how to say “to lose” in Hebrew
לְאַבֵּד, לְהַפְסִיד
In most cases, English is the one with more words for a single idea. Sometimes, however, Hebrew is.
One example is to lose, where Hebrew has two words:
לְאַבֵּד , an active-intensive verb, refers to losing a person or an object, where something that was visible is no longer there.
, an active-intensive verb, refers to losing a person or an object, where something that was visible is no longer there.For example:
אֵיפֹה אִבַּדְתְּ אֶת הָאַרְנָק שֶׁלָּךְ?
Where did you (a female) lose your wallet?
לְהַפְסִיד , an active-causative verb, refers to losing something intangible, such as a game or non-cash money.
, an active-causative verb, refers to losing something intangible, such as a game or non-cash money.For example:
הוּא הִפְסִיד הַרְבֵּה כֶּסֶף בַּבּוּרְסָה.
He lost a lot of money in the stock market.
להפסיד can also mean to miss something, as does another (active-intensive) colloquial verb, לְפַסְפֵס :
:אוֹי לֹא, פִסְפַסְתִּי אֶת הַטִּיסָה!
Oh no, I missed my (the) flight!
