how to say “hot air balloon” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger June 23, 2022June 17, 2022

כַּדּוּר פּוֹרֵחַ

Last week a cluster of balloons appeared in my garden, probably from a nearby birthday party.

The Hebrew word for balloon is בלון
… but when talking about a hot air balloon, the term is כדור פורח
– literally, a flying ball.

For example:

לכבוד יום ההולדת היא רוצה טיסה בכדור פורח.

For her (the) birthday she wants a flight in a hot air balloon.

Note that פורח
means flying in this case, though it normally means blooming. פורח in the sense of flying appears in Mishnaic Hebrew, notably in the Talmudic expression אותיות פורחות באוויר
– letters flying in the air (here’s a discussion of the term).

Weekly Hebrew Review – performing and making an impression

ByAmi Steinberger July 22, 2016September 3, 2018

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep. Flashcards . Scatter . Space Race . Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

how to say “justice” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger April 30, 2013October 28, 2018

having trouble seeing the print? צֶדֶק After today’s events, one of the things on people’s minds in this part of the world is justice – צֶדֶק. Here’s an example of צדק used in the context of a different series of events, from the summer of 2011: הָעַם דּוֹרֵשׁ צֶדֶק חֶבְרָתִי! The people demand social justice! This three-letter…

how to say “to win” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger February 20, 2019February 20, 2019

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/לנצח-#.m4a” /]לְנַצֵּחַ The Hebrew word for to win is לנצח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/לנצח-#.m4a” /], a פיעל verb of the root נ.צ.ח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/לנצח-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/לנצח-#.m4a” /]רק האהבה תנצח את כל הדמעות. Only (the) love will defeat all the tears. If you read the word לנצח by itself, you might think it means forever, which is pronounced…

how to say “a carpet” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger October 1, 2010November 5, 2018

שטיח The Hebrew word for carpet or rug is שָׁטִיח (shah-TEE-ahkh). It’s related to the word for area – שֶׁטַח (SHEH-tahkh), as a שטיח is something that covers a particular שטח. Similarly, to prostrate oneself or to sprawl out – for example, over the grave of a righteous person, as many are wont to do – is לְהִשְׁתַּטֵּח (le-heesh-tah-TEH-ahkh)….

how to say “distress” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger September 9, 2021September 6, 2021

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/מצוקה-#.m4a” /]מְצוּקָה מצוקה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/מצוקה-#.m4a” /] is that state in which we need help – distress. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/מצוקה-#.m4a” /]כשהיא נפלה היא לחצה על לחצן המצוקה, והגיעו לעזור. When she fell she pressed the distress button, and (people) came to help. מצוקה is also used in expressions that refer to poverty – a distressful life…

how to say “arrow” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger December 31, 2020December 27, 2020

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/חץ-#.m4a” /]חֵץ The Hebrew word for arrow is חץ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/חץ-#.m4a” /], while its plural is חצים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/חץ-#.m4a” /]. In the past few centuries the word for arrow in most languages has fallen out of conventional use, but it sometimes gets invoked as the name for a superhero… or a missile-defense system. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/חץ-#.m4a” /]מערכת…