how to say “to sneeze” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתעטש-1.m4a” /]לְהִתְעַטֵּשׁ

Your third-grader Israeli might argue with me and say, “to sneeze is לעשות אפצ’י![audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתעטש-2.m4a” /]”, but the grown-up way of saying to sneeze remains להתעטש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתעטש-1.m4a” /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתעטש-3.m4a” /]אני לא מצליח לעבוד כי היא מתעטשת כל כמה שניות. 

I’m not getting any work done because she sneezes every few seconds.

להתעטש appears in Biblical Hebrew, but only in Job. It’s root ע.ט.ש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתעטש-4.m4a” /] is proper Semitic though, as it is attested in Aramaic, Arabic and Ethiopic.

להתעטש is a reflexive-intensive verb.