how to say “lazy person” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /]עַצְלָן, עַצְלָנִית
Yesterday we saw the words for dancer – רקדן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /] and רקדנית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /], which take the root ר.ק.ד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /] and add an ending of ן-[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /] for a male and נית-[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /] for a female.
This pattern of construction creates other words that describe professionals and owners of personal traits.
Take, for example, the words עצלן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /] and עצלנית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /], which describe someone who is lazy:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /]איזה עצלן, הוא לא טורח אפילו לבדוק אם הגיע דואר!
What a lazy bum, he doesn’t even bother to check if mail has come!
To be lazy – to act as a lazy person – is להתעצל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/עצלן-#.m4a” /], a התפעל verb.
