how to say “secular” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? חִלּוֹנִי, חִלּוֹנִית  listen and repeat highly recommended reference  for further vocabulary growth  In yesterday’s dose of Hebrew, we saw the root for profane or not sacred is ח.ל.ל (kh.l.l). This is the root of the Modern-Hebrew term referring to someone or something secular or non-religious – חִלּוֹנִי ( listen and repeat) in the masculine and חִלּוֹנִית ( listen and repeat) in the…

how to say “sand” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? חוֹל  listen and repeat     Last week, I wrote a post on the Hebrew term for mermaid and how that relates to the name of the Israeli coastal town, בַּת יָם ( listen and repeat) – Bat Yam.   Here’s a post about sand, which inspired the name for Bat Yam’s next-door neighbor town, חוֹלוֹן ( listen and…

how to say “witty” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? שָׁנוּן, שְׁנוּנָה  listen and repeat highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth   If you’re familiar with Jewish prayer in its original Hebrew, you probably know the phrase וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ ( listen and repeat) – and you shall teach them to your children. The root of ושננתם ( listen and repeat) is שׁ.נ.נ (sh.n.n) meaning learning by…

how to say “to badger” and “to dig” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? לַחְפּוֹר  listen and repeat highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth The Ancient- as well as Modern-Hebrew word for to dig is לַחְפּוֹר ( listen and repeat), of the root ח.פ.ר (kh.p.r) and the active-simple פָּעַל verb form. For example: יִצְחָק חָפַר בְּאֵרוֹת בַּנֶּגֶב. Isaac dug wells in the Negev (southern desert portion of Israel)….

how to say “I’ll know better” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? אֶהְיֶה יוֹתֵר חָכָם, אֶהְיֶה יוֹתֵר חֲכָמָה  listen “When will the videos be ready?” “I’ll know better once I manage to find all the right images.” In Hebrew, instead of saying I’ll know better, we say, אֶהְיֶה יוֹתֵר חָכָם when a male is speaking and אֶהְיֶה יוֹתֵר חֲכָמָה when a female is speaking. Broken…

how to say “mermaid” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? בַּת יָם, בְּתוּלַת יָם  listen highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth   There’s a city just south of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, nicely situated on the coast, called Bat Yam – in Hebrew, בַּת יָם ( listen and repeat). The name means literally, daughter of (the) sea. When those sitting in the local council gave…

how to say “baby” in Hebrew

תִּינוֹק, תִּינוֹקֶת  listen The Hebrew word for baby boy is תִּינוֹק ( listen and repeat), while the word for baby girl is תִּינוֹקֶת (listen and repeat). When speaking of multiple babies, it’s תִּינוֹקוֹת ( listen and repeat), regardless of gender. These words derive from the root י.נ.ק (y.n.k), which means nursing. They first appear in Mishnaic Hebrew. For example, I wish to…

how to say “worthwhile” in Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? כְּדַאי, כְּדָאִי, מִשְׁתַּלֵּם listen highly recommended  for further vocabulary growth   Hebrew has a few ways of saying worthwhile, depending on what you mean. To use worthwhile in a general sense, as one would say in English, it’s worth it, the word is כְּדַאי (listen and repeat). It’s not an adjective, but a modal verb, much like אֶפְשָׁר (listen and…