how to say “ADHD” in Hebrew
הַפְרָעַת קֶשֶׁב, רִכּוּז וְהִיפֶּרְאַקְטִיבִיוּת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-1.mp3″ /]
When I was a kid, we talked about ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder. When I reached graduate school, I learned that the psychiatric powers that be call it ADHD – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, lumping together the people who have difficulty concentrating, as well as those who are hyperactive.
Following suit, the official Hebrew psychiatric term for the phenomenon is הַפְרָעַת קֶשֶׁב, רִכּוּז וְהִיפֶּרְאַקְטִיבִיוּת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-1.mp3″ /] – disorder of attention, concentration and hyperactivity.
Let’s break it down:
הַפְרָעַת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-2.mp3″ /] is the construct state of הַפְרָעָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-3.mp3″ /], which means interruption or disturbance, or, in this case, disorder – so that הפרעת means disorder of.
קֶשֶׁב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-4.mp3″ /] is attention. You may recognize the root from the verb to listen (to attend to what someone is saying) – לְהַקְשִׁיב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-5.mp3″ /].
רִכּוּז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-6.mp3″ /] means concentration, whose root also appears in לְהִתְרַכֵּז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-7.mp3″ /] – to concentrate, and רֶכֶּז תַּפּוּחִים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-8.mp3″ /] – apple concentrate.
Now, הפרעת קשב, רכוז והיפראקטיביות is a mouthful… so you’re likely to hear Israelis abbreviate it the way English speakers shave off the H from ADHD, with הפרעת קשב וְריכוז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-9.mp3″ /] – disorder of attention and concentration.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-10.mp3″ /]הַפְרָעַת קֶשֶׁב וְרִכּוּז מוֹפִיעָה לֹא רַק בְּקֶרֶב בָּנִים.
ADD shows up not only among boys.