how do you say “I need a favor” in Hebrew?
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/טובה-1.m4a” /]אֲנִי צָרִיךְ מִמְּךָ טוֹבָה
The Hebrew word for favor is טובה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/טובה-2.m4a” /] – literally, a good. This Biblical-Hebrew word is the original good deed, before מצווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/טובה-3.m4a” /] – mitzvah usurped that title. (For the record, מצווה means literally commandment, not good deed.)
For example, a man needing to borrow money might say to his friend:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/טובה-4.m4a” /]אני צריך ממך טובה.
I need a favor from you.
And a woman might say to her female friend:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/טובה-5.m4a” /]אני צריכה לבקש ממך טובה.
I need to ask of you a favor.