how to say “opportunity” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

הִזְדַמְּנוּת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-1.mp3″ /]

Earlier this week we saw the Hebrew word for availability – זמינות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-2.mp3″ /], which comes from the root ז.מ.נ (z.m.n) meaning time.

Another word deriving from that root is הזדמנות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-1.mp3″ /] – opportunity.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-3.mp3″ /]פסימיסט רואה בהזדמנות קושי. אופטימיסט רואה בקושי הזדמנות. (וינסטון צ’רצ’יל)

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. (Winston Churchill)

The word הזדמנות is a noun form of the reflexive verb להזדמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-4.mp3″ /] – to arrive by chance. Had it followed the typical reflexive verb pattern, להזדמן would read and sound like להתזמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-5.mp3″ /] – with the -להת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-6.mp3″ /] prefix followed by the root. But since the voiced z sound (represented by the letter ז) makes it easier to make a d sound (represented by ד) than a t sound (represented by ת), and since it’s easier to say להזדמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-4.mp3″ /] than להתזמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-5.mp3″ /] or להדזמן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-7.mp3″ /] (try each), the verb reads and sounds like להזדמן.

Another usage of להזדמן is in adjective form, odd jobs or jobs that come by chance:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הזדמנות-8.mp3″ /]אין לו עבודה קבועה – הוא מתפרנס מעבודות מזדמנות.

He doesn’t have a steady job – he supports himself on odd jobs.

Similar Posts

conversation: how to say “worldview” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger
[audioclip url="https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/10.3.2019-conv-5.m4a" /] - הוא ימני, והיא שמאלנית. זה בכלל לא מובן מאליו! - הם מסתדרים ביחד למרות השקפות העולם השונות. - מסתבר שזה אפשרי. - He's a rightist, she's a leftist, it's not to be taken for granted! - They get along despite their different worldviews. - Turns out it's possible. Conversation based on...

how to say “ADHD” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

הַפְרָעַת קֶשֶׁב, רִכּוּז וְהִיפֶּרְאַקְטִיבִיוּת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/adhd-1.mp3″ /] When I was a kid, we talked about ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder. When I reached graduate school, I learned that the psychiatric powers that be call it ADHD – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, lumping together the people who have difficulty concentrating, as well as those who are hyperactive. Following suit,…

how to say “bank branch” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/סניף-בנק-#.m4a” /]סְנִיף בַּנְק The Hebrew word for bank is בנק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/סניף-בנק-#.m4a” /] – simple enough. The word for branch (not of a tree – a location) is סניף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/סניף-בנק-#.m4a” /], as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/סניף-בנק-#.m4a” /]כמה סניפים יש לכם בקו החוף? How many branches do you have on the coast line? or  [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/סניף-בנק-#.m4a” /]כמה סניפי בנק יש לכם?…

how to say “sapphire” and other precious stones in Hebrew

how to say “sapphire” and other precious stones in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

  סַפִּיר  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew word for sapphire is very similar to that of the English: סַפִּיר  listen and repeat. The word goes back to early human history, as does the value of this precious stone.   For example:   קָנִיתִי לָהּ שַׁרְשֶׁרֶת סַפִּירִים. I bought her a…

daily video – how to say “cinnamon” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger
To slow down the audio or to turn on captions (CC), start playing the video and then click the settings icon ⚙️. LEARNING TIPS Hebrew beginners Watch with English captions a few times, then with Hebrew captions, then without captions, and see what you understand. Intermediate learners Watch without captions, pausing to write down what...

how to say “land line” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

טֶלֶפוֹן נַיָּח, טֶלֶפוֹן קַוִּי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-1.wav” /] More and more people don’t these anymore, but many still do, so it’s worth an entry. While a mobile phone is a טֶלֶפוֹן נַיָּד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-2.wav” /], a land line is called either a טלפון נַיָּח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-3.wav” /] – literally, stationary phone, or טלפון קַוִּי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-4.wav” /] – a line or wire…