In this episode, Foreigncy speaks with Ami Steinberger who is the founder and CEO of Ulpan La-Inyan. Ulpan La-Inyan takes a unique approach to help Hebrew learners master the essentials of everyday conversation and functional Hebrew through a number of approaches.
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/לעזאזל-#.m4a” /]לַעֲזָאזֵל Although in day-to-day speech לעזאזל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/לעזאזל-#.m4a” /] has fallen out of use, you’ll still find it in subtitles for Israeli TV and film in place of your favorite English curse word. It can mean anything from to hell with it and what the hell? to other items I don’t want to spell out on…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/הנילוס-#.m4a” /]הַנִּילוּס While in the Bible this great Egyptian and African river is called יאור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/הנילוס-#.m4a” /] (probably from Ancient Egyptian), today’s Children of Israel use the Greek name, Νεῖλος – נילוס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/הנילוס-#.m4a” /] – in English, Nile. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/הנילוס-#.m4a” /]הנילוס והאמזונס הם הנהרות הארוכים ביותר בעולם. The Nile and the Amazon…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/כתית-מעולה-#.m4a” /]שֶׁמֶן זַיִת כָּתִית מְעוּלֶּה The Hebrew word for oil is שמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/כתית-מעולה-#.m4a” /], while olive oil is שמן זית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/כתית-מעולה-#.m4a” /]. Virgin oil is the unrefined oil pressed directly from the olive. The pressed part is what provides us with the Hebrew expression שמן כתית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/כתית-מעולה-#.m4a” /] – virgin oil, or literally, pressed oil. This has been…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דגנים-מלאים-1.m4a” /]דְּגָנִים מְלֵאִים A while back I did a post on breakfast cereal – דגני בוקר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דגנים-מלאים-2.m4a” /]. The word בוקר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דגנים-מלאים-3.m4a” /] means morning, while דגני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דגנים-מלאים-4.m4a” /] is the form of דגנים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דגנים-מלאים-5.m4a” /] – grains – when it’s attached to another word by what might be the word of in English – so that דגני בוקר means…
יושר Perhaps you know the Hebrew word for straight – יָשָׁר (yah-SHAHR). The word for integrity, or straightness, is יוֹשֶׁר (YOH-shehr). If someone does something with integrity, it’s בְּיוֹשֶׁר (be-YOH-shehr). For example, הוּא מִתְנַהֵג בְּיוֹשֶׁר עִם הַלָּקוֹחוֹת שֶׁלּו (hoo meet-nah-HEG be-YOH-shehr eem ha-lah-koh-KHOHT sheh-LO) – he behaves (acts) with integrity with his clients….