how to say “beloved” in Hebrew

אָהוּב, אֲהוּבָה
 
The Hebrew word for love is אַהֲבָה (yep, just like the Dead Sea brand), whose root is א.ה.ב (a.h.b).
 
To love is לֶאֱהוֹב, an active-simple verb. It also means to like.
 
For example:
 
אֲנִי אוֹהֵב פַּסְטָה.
I like pasta.
 
In that sentence, אוהב is the action, while פסטהis the recipient of my love or liking. The pasta could be said to be אֲהוּבָהbeloved, but only in theory, since אהובה is reserved for the object of genuine affection, as in:
 
לֵכִי לִישׁוֹן, אֲהוּבָתִי.
Go to sleep, my beloved (a female).
 
and, in the masculine,
 
הוּא הָיָה אָהוּב עַל כֻּלָּם.
He was loved by everyone.
 
אהובand אהובהcan also mean favorite, as in:
 
זֶה הַמַּאֲכָל הָאָהוּב עָלַי בְּיוֹתֵר.
This is my favorite food.

Similar Posts