.having trouble seeing the print? שְׁכוּנָה On the streets of Israel you’ll hear people using the word שְׁכוּנָה – literally, neighborhood (related words discussed here) – to refer to something disappointingly amateurish. How did this expression come to be? Einat Kedem explains that the source lies in contrasting two levels of soccer (football) games: professional and neighborhood (less than professional). For…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ללכת-לבית-הכנסת-1.m4a” /]לָלֶכֶת לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, לְהִתְפַּלֵּל The literal meaning of to go to synagogue (or shul, as many Jews say) in Hebrew is ללכת לבית הכנסת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ללכת-לבית-הכנסת-2.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ללכת-לבית-הכנסת-3.m4a” /]אנחנו הולכים לבית הכנסת בעוד שעה. We’re going to shul in an hour. בית הכנסת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ללכת-לבית-הכנסת-4.m4a” /] means the synagogue, while בית כנסת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ללכת-לבית-הכנסת-5.m4a” /] means…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-1.m4a” /]אִיּוּם To threaten is לאיים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-2.m4a” /], an active-intensive verb. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-3.m4a” /]החיזבאללה מאיימת ל… The Hizbollah is threatening to… Likewise, a threat is איום[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-4.m4a” /]ישראל נמצאת תחת איום קיומי תמידי. Israel is under constant existential threat. What about feeling threatened? That’s להרגיש מאויים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-5.m4a” /], where…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/מרכז-מסחרי-#.m4a” /]מֶרְכַּז קְנִיּוֹת, מֶרְכָּז מִסְחָרִי Shopping, in Hebrew, is קניות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/מרכז-מסחרי-#.m4a” /] – literally, buyings. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/מרכז-מסחרי-#.m4a” /]יום ראשון בחו”ל הוא יום של קניות בשביל הרבה אנשים. Sunday abroad (outside of Israel) is a day of shopping for many people. A shopping center is מרכז קניות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/מרכז-מסחרי-#.m4a” /] or מרכז מסחרי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/מרכז-מסחרי-#.m4a” /] – literally, commercial…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מסוכן-1.m4a” /]מְסֻכָּן The Hebrew words for dangerous and risky are the same: מסוכן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מסוכן-1.m4a” /]. An example of מסוכן as dangerous: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מסוכן-2.m4a” /]מסוכן לעמוד כל כך קרוב לקצה הצוק! It’s dangerous to stand so close to the edge of the cliff! And here’s מסוכן as risky: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מסוכן-3.m4a” /]הימורים הוא עסק מסוכן. Gambling is risky business….