Author: Ami Steinberger

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/גשם-שוטף-1.m4a” /]יוֹרֵד גֶּשֶׁם שׁוֹטֵף In Hebrew, we call a downpour גשם שוטף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/גשם-שוטף-2.m4a” /] – literally, flowing or washing rain. It’s raining in Hebrew is יורד גשם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/גשם-שוטף-3.m4a” /] – literally, rain is coming down. So it’s pouring rain or, if you will, it’s raining cats and dogs, is יורד גשם שוטף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/גשם-שוטף-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/גשם-שוטף-4.m4a” /]אתמול ירד גשם…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כאן-1.m4a” /]פֹּה, כָּאן, הִנֵּה A subscriber asked me recently about the different words for here in Hebrew. While פה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כאן-2.m4a” /] goes back to Biblical Hebrew, the use of כאן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כאן-3.m4a” /] only began in Mishnaic times, and probably arrived from a foreign language such as Aramaic.  But they are used interchangeably to mean here, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כאן-4.m4a” /]יש…

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 Game Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חסר-אונים-1.m4a” /]חֲסַר אוֹנִים The Hebrew word און[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חסר-אונים-2.m4a” /], meaning power or vitality, is itself used in Modern Hebrew only in literary contexts, or as a name or part of a name. However, a form of און is used in everyday speech in the expression חסר אונים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חסר-אונים-1.m4a” /] – helpless, or literally, lacking powers. For…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/יומן-1.m4a” /]יוֹמָן The Spanish word for day is dia (pretty close in sound to day), and it serves as the basis for the word diary. Likewise, journal comes from the French journee, also meaning day. A diary or a journal is a book in which people record the events of their day, either as an intellectual/emotional exercise, or as a…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-1.m4a” /]מִמּוּן If you’re familiar with Christian literature, the word Mammon may ring a bell, as it represents greed. The word came to Hebrew via Aramaic and makes appearances in the Mishnah, where it substitutes Biblical-Hebrew כסף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-2.m4a” /] – literally silver but also money – and is spelled ממון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-3.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-4.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מילת-מפתח-1.m4a” /]מִלַּת מַפְתֵּחַ From what I hear, search engine optimization efforts are shying away from focusing on keywords and keyword placement, and focusing more on producing genuine content. But necessary or not, the Hebrew expression for keyword is מילת מפתח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מילת-מפתח-1.m4a” /] – literally, word of key. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מילת-מפתח-2.m4a” /]מה מילת המפתח הכי חשובה באתר שלכם?…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-1.m4a” /]תַּקְדִּים A couple of weeks ago, we saw the Hebrew expression for first of all – קודם כול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-2.m4a” /]. The root ק.ד.מ (k.d.m) is a versatile one. Its basic idea is before, and it is thus found in the words מוקדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-3.m4a” /] – early (before the normal time), להתקדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-4.m4a” /] – to get ahead (before everyone else),…

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 Game Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-1.m4a” /]אֲנִי מְקַוֶּה שֶׁכֵּן Israel’s national anthem is called התקווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-2.m4a” /] – literally, the hope. To hope is the active-intensive verb לקוות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-3.m4a” /], so that I hope is אני מקווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-4.m4a” /] if you’re a male, and אני מקווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-5.m4a” /] if you’re a female. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-6.m4a” /]האם הבנק פתוח היום? אני מקווה…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/יש-בזה-משהו-1.m4a” /]יֵשׁ בְּזֶה מַשֶּׁהוּ Your friend goes on and on about their new business idea. You fade in an out of concentration, until you hear a nugget of wisdom, at which point you might say, there’s something to that. The equivalent Hebrew expression is יש בזה משהו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/יש-בזה-משהו-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/יש-בזה-משהו-2.m4a” /]מה שאת…