how to say “unbelievable” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-1.m4a” /]לֹא יְאֻמָּן, לֹא יֵאָמֵן

To believe – in Hebrew – is להאמין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-2.m4a” /], an active-causative הפעיל verb. It would follow, then, that unbelievable would be לא יואמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-3.m4a” /], as יואמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-4.m4a” /] is of the passive-causative הופעל form.

But what most Israelis say is לא יאומן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-5.m4a” /], where יאומן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-6.m4a” /] is of the passive-intensive פועל form.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-7.m4a” /]איזה סל! לא יאומן!

What a shot (basket)! Unbelievable!

But that’s the colloquial usage. The more correct term and the one that the Academy of the Hebrew Language wishes to promote is לא ייאמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-8.m4a” /], where ייאמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-9.m4a” /] is of the נפעל form.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לא-יאומן-10.m4a” /]לא ייאמן כמה אנשים הגיעו להפגנה.

It’s unbelievable how many people came to the demonstration.