Author: Ami Steinberger

  having trouble seeing the print? מַחֲזֶה (written before Shabbat)   watch video for full lesson!   Learn to Speak Hebrew with Ulpan La-Inyan!

  having trouble seeing the print? כְּדַאי, כְּדָאִי, מִשְׁתַּלֵּם highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth   Hebrew has a few ways of saying worthwhile, depending on what you mean. To use worthwhile in a general sense, as one would say in English, it’s worth it, the word is כְּדַאי ( ). It’s not an adjective, but a modal verb, much like אֶפְשָׁר ( ) – it’s possible. For…

  having trouble seeing the print? נָשִׂיא Right now the fifth Israeli Presidential Conference is taking place in Jerusalem. נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, מָר שִׁמְעוֹן פֶּרֶס President of the State of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres The word for president is נָשִׂיא ( ). In the original Biblical Hebrew, נשיא referred to a person of stature and leadership in a particular…

  having trouble seeing the print? מִשְׁחַת שִׁנַּיִם highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth   Yesterday we met the Hebrew term for toothbrush – מִבְרֶשֶׁת שִׁנַּיִם ( ) Today we’ll see an important accessory. The Hebrew term for toothpaste is מִשְׁחַת שִׁנַּיִם ( ). The word משחת is a construct form of the word for paste or cream – מִשְׁחָה ( ) (see entry on cream)….

  having trouble seeing the print? מִבְרֶשֶׁת שִׁנַּיִם A tooth is a שֵׁן ( ), while teeth are שִׁנַּיִם ( ) (a double form, even though many teeth are spoken of, not just two). A brush is a מִבְרֶשֶׁת ( ), though when the word was created in the 19th century, it may have been intended to be מִבְרָשָׁה ( ) (Wiktionary). In any…

  having trouble seeing the print? שַׁגְרִיר, שַׁגְרִירָה Due to technical difficulties, this video was not distributed on Friday. But it’s still good stuff – enjoy! watch video for full lesson!   Learn to Speak Hebrew with Ulpan La-Inyan!

  having trouble seeing the print? כָּל יוֹמַיִם, כָּל שֵׁנִי וַחֲמִישִׁי highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth The literal meaning of every other day in English is every two days. Its Hebrew equivalent is כָּל יוֹמָיִם  .  But there’s another meaning, one seldom used, to the expression every other day as well, more along the lines of all the time or…

  having trouble seeing the print? אִי-וַדָּאוּת Human beings have a need for clarity and organization – we seek certainty in order to relax and go about our day. While certainty, in Hebrew, is וַדָּאוּת ( ), uncertainty is אִי-וַדָּאוּת ( ).  For example: קָשֶׁה אָבָל הֶכְרֵחִי לִחְיוֹת עִם אִי-וַדָּאוּת. It’s difficult but necessary to live with uncertainty. A lack of…

  having trouble seeing the print? שׁוֹבֵר לְבָבוֹת, שׁוֹבֶרֶת לְבָבוֹת highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth There are heartbreakers, and there’s everybody else. Sometimes there’s crossover.  The Hebrew term for heartbreaker when referring to a male is שׁוֹבֵר לְבָבוֹת ( ). Referring to a female, it’s שׁוֹבֶרֶת לְבָבוֹת ( ). שובר ( ) and שוברת ( ) come from the active-simple פָּעַל verb, לִשְׁבּוֹר (…

  having trouble seeing the print? לֵהָנוֹת Every season has its perks. But with the arrival of summer in the northern hemisphere, now’s the time that people are really starting to enjoy themselves. The Hebrew word for to enjoy is the same as that for to benefit – לֵהָנוֹת ( ).  Here’s an example using ליהנות in the sense…

  having trouble seeing the print? לִכְעוֹס watch video for full lesson! Check Out Our Conversational-Hebrew Program