how to say “on the radar” in Hebrew
Hebrew uses a different military metaphor – עַל הַכַּוֶּנֶת on the viewfinder – invoking the sniper’s rifle.
having trouble seeing the print? מַשְׁקוֹף The Torah portion to be read tomorrow by Jews the world over tells of the Exodus from Egypt – יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם (yeh-tsee-AHT meets-RAH-yeem). One of the best-known symbols of the Exodus is the animal blood smeared on the doorposts of the Israelite homes, meant (in my understanding) as…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/תעשה-לי-טובה-#.m4a” /]תַּעֲשֶׂה לִי טוֹבָה Hebrew doesn’t have a literal translation for gimme a break. Really, what’s a break anyway? What’s being broken? To dismiss an idea with the same measured disgust mixed with a dash of hope as gimme a break, Israelis say תעשה לי טובה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/תעשה-לי-טובה-#.m4a” /] to a male, and תעשי לי טובה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/תעשה-לי-טובה-#.m4a”…
לְמַעַן הָאֱמֶת If you’ve spent time in a synagogue or have participated in Jewish prayer, chances are you’ve heard the word אמת – truth. People sometimes also answer a question with אמת instead of כן (yes) or נכון (correct), as in: אתה גר בקטמון? – אמת. You live in Katamon? – Yes (truth). One expression…
דֶּרֶךְ אַגַּב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אגב-1.mp3″ /] The Hebrew expression for by the way is דרך אגב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אגב-1.mp3″ /] (also pronounced stressing the first syllable in אגב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אגב-9.mp3″ /]) – literally, by way of the back or, if you will, piggybacking… For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אגב-3.mp3″ /]דרך אגב, שלחת את המייל? By the way, did you (a female) send the email? The word…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לזרוק-1.m4a” /]לִזְרוֹק Unlike some actions, such as to print – להדפיס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לזרוק-2.m4a” /] – that came into existence only in the modern era, to throw throws us back to Biblical times: לזרוק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לזרוק-1.m4a” /] appears already in ספר שמות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לזרוק-3.m4a” /] – the Book of Exodus. Here’s a Modern-Hebrew example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לזרוק-4.m4a” /]זרוק את הכדור! Throw…