How to say “mistake” in Hebrew
שְׁגִיאָה, טָעוּת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/טעות-1.mp3″ /]
Hebrew has two words for mistake – שְׁגִיאָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/טעות-2.mp3″ /] and טָעוּת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/טעות-3.mp3″ /], both deriving from Biblical Hebrew. While they’re often used interchangeably, there is a subtle difference.
שגיאה is related to the Biblical-Hebrew בִּשְׁגָּגָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/טעות-4.mp3″ /] – by mistake. It refers to an error made when there was another choice available.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/טעות-5.mp3″ /]הָיוּ לוֹ רַק שְׁתֵּי שְׁגִיאוֹת בַּמִּבְחָן הָאָמֶרִיקַאי.
He only had two errors on the multiple-choice (American) test.
טעות refers to a mistake made when other choices are not apparent. Its source in Biblical Hebrew is the verb לִטְעוֹת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/טעות-6.mp3″ /] – there, to go astray – so that a mistake is a going astray from a good choice.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/טעות-7.mp3″ /]טָעִיתִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְאֵין לִי GPS.
I made a mistake on the way, and I don’t have a GPS.