how to say “work shift” in Hebrew
מִשְׁמֶרֶת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/משמרת-1.mp3″ /]
The Hebrew word for a work shift is מִשְׁמֶרֶת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/משמרת-1.mp3″ /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/משמרת-2.mp3″ /]הִיא עוֹבֶדֶת בְּמִשְׁמָרוֹת לֹא קְבוּעוֹת.
She works in inconsistent (not fixed) shifts.
The root of משמרת is שׁ.מ.ר (sh.m.r) meaning to keep or to guard, so that משמרת originally referred to a shift of guarding something or someone. It still does today as well, as we find in the Israeli folk song for Rosh Hashanah:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/משמרת-3.mp3″ /]שָׁנָה טוֹבָה לְדוֹד גִּבּוֹר אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמִּשְׁמֶרֶת
Happy New Year (Good Year) to a brave uncle who is standing guard