how to say “guinea pig”
שְׁפַן נִסָּיוֹן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/guinea-pig-5.mp3″ /]
When referring to that furry little animal the guinea pig, Israelis use either קַבְיָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/guinea-pig-2.mp3″ /] or חֲזִיר יָם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/guinea-pig-3.mp3″ /] (literally, sea pig).
But the proverbial guinea pig gets a different term: שְׁפַן נִסְּיוֹנוֹת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/guinea-pig-4.mp3″ /] – rabbit or coney (whatever that is) of experiments, or שְׁפַן נִסָּיוֹן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/guinea-pig-5.mp3″ /] – rabbit/coney of experiment.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/guinea-pig-6.mp3″ /]רוֹב הָאֲנָשִׁים לֹא רוֹצִים לִהְיוֹת שְׁפַן נִסָּיוֹן.
Most people don’t want to be a guinea pig.