how to say “to serve as” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/לכהן-#.m4a” /]לְכַהֵן
Chances are you know someone whose last name is Cohen, or at least have seen a movie by the Coen Brothers like Raising Arizona or The Big Lebowski.
The name comes from the Hebrew word כהן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/לכהן-#.m4a” /], which means priest. And while priest has a clearly religious connotation, the notion of the priest serving something greater than himself extends beyond the sacred and into the Hebrew word for to serve as or to hold office – לכהן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/לכהן-#.m4a” /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/לכהן-#.m4a” /]היא עבדה שנים במשרד החוץ והיום היא מכהנת בתפקיד השרה.
She worked for years at the Foreign Ministry, and today she serves in the role of minister.
לכהן is a פיעל verb.
