how to say “temporary” in Hebrew

 

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זְמַנִּי

 

 

 

 
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The English word temporary comes from the Latin word tempus, meaning time or season.
 
Likewise, the Hebrew word for temporary – זְמַנִּי  listen and repeat – comes from the word for time and, in late Biblical Hebrew, season – זְמַן  listen and repeat:
 
לַכֹּל זְמָן וְעֵת לְכָל חֵפֶץ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם.
To everything there is a season and there is a time for every matter under the sun.
(קֹהֶלֶת ג,א – Ecclesiastes 3:1)
 
 
 
Here’s an example of זמני:
 
סֻכָּה הִיא בַּיִת זְמַנִּי.
A Sukkah is a temporary home.
 
זמני is temporary when referring to something masculine. Here’s an example in the feminine:
הוּא נִמְצָא בְּצָרְפַת בִּשְׁהִיָּה זְמַנִּית וְאָמוּר לַחְזוֹר בְּקָרוֹב.
He is in France for a short stay and is supposed to return soon.
 
by Ami Steinberger Founder and Director, Ulpan La-Inyan
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