גביע העולם The international term for this event that is capturing the world’s attention is Mundial. The Hebrew word for world is עוֹלָם (oh-LAHM), and the word for cup, or more specifically, goblet, is גָּבִיע (gah-VEE-ah). This is also the term for kiddush cup or becher in Yiddish. So the Hebrew term for the World…
Ulpan La-Inyan midsummer classes We’ve got a midsummer session of our fun, relaxed and highly-effective conversational Hebrew classes, starting on July 25 and running through September 2. We’re offering a variety of levels at the AACI in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as an intensive form of our Level 3…
להתיצב There are a few Hebrew verbs that can mean to show up. One is לְהוֹפִיע (le-hoh-FEE-ah), or literally, to appear. You’d use that one in the context of she showed up at the party – הִיא הוֹפִיעָה בַּמְּסִיבָּה (hee hoh-FEE-ah bah-meh-see-BAH). Another sense of “showing up” is he showed up at the (army)…
מין, סוג Are you liking your Free Daily Dose of Hebrew? PASS IT ON! This entry is delivered at the request of all-star Ulpan La-Inyan faithful, Ruti. So there are (at least) two words for “type” or “kind” in Hebrew: מִין (meen) and סוּג (soog). What’s the difference? When should one…
שקוף Today I was on the phone when all of a sudden a quite powerful gust of wind came and slammed my office/bedroom door shut and shattering all the glass, yielding this: The spots on the door are not stains; rather, they are specs of dust on my phone camera’s lens, which I…
חום Help us get the Hebrew word out there! Forward this to a friend or two! Yes, single Hebrew word above means all three of those things in English: heat, fever and warmth. The word is חוֹם (hohm) – not to be confused with the color brown – חוּם (hoom). Here are two Hebrew…
יום האב I dedicate today’s dose to my father, the man who taught me the language I now give over to you. Why? Because today (Sunday) is Father’s Day, at least in the States (in case you forgot like I almost did :). אַבָּא (AH-bah) is usually one of the first words uttered by…
להאמין I think I’ve already done this word a while ago, but after a wonderful Shabbat that was wonderful as a result of certain acts of אמונה (see below for Hebrew explanation) on my part, I feel it’s nice to reprise. I believe that אֶמוּנָה (eh-moo-NAH) is important for a happy, healthy life….
הפגנה To my Level-5-ers – you’ve already had this lesson. Consider it review :). The Hebrew word for demonstration – political or otherwise – is הַפְגָּנָה (hahf-gah-NAH). To demonstrate or to display is לְהַפְגִּין (le-hahf-GHEEN). For example, הוּא מַפְגִּין עִנְיָן בַּלִּמּוּדִים (hoo mahf-GHEEN een-YAHN bah-lee-moo-DEEM) – he displays interest in (his/the) studies. Today there…
רשות The word for Authority, as in the Palestinian Authority, is רָשׁוּת (rah-SHOOT). The Palestinian Authority is הָרָשׁוּת הַפַלֶסְטִינִית (hah-fah-less-TEE-neet). I use an f instead of a p because Arabic speakers don’t have the p sound – so that when they pronounce this Latin word, Palestine, you’ll often hear either Falestine or Balestine. The plural is…
דייט, וכו. My Level 5 class at AACI Jerusalem is composed partly of some self-proclaimed yentes – people (usually ladies) who like to talk a lot. So the word for date (as in a non-platonic meeting between two people) came up. My students were surprised that the word for date in Hebrew is none other than…