[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/בן-דוד-#.m4a” /]בֶּן דּוֹד, בַּת דּוֹדָה In English, we have one word for cousin. But in Hebrew, the term changes based on whether this cousin is a son or daughter… of an aunt or uncle. Though most Israelis are likely to refer to any male cousin as בן דוד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/בן-דוד-#.m4a” /] (son of uncle) and to…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/אבו-דאבי-#.m4a” /]אַבּוּ דַּאבִּי, אַב הַצְּבִי When speaking of the national capital of the United Arab Emirates, Israelis say אבו דאבי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/אבו-דאבי-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/אבו-דאבי-#.m4a” /]קורץ לי לטוס לאבו דאבי. I feel like flying to Abu Dhabi. But if we do some comparative Semitics, we’ll find that Israelis could, if they wished, translate…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/קורץ-לי-#.m4a” /]בָּא לִי, קוֹרֵץ לִי Instead of אני רוצֶה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/קורץ-לי-#.m4a” /] (I want – m) or אני רוצָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/קורץ-לי-#.m4a” /] (I want – f), you’re likely to hear Israeli kids saying בא לי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/קורץ-לי-#.m4a” /] – I feel like, or literally it comes to me, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/קורץ-לי-#.m4a” /]בא לי עוגה. I feel like (having)…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לקטוף-#.m4a” /]לִקְטוֹף פֶּרַח The Hebrew word for to pick or harvest something such as fruit or flowers is the simple verb לקטוף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לקטוף-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לקטוף-#.m4a” /]כל יום שישי אבא קוטף פרחים בשביל אמא. Every Friday Dad picks flowers for Mom. Something picked or harvested is נקטף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לקטוף-#.m4a” /], from the נפעל verb form. נקטף is…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לנשוך-#.m4a” /]לִנְשׁוֹךְ The Hebrew word for to bite is the simple verb לנשוך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לנשוך-#.m4a” /], as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לנשוך-#.m4a” /]נשך אותי עכביש! A spider bit me! In Biblical Hebrew, נשך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לנשוך-#.m4a” /] – biting – refers to monetary interest (bankers beware). But by Mishnaic times, the word for interest was already ריבית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/לנשוך-#.m4a” /], related to the…