כּוֹנְנוּת In spite of existential threat, life goes on in Israel. Of course, we prepare for whatever calamity may threaten us, including setting up an “iron dome” and an alarm system so that the residents of towns bombarded daily from Gaza have a safety plan. Likewise, the people living on the eastern seaboard of…
כְּרִיכָה In Egypt and Iran, the masses are demonstrating against Israel. At least one person in Tehran (the president), is vowing that the establishment of a Palestinian state will be the first step towards making the entire “Palestine” a Muslim state. As for the Jews inhabiting their native land… well, Ahmadinejad’s purported solution…
לְהִסְתַּבֵּךְ We’ve still got spots in our Late-summer conversational Hebrew courses starting in Tel Aviv and Raanana THIS SUNDAY, August 28 – check them out! Suppose someone you know gets in trouble with the tax authorities… or with her mother in law for saying something about her cooking… or with his wife…
מִסְתַּבֵּר Late-summer conversational Hebrew courses starting in Tel Aviv and Raanana THIS SUNDAY, August 28 – check them out! Suppose one summer afternoon you get all dressed up for a wedding, make your way to the bus station, board a coach poised for a drive of an hour and a half,…
אָנוֹנִימִי, אַלְמוֹנִי Late-summer conversational Hebrew courses starting in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Raanana THIS SUNDAY, August 28 – check them out! This one’s for my friend Benjy, who challenged me to introduce words that he might not yet know. The more commonly-used translation of anonymous is also the one borrowed from another language…
מַסְלוּל Late-summer conversational Hebrew courses starting in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Raanana THIS SUNDAY, August 28 – check them out! About a year ago I did an entry on how to say hiking trail in Hebrew. The word מַסְלוּל (mahss-LOOL) means, in its purest form, path. It comes from the…
דִּוּוּחַ When listening to breaking news, you’re likely to hear the word report tossed around a lot. The Hebrew word for to report, especially when reporting an incident, is לְדַוֵּח (leh–dah-VEH-ahkh). It’s an active-causative פיעל (pee-EL) verb. The logo of רשות השידור the IBA (Israel Broadcasting Authority) Thus a report – the noun form of לדווח…
רַכֶּבֶת קָלָה All kinds of less-than-pleasant things have been going in Israel over the past day or so. However, something refreshing has taken place as well: The Jerusalem Light Rail today started transporting passengers after nine years of building. The Hebrew word for train is רַכֶּבֶת (rah-KEH-vet), deriving from the same root as…
מֻשְׁלַם Late-summer conversational Hebrew courses starting in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Raanana August 28 – check them out! Nobody’s perfect. But the weather can be, as it’s been the past few days in Jerusalem. The Modern Hebrew word for perfect is מֻשְׁלַם (moosh-LAHM). It’s an adjective deriving from the passive-causative verb…
לְצַיֵּת When driving a car, it’s most important to obey traffic laws. In Hebrew, you the italicized text above is זֶה חָשוּב בְּיוֹתֵר לְצַיֵּת לְחֻקֵּי הַנְּהִיגָה (zeh khah-SHOOV beh-yoh-TEHR leh-tsah-YET leh-khoo-KEH-ee hah-neh-hee-GAH). The word for to obey is לציית, an active-intensive פיעל verb. A Hebrew learning tool I highly recommend:
אֲרוּחָה עִסְקִית Make this Hebrew phrase your own by listening to and repeating it. Intermediate-level conversational Hebrew course starting in Jerusalem end of August Level 3 intensive – 2:30-4:40pm Classes in other locations will be announced soon. The broader term for a business meal is אֲרוּחָה עִסְקִית (ah-roo-KHAH ees-KEET). This usually refers to the lunch special…