how to say “insane!” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/מטורף-#.m4a” /]מְטֹרָף

If you know a bit of Yiddish, you may know the word meshugena – a crazy person. The original Hebrew form of this is משוגע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/מטורף-#.m4a” /].

But Hebrew has another word for insane – מטורף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/מטורף-#.m4a” /]. And like in English, מטורף doesn’t have to speak only of a person with a fragile mental state – it can also be an expression of enthusiasm:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/מטורף-#.m4a” /]בעונה הזאת בגליל יש נופים מטורפים.

In this season in the Galilee there are insane views.

Note that גליל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/מטורף-#.m4a” /] – Galilee – comes from the root ג.ל.ל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/מטורף-#.m4a” /] meaning scroll. A גליל means literally a roller or, in Biblical Hebrew, a pillar. Such a pillar also referred to a piece of land, arguably the most beautiful in the Land of Israel.