how to say “bad” in Hebrew
רַע, גָּרוּעַ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-1.mp3″ /]
I tend to veer away from presenting negative doses of Hebrew so as not to ruin your day, but this one’s far too שִׁמּוּשִׁי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-2.mp3″ /] – useful – to hold back from.
The basic Hebrew word for bad is רַע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-3.mp3″ /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-4.mp3″ /]הוּא יֶלֶד רַע.
He’s a bad boy.
רע also means evil, such as in the philosophical sense:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-5.mp3″ /]אֵיךְ הָאֵ-ל הַטּוֹב בּוֹרֵא רַע?
How does the good God create evil?
Now, רע is the generic term for bad. There’s also גָּרוּעַ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-6.mp3″ /], which means, historically, less than or worse than. Modern Hebrew speakers uses it instead of רע when the judgment they’re making isn’t as harsh as רע – which is akin to evil.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-7.mp3″ /]הוּא זַמָּר גָּרוּעַ.
He’s a bad singer.
This is not an exhaustive list of the Hebrew words for bad – as in any language, there’s a whole bunch more.
If I’ve offended you, pull up your favorite Israeli singer to feel better.
