Author: Ami Steinberger

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להפחית-1.m4a” /]לְהַפְחִית If you’ve got some Level 1 Hebrew under your belt, you probably know the word יותר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להפחית-2.m4a” /] – more. The opposite of יותר is פחות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להפחית-3.m4a” /] – less, and this word forms the basis of to reduce or to lessen: להפחית, an active-causative הפעיל verb of the root פ.ח.ת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להפחית-4.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ערב-חג-1.m4a” /]עֶרֶב חַג In English, we have the expression on the eve of… meaning the day before an event, or the time leading up to it. Hebrew has the same, so that the day before a holiday – a holiday eve – is ערב חג[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ערב-חג-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ערב-חג-2.m4a” /]אין לנו זמן לשבת בבית…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/התנדבות-1.m4a” /]הִתְנַדְּבוּת The concept of volunteering goes all the way to Biblical times, where the root נ.ד.ב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/התנדבות-2.m4a” /] of that meaning first appears. To volunteer is להתנדב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/התנדבות-3.m4a” /], a reflexive-intensive התפעל verb. Likewise, volunteering is התנדבות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/התנדבות-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/התנדבות-4.m4a” /]יש מקום התנדבות מעניין בשכונת בקעה בירושלים. There’s an interesting volunteering place in…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אשרת-כניסה-1.m4a” /]אַשְׁרַת כְּנִיסָה Perhaps you know the Hebrew expression for credit card – כרטיס אשראי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אשרת-כניסה-2.m4a” /]. The word אשראי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אשרת-כניסה-3.m4a” /] comes from Aramaic, from the root ש.ר.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אשרת-כניסה-4.m4a” /] meaning strength, security. A related word, coined by former Prime Minister Moshe Sharett, is אשרה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אשרת-כניסה-5.m4a” /] – visa. So an entry visa is אשרת כניסה[audioclip…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מכונת-שיקוף-1.m4a” /]מְכוֹנַת שִׁקּוּף Last week we saw the word השתקפות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מכונת-שיקוף-2.m4a” /] – reflection – of the root ש.ק.פ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מכונת-שיקוף-3.m4a” /] meaning visibility. Using the same root, Hebrew calls that machine your bags go through at the airport – the baggage scanner – מכונת שיקוף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מכונת-שיקוף-1.m4a” /] – literally, machine of transparency or reflection. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מכונת-שיקוף-4.m4a”…

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep. Flashcards . Scatter . Gravity . Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/צום-קל-5.m4a” /]צום מועיל!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הרהורים-1.m4a” /]הִרְהוּרִים While השתקפות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הרהורים-2.m4a” /] is reflection in the visual sense, הרהור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הרהורים-3.m4a” /] is means reflection in the sense of thoughtfulness. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הרהורים-4.m4a” /]היא עסוקה בהרהורי תשובה. She is occupied with thoughts (reflections) of repentance. One could also say that she is pensive – מהורהרת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הרהורים-5.m4a” /]. For a male, it’s מהורהר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הרהורים-6.m4a” /]….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-1.m4a” /]עֲקֵב אָכִילֶס, נְקֻדַּת תֻּרְפָּה The heel of the mythical Achilles was his weak point, the one place on his body that should his enemies harm it, they could defeat him. Both English and Hebrew use Achilles’ heel to refer to one’s point of vulnerability, their weak spot. In Hebrew, it’s עקב אכילס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עקב-אכילס-2.m4a” /]….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מענה-1.m4a” /]תְּשׁוּבָה, מַעֲנֶה If you know the Hebrew word for question – שאלה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מענה-2.m4a” /], you probably also know the word for answer – תשובה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מענה-3.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מענה-4.m4a” /]לא לכל שאלה יש תשובה. Not every question has an answer. The root of תשובה is ש.ו.ב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מענה-5.m4a” /] meaning return: an answer to a question is a response…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להאט-1.m4a” /]לְהָאֵט You may know the Hebrew expression לאט לאט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להאט-2.m4a” /] – slowly or little by little. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להאט-3.m4a” /]לאט לאט, אתם כבר תתרגלו לחיים כאן. Little by little, you guys will get used to living here. לאט comes from the root א.ט.ט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להאט-4.m4a” /] meaning slow. In a variation of the active-causative הפעיל verb…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צעד-צעד-1.m4a” /]צַעַד צַעַד The Hebrew expression for one at a time is אחד אחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צעד-צעד-2.m4a” /] – literally, one one. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צעד-צעד-3.m4a” /]הילדים נכנסו לכיתה אחד אחד. The children entered the classroom one at a time. Now suppose you want to say something like one step at a time. That’s צעד צעד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צעד-צעד-1.m4a” /] –…