how to say “to dictate” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-1.m4a” /]לְהַכְתִּיב
Yesterday we saw a couple of words formed from the very useful Hebrew root כ.ת.ב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-2.m4a” /] meaning writing.
Another application of that root is להכתיב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-1.m4a” /] – to dictate.
להכתיב falls into the category of active-causative verbs. Generally speaking, these verbs take a basic act and add a causative quality to it. For example, the simple act to write – in Hebrew, the simple verb לכתוב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-3.m4a” /], becomes to dictate – or to cause someone to write – להכתיב. Another example is להאכיל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-4.m4a” /] – to feed someone else, a causative form of the simple verb for to eat, לאכול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-5.m4a” /]: to feed is cause someone to eat.
The word להכתיב in action:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-6.m4a” /]הסופרת העיוורת מכתיבה, ואני כותב.
The blind (female) author dictates, and I write.
and
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-7.m4a” /]אתה לא יכול להכתיב לו מה לעשות.
You (a male) can’t dictate to him what to do.
Though you might think so, the word for dictator is not מכתיב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-8.m4a” /], but rather רודן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-9.m4a” /] or דיקטטור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להכתיב-10.m4a” /].
