how to say “failure” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-1.m4a” /]כֶּשֶׁל, כִּשָּׁלוֹן
Hebrew has one word for to fail – the nifal verb להיכשל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-2.m4a” /].
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-3.m4a” /]הוא נכשל במבחן.
He failed (in) the test.
A failure, however, has more than one word: while כשל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-4.m4a” /] refers to a failure as in a lapse or simply a fail, such as a כשל מכני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-5.m4a” /] – a mechanical failure, כישלון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-6.m4a” /] refers to failure in the more general sense.
To illustrate:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-7.m4a” /]הנשיא לא יסבול כשל נוסף באבטחת שדה התעופה.
The president won’t tolerate another failure/lapse in airport security.
כישלון is a longer word with a more dramatic tone:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-8.m4a” /]לא נעים להרגיש תחושה של כישלון.
It’s not pleasant to feel a sense of failure.
While כשלים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-9.m4a” /], the plural of כשל, has a clearly masculine ending, כישלונות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-10.m4a” /], the plural of כישלון, has a feminine ending. Nevertheless, כישלונות are masculine.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כשל-11.m4a” /]כישלונות הם צעד חשוב לקראת הצלחה אמיתית.
Failures are an important step toward true success.
