להפרד This one’s for Eva – thanks for the request! Most people who have even the most rudimentary familiarity with Hebrew know that שָׁלוֹם (shah-LOHM) means both hello and goodbye (and, literally, peace). But to say goodbye, as in to part ways with someone – is a substantially different expression in Hebrew. The word is…
שטיח The Hebrew word for carpet or rug is שָׁטִיח (shah-TEE-ahkh). It’s related to the word for area – שֶׁטַח (SHEH-tahkh), as a שטיח is something that covers a particular שטח. Similarly, to prostrate oneself or to sprawl out – for example, over the grave of a righteous person, as many are wont to do – is לְהִשְׁתַּטֵּח (le-heesh-tah-TEH-ahkh)….
זכיתי… This one’s for my dear Mom. Mom asked me how to say honor as in It’s been an honor to have met you. I started brainstorming out loud, saying something with the word כָּבוֹד (kah-VOHD), which means honor and respect. So Mom said, “no, that’s a literal translation.” She was right – what’s needed is…
תסריט You may know the word for movie or film – סֶרֶט (SEH-ret). The word works both for cinematic creations as well as a ribbon, which is a kind of a film. The word for screenplay is תַּסְרִיט (tahs-REET). Note the three-letter root embedded in the word – ס.ר.ט. This structure – with a ת…
פקק Onomatopoeia exists in every language, most likely. It’s those words that sound like the sound they make. For example birds chirp – and a chirp makes a chirping sound. Ducks quack, tight air whizzes by, etc. Hebrew is no exception. The Hebrew word for a plug or a cork – that which makes the pkak sound…
שבע If you’re familiar with the Jewish blessing following a meal involving bread, you almost certainly know the phrase (Biblical verse) וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָׂבַעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ (ve-ah-khahl-TAH ve-sah-VAH-tah oo-veh-rahkh-TAH…) – and you shall eat and be sated, and you shall bless (G-d)… To say I’m full, as in I’ve eaten enough, is אֲנִי שָׂבֵע (ah-NEE…
לחגוג The Arabic word for pilgrimage is حج (hahj). The Hebrew word for holiday – particularly that which involves a pilgrimage to Jerusalem (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) – is חַג (hahg). Arabic and Hebrew are very closely related languages. You can see the common concept in these two nearly-identical words. At some point, they split off,…
נתיב This one’s for Tehillah. You too can request a word by filling out this simple form. The Hebrew word for a lane on a road is נָתִיב (nah-TEEV). The Ayalon Highway is called נְתִיבֵי הָאַיָּלוֹן (neh-tee-VEH-ee hah-ah-yah-LOHN) in Hebrew – the “Ayalon Lanes”. A synonym for נתיב, also used, is מַסְלוּל (mahs-LOOL). …
לטוס I’m about to board a flight to LA at Ben Gurion airport. It’s my dad’s 60th birthday coming up, so I decided at the last minute to try to book a free ticket with mileage (even the paid ones aren’t too bad this season). Who knew? Lo and behold, less than a week before the flight,…
להתעדכן Israelis all around the world love to stay up to date with what’s going on in the holy land. I imagine many Jews, regardless of whether they carry Israeli citizenship, love to do the same. Ulpan La-Inyan’s Level 5 class allows you to do so with the Israeli radio broadcast, as students…
ערכים Ulpan La-Inyan’s Level 4 is the “upgrade” course – where students’ conversation abilities get upgraded from day-to-day to something they could use to make not-so-small talk at cocktail parties… or begin to participate in discussions in the university classroom. The central theme of the course is עֲרָכִים (ah-rah-KHEEM) – values. Our next…