קִיר, חוֹמָה, כֹּתֶל listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? 1 קִיר קִיר listen and repeat is the everyday word. It refers to the wall you’re probably facing right now, if you’re indoors. It’s that which encloses and divides between rooms. For example: בַּחֶדֶר שֶׁנִּפְתַּח אֶל הֶחָצֵר יֵשׁ שְׁלֹשָׁה קִירוֹת וְדֶלֶת גְּדוֹלָה מִזְּכוּכִית. In the…
גַּן, גִּנָּה listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for garden goes way back to the opening passages of the Bible, so that the Garden of Eden is גַּן עֵדֶן listen and repeat– or, in the Biblical context, “a garden in Eden, in the east” – גַּן בְּעֵדֶן מִקֶּדֶם listen and repeat….
סַמִּים listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Modern-Hebrew word for drugs is סַמִּים listen and repeat, while one drug is סַם listen and repeat. These refer to street drugs only – the word for medicine is תְּרוּפָה listen and repeat. For example: סַמִּים בְּדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל מְמַכְּרִים. (Street) drugs are usually addictive….
מָחֳרָתַיִם listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? If you’ve got some basic Hebrew, you know that the word for tomorrow is מָחָר listen and repeat. But you may not know that there’s a special word for the day after tomorrow: מָחֳרָתַיִם listen and repeat. For example: מָחֳרָתַיִם כְּבָר פּוּרִים! Two…
מִשְׁקוֹלוֹת listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? Modern Israel’s currency is the New Shekel – הַשֶּׂקֶל הֶחָדָשׁ listen and repeat, but the word שֶׁקֶל listen and repeat goes way back to Biblical times, when it referred to the value of a gold or silver coin based on its weight. The root שׁ.ק.ל (sh.k.l)…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material listen and repeat 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 שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!…
דִּמְדּוּמִים, בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? That curious time between sunset and nightfall – also technically between dawn and sunrise – is called twilight – between light. Such a time of day causes confusion – is it day or night? Is it light or dark? Can I trust my…
מִלּוּי, סְתִימָה listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? With Purim coming up, some of you may already be thinking about those special holiday cookies, hamentaschen (Yiddish, literally, Haman’s pockets) – in Hebrew, אָזְנֵי הָמָן listen and repeat (literally, Haman’s ears) and the various fillings they come with. The Hebrew word for filling when…
בּוֹ זְמַנִּית, בַּד בְּבַד listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? While Israelis sometimes say בְּאֹפֶן סִימוּלְטָנִי listen and repeat to express simultaneously or at the same time, they’re also likely to use the expression בּוֹ זְמַנִּית listen and repeat – literally, at that moment. Likewise, בּוֹ-זְמַנִּי listen and repeat means simultaneous. For example: הוּא מְסֻגָּל לְנַגֵּן…
מִצַּד שֵׁנִי, לְעֻמַּת זֹאת listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? On the one hand, the snow is pretty. But on the other hand, it’s cold and I prefer warmth. English uses the metaphor of hands to speak about the two sides of a dilemma. Hebrew uses sides: מִצַּד אֶחָד –…
תַּשְׁבֵּץ listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The root שׁ.ב.צ (sh.b.ts) means checkered or plaited. Thus a slot on a calendar is called a מִשְׁבֶּצֶת listen and repeat, and an informal way of saying to book an appointment is לְשַׁבֵּץ פְּגִישָׁה listen and repeat. For example: שִׁבַּצְתִּי אֶת הַפְּגִישָׁה שֶׁלָּךְ…