how to say “an educated person” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-1.m4a” /]אָדָם מַשְׂכִּיל, אָדָם מְלֻמָּד
The Hebrew word חינוך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-2.m4a” /] means education when referring to non-collegiate learning, or to moral education such as that received at home. When talking about education as in higher education, the word is השכלה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-3.m4a” /], a noun form of the active-causative verb להשכיל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-4.m4a” /] – a higher-register word for to learn, to study and in certain contexts, to succeed.
The root of השכלה and להשכיל can be found in the word שכל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-5.m4a” /] – intellect or, more colloquially, a good head:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-6.m4a” /]לבחורה הזאת יש שכל.
That young woman as a good head.
Thus an educated person is often called אדם משכיל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-7.m4a” /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-8.m4a” /]סבא היה אדם משכיל – הוא קרא כל דבר.
Grandpa was an educated person – he read everything.
Another term for educated person is אדם מלומד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-9.m4a” /] – literally, a learned person. You’ll hear it used less in colloquial Hebrew than אדם משכיל, though you will hear it in more academic and literary circles and contexts. And though putting אדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-10.m4a” /] in front of any description works, you can also take it away to get gender-specific.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלומד-11.m4a” /]היא הייתה אישה מלומדת היטב.
She was a well-learned woman.
