להעלות If you’re reading this blog, you’ve likely heard the word aliyah (עֲלִיָּה – ah-lee-YAH) before. The word refers to immigration to Israel, but means, literally, ascending. To cause something to ascend is to raise something. Hence the verb, לְהַעֲלוֹת (le-hah-ah-LOHT). For those of you who are biblically inclined, you may remember this word in the…
פיגוע This past Wednesday evening four Jews (civilians) were murdered by Arab terrorists near חֶבְרוֹן (khehv-ROHN) – Hebron. Modern Hebrew’s word for such an attack is פִּגּוּע (pee-GOO-ah). The word comes from the root פ.ג.ע., which bears the concept ofharm. May we hear of no such פיגועים anywhere in the world,…
על הבוקר I’m really tired. I’m about to go to sleep. I want to write about being tired, but I’ve already done that in prior entries. Instead, I’m going to take my roommate’s suggestion and write about the first thing in the morning. אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לָקוּם עַל הַבּוֹקֵר (ah-NEE tsah-REEKH lah-KOOM ahl hah-BOH-kehr)…
לזרום This is one aspect of a request from Izzy. לִזְרוֹם (leez-ROHM) means, literally, to flow. For example, נָהָר הַיַּרְקוֹן זוֹרֵם בְּתֵל אָבִיב (nah-HAHR ha-yahr-KOHN zoh-REHM be-TEL ah-VEEV) – The Yarkon River flows in Tel Aviv. לזרום is also used colloquially to mean to go with the flow.
לפזר פרחים Tonight I attended a concert in Jerusalem by Shlomo Artzi. The show was great, and I even saw a couple Ulpan La-Inyan all-star students. In one of the songs (the one dedicated to Gilad Shalit), Shlomo sings, אֶת הַגֶּשֶׁם תֵּן רַק בְּעִתּו (et hah-GEH-shem ten rahk be-ee-TOH) – Just give the…
משקפת שחייה This one’s also a request. A few days ago I wrote about the word for swimming – שְׂחִיָּה (se-khee-YAH). You may know the word for glasses – מִשְׁקָפַיִם (meesh-kah-FAH-yeem). The root of the word is ש.ק.פ (sh.k.f), whose core meaning is clarity and transparency. A verb of that root is לְהַשְׁקִיף (le-hahsh-KEEF)…
שרב This one was requested by Ruti. If you would like to request a word to be featured on Ktzat Ivrit, please click. It’s still summer in Israel. The bike ride from my rented German Colony apartment to Yeshivat HaKotel in the Old City (where I deliver Ivrit La-Inyan classes) requires that I…
אתה צוחק עלי? The Hebrew word for to make fun is the same word for to laugh – לִצְחוֹק (leets-KHOHK). In the case of making fun, add the word עַל – so that your sentence sounds would be translated literally into English, laughing on someone. To ask someone (a male, in this example), Are you making fun of…
לשחות חתירה To swim, in Hebrew, is לִשְׂחוֹת (lees-KHOHT). The act of swimming is שְׂחִיָּה (skhee-YAH). To row or to paddle is לַחְתּוֹר (lahkh-TOHR). The act of rowing or paddling – or swimming the crawl (which resembles rowing in its movement) is חֲתִירָה (khah-tee-RAH). For example… אֲנִי אוֹהֵב לִשְׂחוֹת חֲתִירָה (ah-NEE oh-HEV lees-KHOT khah-tee-RAH) – I…
נתרן To conclude the nutrition series of Ktzat Ivrit, here’s the word for sodium: נַתְרָן (naht-RAHN). What is the etymology behind נתרן? I’ve got no clue. If you do, let me know!
שלוה The Modern Hebrew letter ו (vahv) make a v sound when pronounced by most native speakers. In Biblical times, however, the letter made a w sound. There are four Hebrew consonants pronounced, historically, at the lips: ב (b), מ (m), פ (p) and ו (w). Try it yourself. Linguists call these consonants bilabials. …