[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרסה-#.m4a” /]פַּרְסָה In English, we call it a u-turn, since the trajectory of the turn is shaped like the letter U. In Hebrew, it’s a פרסה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרסה-#.m4a” /] – a horse’s hoof, or more precisely, the metal attached to the hoof, a horseshoe. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרסה-#.m4a” /]פספסנו את הפנייה – צריך לעשות פרסה. We…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ממצא-#.m4a” /]מִמְצָא The Hebrew word למצוא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ממצא-#.m4a” /], a simple פעל verb, means to find. That which is found or discovered – a finding – is ממצא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ממצא-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ממצא-#.m4a” /]בזכות החפירות התגלו בירושלים ממצאים עוצרי נשימה. Thanks to the digs, breathtaking findings were discovered in Jerusalem. Note that ממצא is different from…
הַקֹּטֶב הַצְּפוֹנִי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קוטב-1.mp3″ /] The Hebrew word קֹטֶב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קוטב-2.mp3″ /] means pole, as in one of two points at the ends of an object. Thus הַקֹּטֶב הַדְּרוֹמִי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קוטב-3.mp3″ /] is the South Pole, while הַקֹּטֶב הַצְּפוֹנִי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קוטב-1.mp3″ /] is the North Pole. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קוטב-4.mp3″ /]הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ זוֹרַחַת כָּל הַיּוֹם בַּקַּיִץ בַָּקֹּטֶב הַצְּפוֹנִי. The sun…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/יתרה-#.m4a” /]יִתְרָה The Hebrew word for balance as in bank balance is יתרה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/יתרה-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/יתרה-#.m4a” /]מה היתרה שלי בחשבון? What’s my account balance (my balance in the account)? יתרה comes from the root י.ת.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/יתרה-#.m4a” /] meaning remaining, so that a יתרה is the money that remains (whether a positive…
Today’s dose of Hebrew is sponsored by… Check it out! לְהִתְנַשֵּׂא You may be familiar with this word from the קַדִּיש – Kaddish prayer (kah-DEESH). In that context, it means to rise up and refers to the exalting of G-d’s name. That’s לְהִתְנַשֵּׂא (leh-heet-nah-SEH) with its positive connotation. The negative connotation…
מִפְלֶצֶת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מפלצת-1.mp3″ /] I’m excited for Jurassic World, a sequel to Jurassic Park ten years in the making. Some describe dinosaurs – in Hebrew, דִּינוֹזָאוּרִים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מפלצת-2.mp3″ /] – as monsters. The Hebrew word for monster is מִפְלֶצֶת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מפלצת-1.mp3″ /], a word that appears once in Biblical Hebrew (מְלָכִים א’, פֶּרֶק ט”ו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מפלצת-3.mp3″ /] – I Kings,…