how to say “truth be told” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger August 11, 2022August 12, 2022

לְמַעַן הָאֱמֶת

If you’ve spent time in a synagogue or have participated in Jewish prayer, chances are you’ve heard the word אמת
– truth. People sometimes also answer a question with אמת instead of כן
(yes) or נכון
(correct), as in:

אתה גר בקטמון? – אמת.

You live in Katamon? – Yes (truth).

One expression for to tell you the truth – or truth be told – is למען האמת
. It means literally, for the sake of the truth.

For example:

למען האמת אני לא בטוח שאני רוצה לנסוע.

Truth be told, I’m not sure I want to go.

By the same token, I could use להגיד לך את האמת
– literally, to tell you the truth.

how to say “that was amazing” in Hebrew slang

ByAmi Steinberger August 4, 2020July 31, 2020

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/סוף-הדרך-#.m4a” /]סוֹף הַדֶּרֶךְ In English, when we call something the end of the road, we refer to something sad or tragic. While Hebrew does use סוף הדרך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/סוף-הדרך-#.m4a” /] – the end of the road – to refer to something’s sometimes-tragic end, in the right context it refers to something that was amazing. For example: [audioclip…

how do you say “transparent” in Hebrew?

ByAmi Steinberger June 22, 2010February 10, 2021

שקוף Today I was on the phone when all of a sudden a quite powerful gust of wind came and slammed my office/bedroom door shut and shattering all the glass, yielding this: The spots on the door are not stains; rather, they are specs of dust on my phone camera’s lens, which I…

תפוחים ותמרים – Apples and Dates

ByAmi Steinberger January 11, 2019November 15, 2020

Rami Kleinstein [yikes-mailchimp form="1" description="1" submit="Subscribe Free"] אם תלך אל השוק תראה אותה בוכה אישה יפה בין הפירות מוציאה עוד ממחטה הרוכלים לה צועקים מה קרה לך חמודה זה אהובי שלא רוצה הוא מצא לו נערה קחי לך תפוחים ותמרים המתיקי את יומך הוא לא שווה את הכאב שמתרוצץ אצלך בלב היא אוהבת את האיש...

daily video – how to say “stable” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger June 8, 2021June 7, 2021

To slow down the audio or to turn on captions (CC), start playing the video and then click the settings icon ⚙️. LEARNING TIPS Hebrew beginners Watch with English captions a few times, then with Hebrew captions, then without captions, and see what you understand. Intermediate learners Watch without captions, pausing to write down what...

how to say “to identify with” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger July 4, 2010November 5, 2018

להזדהות If you’ve made aliyah, you surely know the term for ID card – תְּעוּדַת זֶהוּת (teh-oo-DAHT zeh-HOOT). The root of זהות – identity – is ז.ה.ה (z.h.h). To identity with someone or something is לְהִזְדָּהוֹת (leh-heez-dah-HOHT). For example, הוּא מִזְדָּהֶה עִם הָעָם הַיְּהוּדִי (hoo meez-dah-HEH eem hah-AHM hah-yeh-hoo-DEE) – he identifies with the Jewish…

how to say “to give up” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger July 26, 2021November 14, 2024

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/להיכנע-#.m4a” /]לְהִיכָּנַע, לְוַותֵּר The Hebrew word for to give up is להיכנע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/להיכנע-#.m4a” /], a נפעל verb of the root כ.נ.ע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/להיכנע-#.m4a” /] meaning surrender. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/להיכנע-#.m4a” /]הוא לא נכנע ללחצים חברתיים. He doesn’t give in to social pressures. Another word sometimes used as to give up is the פיעל verb לוותר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/להיכנע-#.m4a” /], as in: [audioclip…

לְמַעַן הָאֱמֶת

If you’ve spent time in a synagogue or have participated in Jewish prayer, chances are you’ve heard the word אמת – truth. People sometimes also answer a question with אמת instead of כן (yes) or נכון (correct), as in: