how to say “wealth” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-1.m4a” /]עֹשֶׁר
Yesterday, we saw the word for poverty – עוני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-2.m4a” /], while a poor man is עני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-3.m4a” /].
On the flip side, the word for wealth is עושר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-1.m4a” /], and a rich man is עשיר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-4.m4a” /] (a rich woman is עשירה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-5.m4a” /]).
A similar-sounding word is אושר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-1.m4a” /] – contentment or happiness. Most Modern-Hebrew speakers pronounce the sounds of ע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-6.m4a” /] and א[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-7.m4a” /] the same way, so that the only way to distinguish עושר and אושר is from context, or from a printed text.
For example:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-8.m4a” /]אנחנו מאחלים לך עושר ואושר.
We wish you (a female) wealth and happiness.
Like עוני, the word עושר has many synonyms, for example שפע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-9.m4a” /] – abundance, אמידות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-10.m4a” /] – prosperity, and הון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עושר-11.m4a” /] – fortune.
