how to say “have a good time!” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/בילוי-נעים-#.m4a” /]בִּלּוּי נָעִים Suppose your friends are all going out to see a movie… but you’ve got something better to do. You’d .probably wish them a good time, and then go about your business Here’s how to do so in Hebrew: בליוי נעים![audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/בילוי-נעים-#.m4a” /]. בילוי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/בילוי-נעים-#.m4a” /] is the noun form (gerund) of…

how to say “box” and “crate” in Hebrew

  אַרְגָּז listen to this word pronounced         On Friday I went to שׁוּק מַחֲנֶה יְהוּדָה – “The Shuk“ in Jerusalem (shouk mah-khah-NEH yeh-HOO-dah – pronunciation colloquial) – to buy some items in preparation for a Shabbat dinner I hosted for a couple of friends.     I was looking for some corn…

how to say “community” in Hebrew

עֵדָה, קְהִלָּה, קְהִלִּיָּה listen to these words pronounced     There are small communities and there are large communities. There are internet communities and there are multinational communities. Two Biblical Hebrew roots generate several Modern Hebrew words to cover all these bases: ק.ה.ל (k.h.l) and ע.ד.ה (a.d.h). The most common word for community refers to the…

how to say “smooth” and “slippery” in Hebrew

  חֲמַקְמַק, חֲלַקְלַק… listen to these words pronounced       I’m reading about the Mossad’s battle against the Black September terrorists in הַמּוֹסַד – The Mossad (hah-moh-SAHD), a book by Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal. I hear it’s been translated to English. A word used there to describe Mohamed Bodya, the Algerian fine-arts-aficionado/playboy behind…

What to say back (in Hebrew) to “I was just thinking of you…”

  חַיִים אֲרוּכִּים listen to this phrase pronounced       This one’s for my friend Zevik in Encino, California. I would give him a call and he’d say, יֵש לְךָ חַיִים אֲרוּכִּים – you (will) have a long life. This is the charm Israelis wish one another if they thus telepathically find one another…

Announcement

  Announcement (your word of the day follows)     This Thursday is the final day to register and receive 200 shekels off of Ulpan La-Inyan August-September classes. We’ve got our regular six-week courses as well as a few three-week intensives at a variety of levels, in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Efrat and Raanana.  Some testimonials…

another way of saying “it was nice to meet you” in Hebrew

  שָׂמַחְתִּי לְהַכִּיר listen to this phrase pronounced         If you know a bit of Hebrew, you’re almost certain to have used the phrase נָעִים מְאֹד – nice to meet you, or literally, very pleasant (nah-EEM meh-OHD). That’s what one normally says at the moment of introduction to someone new – let’s call her…

how to say “flyover” or “aerial demonstration” in Hebrew

  מַטָּס listen to this word pronounced         I just looked up the sister-entry to this one, turns out it’s been over a year! That took me by surprise…    I’m referring to my entry on the flotilla – מַשָּׁט (mah-SHAHT) that tried making its way to Gaza in June 2010.   Anyway,…