how to say “substitute teacher” in Hebrew

מוֹרֶה מַחְלִיף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מורה-מחליף-1.mp3″ /]

Some of our students believe that our teachers are so good that they have superhuman powers. But the truth is that even these teachers get sick on occasion or otherwise need a substitute for a lesson or two.

The Hebrew term for substitute teacher is מוֹרֶה מַחְלִיף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מורה-מחליף-1.mp3″ /] – literally, a teacher who substitutes – when referring to a male, and מוֹרָה מַחְלִיפָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מורה-מחליף-2.mp3″ /] when referring to a female.

When the context is understood, the term can be shortened in English to substitute and in Hebrew to מחליף or מחליפה. For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מורה-מחליף-3.mp3″ /]הוּא הִתְקַשֵּׁר אֵלַי עַל הַבֹּקֶר וְאָמַר שֶׁהוּא צָרִיךְ מַחְלִיף לְהַיּוֹם.

He called me first thing in the morning and told me that he needs a substitute for today.

מחליף comes from the active-causative verb לְהַחְלִיף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מורה-מחליף-4.mp3″ /], which you read more about here.