how to say “certainly” in Hebrew
בְּוַדַּאי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בוודאי-1.mp3″ /]
The most literal Hebrew translation for the English certainly is בְּוַדַּאי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בוודאי-1.mp3″ /] or simply וַדַּאי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בוודאי-2.mp3″ /], as in:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בוודאי-3.mp3″ /]זֶה בּוַדַּאי לֹא הַמָּקוֹם לְעִשּׁוּן.
This is certainly not the place for smoking.
Though these words are borrowed from Aramaic, it seems to me likely that their root is the Hebrew (also Aramaic) ו.ד.ה (v.d.h) meaning confession, something makes it plain and clear.
Other ways of expressing certainly are בְּהֶחְלֵט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בוודאי-4.mp3″ /] – absolutely, כַּמּוּבָן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בוודאי-5.mp3″ /] – of course or as is understood, and לְלֹא סָפֵק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בוודאי-6.mp3″ /] – doubtless.