לזרום This is one aspect of a request from Izzy. לִזְרוֹם (leez-ROHM) means, literally, to flow. For example, נָהָר הַיַּרְקוֹן זוֹרֵם בְּתֵל אָבִיב (nah-HAHR ha-yahr-KOHN zoh-REHM be-TEL ah-VEEV) – The Yarkon River flows in Tel Aviv. לזרום is also used colloquially to mean to go with the flow.
לפזר פרחים Tonight I attended a concert in Jerusalem by Shlomo Artzi. The show was great, and I even saw a couple Ulpan La-Inyan all-star students. In one of the songs (the one dedicated to Gilad Shalit), Shlomo sings, אֶת הַגֶּשֶׁם תֵּן רַק בְּעִתּו (et hah-GEH-shem ten rahk be-ee-TOH) – Just give the…
משקפת שחייה This one’s also a request. A few days ago I wrote about the word for swimming – שְׂחִיָּה (se-khee-YAH). You may know the word for glasses – מִשְׁקָפַיִם (meesh-kah-FAH-yeem). The root of the word is ש.ק.פ (sh.k.f), whose core meaning is clarity and transparency. A verb of that root is לְהַשְׁקִיף (le-hahsh-KEEF)…
שרב This one was requested by Ruti. If you would like to request a word to be featured on Ktzat Ivrit, please click. It’s still summer in Israel. The bike ride from my rented German Colony apartment to Yeshivat HaKotel in the Old City (where I deliver Ivrit La-Inyan classes) requires that I…
אתה צוחק עלי? The Hebrew word for to make fun is the same word for to laugh – לִצְחוֹק (leets-KHOHK). In the case of making fun, add the word עַל – so that your sentence sounds would be translated literally into English, laughing on someone. To ask someone (a male, in this example), Are you making fun of…
לשחות חתירה To swim, in Hebrew, is לִשְׂחוֹת (lees-KHOHT). The act of swimming is שְׂחִיָּה (skhee-YAH). To row or to paddle is לַחְתּוֹר (lahkh-TOHR). The act of rowing or paddling – or swimming the crawl (which resembles rowing in its movement) is חֲתִירָה (khah-tee-RAH). For example… אֲנִי אוֹהֵב לִשְׂחוֹת חֲתִירָה (ah-NEE oh-HEV lees-KHOT khah-tee-RAH) – I…
נתרן To conclude the nutrition series of Ktzat Ivrit, here’s the word for sodium: נַתְרָן (naht-RAHN). What is the etymology behind נתרן? I’ve got no clue. If you do, let me know!
שלוה The Modern Hebrew letter ו (vahv) make a v sound when pronounced by most native speakers. In Biblical times, however, the letter made a w sound. There are four Hebrew consonants pronounced, historically, at the lips: ב (b), מ (m), פ (p) and ו (w). Try it yourself. Linguists call these consonants bilabials. …
אופניים This one’s for Maurice – thanks for the request! I explained this to Caron’s Level 4 class last week, I believe, when I was substituting. The Hebrew word for bicycle is אוֹפַנַּים (oh-fah-NAH-yeem). Why? While Modern Hebrew (going on Medieval) renders a wheel a גַּלְגָּל (gahl-GAHL), the Biblical Hebrew word for…
כדורגל, פוטבול Someone asked me to feature football (if you’d like to have a word or phrase featured, visit our request page.) I don’t know whether s/he is referring to the game played in the World Cup or to that played with a pigskin in the States, so I’m going to feature both. …
הגיוני In English, to think is a general term, while to ponder, to contemplate, to surmise, etc. are related to thinking but are more specific. Hebrew works the same way, with לַחְשׁוֹב (lahkh-SHOHV) meaning to think, and other words denoting something more specific. For example, the Biblical and Modern Hebrew לַהֲגוֹת (lah-hah-GOHT) means to pronounce, but…