how to ask “are you armed?” in Hebrew
If you’ve had even a bit of experience with the Hebrew language, chances are you know the word for book – סֵפֶר (SEH-fehr). Now, in English, we add -let to a noun to make it small and cute. For example, we add -let to pig to make piglet. Likewise, we add -let to book to make booklet….
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/פרצוף-#.m4a” /]פָּנִים, פַּרְצוּף You may know the Yiddish expression א שיינע פנים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/פרצוף-#.m4a” /] – a pretty face, with פנים pronounced POH-nim. Modern Hebrew renders the word pah-NEEM, and this is likely closer to how the Israelites of the Bible pronounced the word. It means face and can be masculine or feminine but always plural as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/פרצוף-#.m4a”…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/שנה-חדשה-#.m4a” /]שָׁנָה חֲדָשָׁה The word שנה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/שנה-חדשה-#.m4a” /] – year – is grammatically feminine, which means that the words describing it also need to be grammatically feminine. So that while סרט חדש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/שנה-חדשה-#.m4a” /] is a new movie – where סרט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/שנה-חדשה-#.m4a” /] is masculine – שנה חדשה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/שנה-חדשה-#.m4a” /] is a new year, where חדשה[audioclip…
מִזְעָרִי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מזער-1.mp3″ /] The word you’re most likely to hear on the street and in the office in Israel for minimal is מִינִימָלִי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מזער-2.mp3″ /]. But an authentic Hebrew word growing in usage is מִזְעָרִי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מזער-1.mp3″ /]. The word also means nominal or negligible, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מזער-3.mp3″ /]מְדֻבָּר בִּסְכוּם מִזְעָרִי, לֹא מַשֶּׁהוּ רְצִינִי. We’re…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/מסיבה-#.m4a” /]מְסִיבָּה The biblical word for party is משתה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/מסיבה-#.m4a” /], of the root ש.ת.ה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/מסיבה-#.m4a” /] meaning drinking. Today Israelis use the Mishnaic-Hebrew word מסיבה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/מסיבה-#.m4a” /], which derives from the verb להסב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/מסיבה-#.m4a” /] – to lounge. [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/מסיבה-#.m4a” /]שמעתי שעושים פה מסיבה בלעדי! I heard they’re partying (making a party) here without me!…