how to say “scary” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מפחיד-1.m4a” /]מַפְחִיד

The Hebrew word for fear is פחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מפחיד-2.m4a” /].

For example, one might react to hearing a loud motorcycle storming by right in front of them with:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מפחיד-3.m4a” /]איזה פחד!

How scary! (what fear!)

פחד is a three-letter word, which means it is primed to function as a root. Thus we have the active-intensive פיעל verb לפחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מפחיד-4.m4a” /] – to fear, to be afraid, and the active-causative הפעיל verb להפחיד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מפחיד-5.m4a” /].

Taking להפחיד – to scare, to frighten, we get the adjective מפחיד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מפחיד-1.m4a” /] – scary or frightening.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מפחיד-6.m4a” /]לא רוצים לראות ליצנים מפחידים.

(We) don’t want to see scary clowns.