How to say “seriously” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /]לָקַחַת בִּרְצִינוּת

The Hebrew word for serious is רציני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /] for a male or a masculine object, and רצינית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /] for a female or a feminine object. I’m not sure of its etymology. There is a biblical figure named רצין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /] – Retzin, the king of Aram, but there’s no indication of how serious he was. רציני may have something to do with the root ר.צ.ה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /] – want or desire – but I haven’t found concrete evidence to support this. If the two are related, perhaps the connection between them is intention – being serious about wanting something.

So if רציני is serious, רצינות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /] is seriousness.

Seriously? That’s ברצינות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /] – literally, with seriousness. And to take seriously is just like the English: לקחת ברצינות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /].

For example:

עם הכובע הזה לא ייקחו אותך ברצינות.[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /]

With that hat they won’t take you (a male) seriously.

לקחת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/לקחת-ברצינות-#.m4a” /] is a simple פעל verb.