Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/סדרת-טלוויזיה-#.m4a” /]סִדְרַת טֵלֵוִיזְיָה While in English we talk about a TV show, in Hebrew we call it a TV series – סדרת טלוויזיה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/סדרת-טלוויזיה-#.m4a” /], or סדרה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/סדרת-טלוויזיה-#.m4a” /] for short. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/סדרת-טלוויזיה-#.m4a” /]היפים והאמיצים היא אחת הסדרות המוצלחות ביותר בהיסטוריה. The Bold and the Beautiful is one of the most successful shows in history. You…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/אמיץ-#.m4a” /]אַמִּיץ The Hebrew root א.מ.צ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/אמיץ-#.m4a” /] means strong, bold, alert. It appears such words as מאמץ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/אמיץ-#.m4a” /] – an effort and אמיץ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/אמיץ-#.m4a” /] – brave, when referring to a male. Brave referring to a female is אמיצה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/אמיץ-#.m4a” /], as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/אמיץ-#.m4a” /]היא בחורה אמיצה ביותר. She is a very brave young…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/שרירותי-#.m4a” /]שְׁרִירוּתִי The English word arbitrary could mean random or high-handed/authoritative (think about the legal process of arbitration). For the former, Israelis tend to use רנדומלי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/שרירותי-#.m4a” /] – random. But for the latter, the word is שרירותי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/שרירותי-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/שרירותי-#.m4a” /]הוא מקבל באופן קבוע החלטות שרירותיות. He makes arbitrary decisions on a regular basis….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/באופן-קבוע-#.m4a” /]בְּאֹפֶן קָבוּעַ Regular in the sense of everyday, in Hebrew, is רגיל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/באופן-קבוע-#.m4a” /]. This word comes from רגל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/באופן-קבוע-#.m4a” /] – foot, something that moves at a regular pace (despite their similarity, the English regular most likely did not derive from רגיל, nor vice-versa).  רגיל also means used to, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/באופן-קבוע-#.m4a” /]היא רגילה לקום כל בוקר…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/להטריח-#.m4a” /]לְהַטְרִיחַ If לטרוח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/להטריח-#.m4a” /] means to go to the trouble, להטריח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/להטריח-#.m4a” /] – a causative הפעיל verb using the same root – means to trouble someone else. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/להטריח-#.m4a” /]אני לא רוצה להטריח אותך, דוד, אבל אני צריך עזרה. I don’t want to trouble you, David, but I need help. Trouble – in the…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/לטרוח-#.m4a” /]לִטְרֹחַ לטרוח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/לטרוח-#.m4a” /], a simple verb, means to go to the trouble to do something. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/לטרוח-#.m4a” /]כבר הסתדרתי, אין צורך שתטרח להגיע. I’ve worked it out, no need for you to go to the trouble to come. But לטרוח can mean more than that. When used in certain contexts, it…