how to say “to wash the dishes” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? לִשְׁטוֹף כֵּלִים what another student has to say about Ulpan La-Inyan Those who study the דַּף יוֹמִי– the daily page (of Talmud) – probably came across the word לְהִשְׁתַּטֵּף today (they also know that the Talmud has very little to do with brainwash). In the Talmudic context, that word means to rinse oneself….

how to say “golden” and “silvery” in Hebrew

having trouble seeing the print? מֻזְהָב, מֻכְסָף What is Ulpan La-Inyan? If you know some Hebrew, you’re probably familiar with the words for gold and silver – זָהָבand כֶּסֶף, respectively. (כסף is also the standard word for money.) But you may not know what to call something made of gold or made of silver. These are מֻזְהָבand מֻכְסָף, respectively, when referring…

how to say many things about Purim… in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? פּוּרִים what one student has to say about Ulpan La-Inyan I’m postponing the weekly video to Sunday, Purim day. For now, here’s a bunch of Purim terms that will enhance your Purim experience, wherever you are in the world. Enjoy! שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, סוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים לְכֻלָּם… וּפוּרִים שָׂמֵחַ! Shabbat Shalom, a…

how to say “mysterious” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? מִסְתּוֹרִי What is Ulpan La-Inyan? Yesterday, we saw the Hebrew root ס.ת.ר (s.t.r) in action, in the word for to conceal – לְהַסְתִּיר. We saw that the Talmud connects the root ס.ת.ר with the name of the biblical heroine of the Purim story, אֶסְתֵּר – Esther. Another application of ס.ת.ר is in the…

how to say “to conceal” in Hebrew

having trouble seeing the print? לְהַסְתִּיר Interact with YDDH on Facebook! The Talmud connects the name of the Purim story’s heroine, אֶסְתֵּר – Esther – with the concept of concealment, the root of which is ס.ת.ר (s.t.r). Here’s a Wikipedia article containing various explanations for the name of אסתר. Deriving from the ס.ת.ר root, we have the verb לְהַסְתִּיר –…

how to say “betrayal” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? בְּגִידָה Interact with Your Daily Dose of Hebrew on Facebook! To betray is לִבְגּוֹד, in Hebrew. לבגוד is an active-simple פָּעַל verb, whose root is ב.ג.ד (b.g.d), the same as that for clothing. For example: הַבּוֹגְדִים בִּמְגִילַת אֶסְתֵּר the traitors in the Book of Esther   בְּגִידָה, פֵּרוּשָׁהּ הֲפָרַת אֵמוּן. Betrayal means…

how to say “frozen” in Hebrew

having trouble seeing the print? קָפוּא Interact with YDDH on Facebook! If you’re like me and like warm weather, raise your hand. The Hebrew word for frozen is קָפוּא. קפוא comes from the active-simple פָּעַל intransitive verb to freeze – לִקְפּוֹא. For example: הָאֲגָם קָפָא. The lake froze. and קָפָאתִי מִקּוֹר. I froze from (the) cold. Mind you, that’s to…

how to say “to raise” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? לְהַעֲלוֹת, לְהָרִים Hebrew courses in just a few days in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Rehovot A raise in (the) salary is a הַעֲלָאָה בַּמַּשְׂכּוֹרֶת. For the rest of the scoop on to raise, watch this week’s video:   Further build your Hebrew vocabulary with… with a special discount for YDDH enthusiasts like yourself

how to say “wild animals” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? חַיּוֹת בַּר Hebrew courses starting Sunday in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Rehovot My recent reading and watching of Life of Pi leaves me inspired to share with you a piece on the Hebrew expression for wild animals: חַיּוֹת בַּר. In Rabbinic literature, חַיָּה (coming from the word חָיmeaning living) refers specifically to a non-domesticated animal, while בְּהֵמָה refers to a…

how to say “officer” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? קָצִין Hebrew courses starting Sunday in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv I’m taking the day off to attend my cousin’s טֶקֶס סִיּוּם קוּרְס קְצִינִים – officers’ graduation ceremony. That phrase provides a great example of how language picks up from its environment as the generations go by. Here’s the phrase broken down etymologically, in reverse chronological…