how to say “an attack” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-1.m4a” /]תְּקִיפָה, הַתְקָפָה, מִתְקָפָה (מַתְקֵפָה)

Hebrew has two words for an attack, התקפה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-2.m4a” /] and תקיפה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-3.m4a” /], both of the root ת.ק.פ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-4.m4a” /].

תקיפה, deriving from the simple verb לתקוף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-5.m4a” /], refers to a one-time attack, or an assault.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-6.m4a” /]תקיפה מינית היא בעיה רווחת גם בעולם המודרני.

Sexual assault is a common problem even in the modern world.

התקפה, deriving from the active-causative להתקיף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-8.m4a” /], refers to a sustained series of attacks.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/תקיפה-9.m4a” /]העיר שדרות ספגה יותר מדי התקפות רקטות.

The city of Sderot took too many (series of) rocket attacks.

Another word for sustained attack is מתקפה (properly pronounced this way, but commonly pronounced this way).