כשרון You probably know the Hebrew word for Kosher – כָּשֵׁר (kah-SHEHR). Literally, the word means prepared. The root כ.ש.ר (k.sh.r) is also used to imply that someone is naturally prepared for some task; that the person has talent or a knack for it. The word for talent or knack is כִּשָּׁרוֹן (kee-shah-ROHN). To say that a person…
השקה Perhaps you know the Hebrew word for a kiss – נְשִׁיקָה (ne-shee-KAH). To cause something to kiss – such as making a new boat “kiss” the water for the first time, or launching it – is לְהַשִּׁיק (le-hah-SHEEK). Likewise, the act of launching a new boat, product or service is הַשָּׁקָה (hah-shah-KAH). Launching our…
הצעה To suggest is לְהַצִּיע (le-hah-TSEE-ah). A suggestion is a הַצָּעָה (hah-tsah-AH). For example, אֲנִי פָּתוּחַ לְהַצָּעוֹת לְתָכְנִית הָרַדִיוֹ שֶׁלִּי (ah-NEE pah-TOO-ahkh le-hah-tsah-OHT le-tohkh-NEET hah-RAH-dee-yoh sheh-LEE) – I’m open to suggestions for my radio program. Yes, if you’ve got a piece of Israeli music that you always wished you understood – the words, the…
להרחיב If you’ve had some Hebrew education, chances are you know the Modern Hebrew word for street – רְחוֹב (re-KHOHV). The word comes from the root ר.ח.ב (r.kh.b), which is the concept of width. To expand something is לְהַרְחִיב (le-hahr-KHEEV). Likewise, the act of expanding or an expansion is הַרְחָבָה (hahr-khah-VAH). For example, אֻלְפָּן לָעִנְיָן מַרְחִיב…
להתחשב The Hebrew root ח.ש.ב (kh.sh.b) has the core meaning of thinking. It generates ancient words such as חוֹשֵׁב (khoh-SHEV) – thinking, thinker, architect… as well as contemporary words such as מַחְשֵׁב (mahkh-SHEV) – computer, and חַשָּׁב (khah-SHAV) – accountant (synonym for רואה חשבון, which we had the other week). Another use of the…
דמיון You might know how to say He looks like his father in Hebrew – הוּא דּוֹמֶה לְאַבָּא שֶׁלּו (hoo doh-MEH le-AH-bah sheh-LOH). The root of the word דומה is ד.מ.ה (d.m.h), which carries the concept of likeness or similarity. The English word imagination comes from the word image, which is a likeness. Likewise, the Hebrew word…
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ספל I tend to write a lot about verbs and adjectives, but once in a while a noun intrigues me. I just had a nice cup of tea. Hebrew’s equivalent of the English mug (not to mug, but a mug) is סֵפֶל (SEH-fel). This is what Ulpan La-Inyan students get when they…
ספל I tend to write a lot about verbs and adjectives, but once in a while a noun intrigues me. I just had a nice cup of tea. Hebrew’s equivalent of the English mug (not to mug, but a mug) is סֵפֶל (SEH-fel). This is what Ulpan La-Inyan students get when they…
להתגלח, לגלח Tonight I visited my סַבְתָּא (SAHV-tah) – grandmother – in Tel Aviv. She asked me whether I shave every day, to which I replied in the negative. So, in Hebrew, there’s to shave, and to shave something. To shave – that is, without an object – is לְהִתְגַּלֵּח (le-heet-gah-LEH-ahkh). For example, אֲנִי לֹא…
קריין, מספר A narrator is someone who reads or calls out a storyline. To read or to call out, in Hebrew, is לִקְרוֹא (leek-ROH). Likewise, to tell a story is לְסַפֵּר (le-sah-PEHR). A narrator or an announcer (such as on the radio) is a קַרְיָן (kahr-YAHN) for a male, and a קַרְיָנִית (kahr-yah-NEET) for a female. By contrast, the narrator voice in…