how to say “dialogue” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-1.m4a” /]דּוּ-שִׂיחַ, הִדָּבְרוּת, דִּיאָלוֹג

There’s dialogue in the literal sense of two people carrying a conversation. Then there’s dialogue in the more general sense, such as two nations engaging in a peace process.

Dialogue in the literal sense, in Hebrew is דו-שיח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-2.m4a” /], where שיח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-3.m4a” /] means conversation and -דו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-4.m4a” /] indicates the number two, that this conversation has two participants.

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-5.m4a” /]בעיתון היום מופיע דו-שיח מאוד מעניין.

A very interesting dialogue appears in today’s newspaper.

When referring to dialogue on a more official level, the word is הידברות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-6.m4a” /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-7.m4a” /]צריך לגרום להידברות בין שתי המחנות.

(We) should bring about dialogue between the two camps.

הידברות is the gerund form of the nifal verb להידבר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-9.m4a” /].

Now, those are proper Hebrew terms. There’s also דיאלוג[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דיאלוג-10.m4a” /], which could mean dialogue either in the literal sense or the more ceremonial one.