how to say “possible” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/אפשרי-ניתן-#.m4a” /]זֶה אֶפְשָׁרִי, נִתָּן
You may know אפשר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/אפשרי-ניתן-#.m4a” /], a multipurpose word meaning can I/you, I/you can, may I? you may, etc. Its plain meaning is possible, but a more useful way of saying possible is אפשרי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/אפשרי-ניתן-#.m4a” /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/אפשרי-ניתן-#.m4a” /]כן, זה אפשרי!
Yes, it’s possible!
Now, אפשרי is a perfectly good word for everyday speech as well as more official talk. But a higher-level word that is used only in more official contexts is ניתן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/אפשרי-ניתן-#.m4a” /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/אפשרי-ניתן-#.m4a” /]לא ניתן להשלים את השיחה כפי שחויגה.
It’s not possible to complete the call as dialed.
ניתן means literally given: something possible is prone or given to taking place.
