[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-1.m4a” /]צָרוֹת The Yiddish word tzuris – a word that refers to problems of the type caused by unfortunate financial circumstances or irreverent family members – derives from the Hebrew word צרות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-2.m4a” /]התאומים הגיעו לגיל ההתבגרות, ואז התחילו הצרות. The twins reached adolescence, and then the problems began. צרות is…
If you’ve had some Hebrew education, chances are you know the Modern Hebrew word for street – רְחוֹב (re-KHOHV). The word comes from the root ר.ח.ב (r.kh.b), which is the concept of width. To expand something is לְהַרְחִיב (le-hahr-KHEEV). Likewise, the act of expanding or an expansion is הַרְחָבָה (hahr-khah-VAH). For example, אֻלְפָּן לָעִנְיָן מַרְחִיב אֶת…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הגירה-1.m4a” /]הֲגִירָה, נְדִידָה In light of the current waves of migration, here’s the most common word for it in Hebrew: הגירה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הגירה-2.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הגירה-3.m4a” /]לאחרונה ראינו גלי הגירה מארצות מצוקה למערב אירופה. Recently we’ve seen waves of migration from poor countries to Western Europe. Immigration – incoming migration – is הגירה נכנסת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הגירה-4.m4a” /]…
שַׁעֲרוּרִיָּה This one’s for ליאת (Liat). If you’ve got some Hebrew, the first word that may have come to mind for scandal is סְקַנְדָּל (skahn-DAHL). But there’s another word: שַׁעֲרוּרִיָּה (shah-ah-roo-ree-YAH). This word appears in Biblical Hebrew and is derived from the adjective שֹׁעַר (SHOH-ahr), meaning vile. For example… אֵיזוֹ שׁערורייה! (EH-ee-zoh shah-ah-roo-ree-YAH)…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/משהו-עובר-עליו-#.m4a” /]מַשֶּׁהוּ עוֹבֵר עָלָיו Here’s another expression whose English version is very close to the Hebrew meaning: עבר עליו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/משהו-עובר-עליו-#.m4a” /] means came over him, or literally, passed over him. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/משהו-עובר-עליו-#.m4a” /]משהו עובר עליו, אבל אני לא יודע מה. Something has come over him, but I don’t know what. see full conversation In…
תשתית If you’d prefer a larger font… Perhaps you know the word for basis or foundation, in the more abstract sense: יְסוֹד (yeh-SOHD). There’s another word, however, for the foundation or infrastructure of a house, a city, a state, etc: תַּשְׁתִּית (tahsh-TEET), such that Israel’s Ministry of Infrastructure(s) is מִשְׂרַד הַתַּשְׁתִּיוֹת (mees-RAHD hah-tahsh-tee-YOHT). Over…