תַּחֲזִית Hear this word pronounced If you’ve listened at all to Israeli radio, you’ve certainly heard the announcers utter the words הַתַּחֲזִית, מִיָּד (tah-khah-ZEET mee-YAHD) – The forecast, right away. The word תחזית comes from the root ח.ז.ה (kh.z.h), a root close in meaning to ר.א.ה (r.a.h), seeing. A forecast is that which is foreseen. The prophets…
לְהִתְחַרְפֵן Hear this word pronounced Here’s a useful slang word. לְהִתְחַרְפֵן (le-heet-khahr-FEN) means to freak out. For example, כְּשֶׁהִיא הִגִּיעָה לַמְּסִבָּה, הוּא הִתְחַרְפֵן (keh-sheh-hee hee-GHEE-ah lah-meh-see-BAH, hoo heet-khahr-FEN) – When she arrived at the party, he freaked out. According to וִיקִימִלּוֹן (vee-kee-mee-LOHN) – Wiktionary in Hebrew, this word comes from the Arabic root خ.ر.ف (kh.r.f), meaning confused or senile. להתחרפן…
לִשְׁכּוֹן Hear this word pronounced This is one is for Mr. and Mrs. Worms. If you’ve got some Hebrew, you likely know how to say “He lives in… (Israel, Los Angeles, Argentina, etc…)” – הוּא גָּר בְּ… (hoo gahr beh…). The word לָגוּר (lah-GOOR) means to reside, in colloquial Hebrew. There is also a more…
לְהַסְפִּיק Hear this word pronounced We’ve had סַפָּק (sah-PAHK) – supplier/provider. We’ve had סִפּוּק (see-POOK) – satisfaction. We’ve had לְהִסְתַּפֵּק (leh-hees-tah-PEK) – to make do with what is. Today we’ve got one word more from this versatile Hebrew root: לְהַסְפִּיק (leh-hahs-PEEK). The two most common meanings are to suffice and to get succeed in doing something…
לְהִסְתַּפֵּק Hear this word pronounced Over the past couple of days we’ve seen words from the root ס.פ.ק (s.p.k), meaning, enough or satisfaction. Today’s word doesn’t have a literal translation in English. It means, roughly, to have enough or to make due. The word is the התפעל (heet-pah-EL) form of the root, namely, לְהִסְתַּפֵּק (leh-hees-tah-PEK). A well-known saying…
סִפּוּק Hear this word pronounced Yesterday we had the word for supplier or provider, סַפָּק (sah-PAHK). The “ah-AH” vowel scheme of that word is common among professional terms. For example, a carpenter is a נַגָּר (nah-GAHR), one of the words for a butcher is קַצָּב (kah-TSAHV), etc. סַפָּק derives from the פיעל (pee-EHL) verb to provide or to satisfy – לְסַפֵּק…
סַפָּק, סַפָּקִית Hear these words pronounced If you have spent some time in Israel, you likely have come across one of the ways of saying “enough” – מַסְפִּיק (mahs-PEEK). The root of this word is ס.פ.ק (s.p.k). Someone who supplies a product or provides a service fulfills a need or want, so that the recipient can…
מְנַצֵּחַ-מְנַצֵּחַ Hear this phrase pronounced A win-win situation is one in which both (or all parties) involved come out winners. One of the words in Hebrew for to win is לְנַצֵּח (leh-nah-TSEH-ahkh). It’s a פיעל (pee-EHL) verb coming from the root נ.צ.ח (n.ts.kh) meaning eternity. I suppose there’s a feeling of everlasting that accompanies a win……
מְלָאכָה Hear this word pronounced Cyclone in Australia, earthquake in New Zealand, genocide in Libya, rockets on בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע (beh-EHR SHEH-vah) – Beer Sheba… Here’s another song by Ehud Banai about what happens after the storm – that, as is human nature and for good reason, people go back about their business. But the ones who never…
הַעֲרָכָה Hear this word pronounced This one is for Rolene at AACI. Perhaps you know the Hebrew word for value – עֶרֶך (EH-rekh). To value something or someone – or to appreciate – is לְהַעֲרִיך (leh-hah-ah-REEKH). It’s a הפעיל (heef-EEL) verb. Likewise, הַעֲרָכָה (hah-ah-rah-KHAH) is appreciation. Your chance to get talking in Hebrew starts this Sunday. Our state-of-the-art conversational Hebrew courses begin…
גּוֹרָלִי Hear this word pronounced Check out Ulpan La-Inyan demo classes – tonight in Raanana, tomorrow in Jerusalem! In the Book of Esther, the Jewish-Persian queen is faced with a fateful decision: either risk her life by attempting to persuade the king to spare the Jewish people, or sit “pretty” in the palace while her people…