how to say “a sad face” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרצוף-תשעה-באב-#.m4a” /]פַּרְצוּף תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב

Hebrew has two words for face – the biblical פנים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרצוף-תשעה-באב-#.m4a” /], and a later word borrowed from Greek, פרצוף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרצוף-תשעה-באב-#.m4a” /].

The latter word helps make up this Hebrew expression: פרצוף תשעה באב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרצוף-תשעה-באב-#.m4a” /] – a sad face, or literally, a face of Tisha B’Av. Why Tisha B’Av? Because this is the day on the Jewish calendar – the ninth of the month of Av – where unhappiness is religiously mandatory.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרצוף-תשעה-באב-#.m4a” /]דנה, למה פרצוף תשעה באב? לא התקבלת לתוכנית?

Dana, why a sad face? You didn’t get accepted to the program?

פרצוף תשעה באב is a somewhat dramatic expression – you could also simply say פנים עצובים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרצוף-תשעה-באב-#.m4a” /] – literally, a sad face (פנים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/פרצוף-תשעה-באב-#.m4a” /] in Hebrew is plural).