.m4a” /], which also means a half and a semester. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/מחצית-#.m4a” /]הם ניצחו במחצית השנייה. They won in the second half. מחצית comes from the…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/נסיעה-טובה-#.m4a” /]נְסִיעָה טוֹבָה, דֶּרֶךְ צְלֵחָה By far the more common expression for have a good trip is נסיעה טובה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/נסיעה-טובה-#.m4a” /] – literally, a good trip. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/נסיעה-טובה-#.m4a” /]אתם טסים כבר מחר? נסיעה טובה! You guys are flying already tomorrow? Have a good trip! But another expression finds its way into conversational Hebrew as…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/שער-#.m4a” /]שַׁעַר Given the importance of this item to civilization, the Hebrew word for gate or opening – שער[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/שער-#.m4a” /] – is one of the oldest, and may even be related to the German word Tor – gate or door (perhaps door is related as well). שער is also used to mean a book cover, as well as…
תֹּכֶן listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? We saw the word for contents referring to that which fills a physical space, such as a stack of plates sitting inside a box. That word is תְּכוּלָה listen and repeat. Then there’s content in the abstract sense, such as the content of a book, or the…