how to say “to improve and maintain” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-1.m4a” /]לְשַׁפֵּר וּלְשַׁמֵּר
The Aramaic word for beauty is שופרא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-2.m4a” /], of the root ש.פ.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-3.m4a” /]. Hebrew uses this root as well – especially Modern Hebrew, where the active-intensive verb לשפר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-4.m4a” /] means to improve something – to make something more beautiful, better.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-5.m4a” /]אתם צריכים לשפר את המשחק שלכם.
You guys need to improve your game.
We’ve seen that the root ש.מ.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-6.m4a” /] means guard/keep. Plugged into this same verb form, we get the word to maintain or to preserve – לשמר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-7.m4a” /].
Thus when a team – athletic or otherwise – does a debriefing, they might discuss:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לשפר-ולשמר-8.m4a” /]מה צריך לשפר ומה צריך לשמר?
What do (we) need to improve, and what should (we) maintain?
