how to say “ceremony” in Hebrew

  טֶקֶס     Check out our summer Hebrew classes for adults and teens! This week and next are loaded with טְקָסִים (teh-kah-SEEM) – ceremonies – here in Israel: for יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה (yohm hah-shoh-AH) – Holocaust (Remembrance) Day this past Monday and for יוֹם הַזִּכּרוֹן (yohm hah-zee-kah-ROHN) – Memorial Day (for the soldiers and victims of terror).  Immediately…

how to say “summer” in Hebrew

  קַיִץ     Spring, in Hebrew, is אָבִיב (ah-VEEV); Passover is חַג הָאָבִיב (khahg hah-ah-VEEV).   Today was a gorgeous יוֹם אָבִיבִי (yohm ah-vee-VEE) – spring day – here in Jerusalem. It was quite warm… but not quite hot, with the sun shining, the flowers blooming, and the city getting excited for the national holidays בַּפֶּתַח…

how to say “continuity” in Hebrew

  הֶמְשֵׁכִיּוּת   In honor of יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה (yohm hah-shoh-AH) – Holocaust Memorial Day… in reverence of the six million. My grandfather was one of many youth leaders in Budapest in 1948 who operated underground in a tireless effort to rescue Jews of Hungary from the grips of the Nazi expulsion and extermination. His parents…

how to say “to get engaged” in Hebrew

  לְהִתְאָרֵס My good friend Avi last night became engaged to be married to Karen (thanks for the correction, Netanya). To get engaged in Hebrew is לְהִתְאָרֵס (leh-heet-ah-RESS). אָבִי הִתְאָרֵס אֶתְמוֹל בָּעֶרֶב (Avi heet-ah-RESS et-MOHL bah-EH-rev) – Avi got engaged last night (yesterday evening). מַזָּל טוֹב! (mah-ZAHL tohv!)  

how to say “to exaggerate” and “over the top” in Hebrew…

  לְהַגְזִים, מֻגְזָם Tonight’s my last night in LA before I board a flight to TLV via Madrid (9 hour stopover! Viva Madrid!).  My dear mom just requested this dose, which I faintly recall having done a while ago… but a refresher ain’t a bad idea once in a while. Plus, I’m sure I’ll include…

how to say “to encourage” in Hebrew

  לְעוֹדֵד   This Sunday, our classes begin afresh in Jerusalem, Efrat and Raanana (Tel Aviv coming very soon!). Our classes are small – and we’ve got a few spots left in all of them.  a Raanana class at work/play אֲנִי מְעוֹדֵד אֶתְכֶם (ah-NEE meh-oh-DED et-KHEM) – I encourage you (plural) to find out more by…

how to say “conflict of interest” in Hebrew

  נִגּוּד אִינְטֶרֶסִים We’ve still got a few spots…… in our state-of-the-art conversational Hebrew courses in Jerusalem, Efrat and Raanana   I’m right now in LA – hometown of the movie industry, as well as the setting of the film, The Lincoln Lawyer, which I just watched with my buddies Daniel and Gabe at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. I enjoy hotshot…

how to say “to fall asleep” in Hebrew

  לְהֵרָדֵם We’ve still got a few spots…… in our state-of-the-art conversational Hebrew courses in Jerusalem, Efrat and Raanana. When I was in eleventh grade I perfected the art of falling asleep in class without the teacher noticing: I would lean my head into my palm, which was supported by my elbow placed on the desk. This guy won’t fool…

what your computer mouse is called in Hebrew

  עַכְבָּר  If you know the word for mouse the mammal, you know the word for the electronic one you’ve probably got your hand on right now: עַכְבָּר (ahkh-BAHR).  Scary? Nuisance? Cute? חג פסח שמח!Happy Passover!   We’ve still got a few spots…… in our state-of-the-art conversational Hebrew courses in Jerusalem, Efrat and Raanana.

how to say “to make the most of something” in Hebrew

  לְמַצּוֹת   The Hebrew word for juice – that which is squeezed out of a fruit – is מִיץ (meets). To squeeze something out so as to get the most out of it – such as life or a topic of discussion – is לְמַצּוֹת (leh-mah-TSOHT). It’s an “intensive” פיעל (pee-EL) verb. For example, הִיא מִצְּתָה אֶת…