Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/עתיקות-#.m4a” /]עַתִּיקוֹת The Hebrew word עתיק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/עתיקות-#.m4a” /] means ancient, but it can also refer to an antique – though the word usually appears in the plural: עתיקות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/עתיקות-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/עתיקות-#.m4a” /]אל תגעו בעתיקות – הן שבירות! Don’t touch the antiques – they’re fragile! עתיק comes to Hebrew via Biblical Aramaic. Though the…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/שביר-#.m4a” /]שָׁבִיר The Hebrew word for to break is the simple verb לשבור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/שביר-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/שביר-#.m4a” /]אני לא שברתי את הקערה! I didn’t break the bowl! Something breakable – or fragile – is שביר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/שביר-#.m4a” /], a word of the same root as לשבור. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/שביר-#.m4a” /]ספלים מחרסינה הם שבירים ביותר. Porcelain…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/חרסינה-#.m4a” /]חַרְסִינָה The Hebrew word for ceramic or earthenware is חרס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/חרסינה-#.m4a” /]. But another material often confused with ceramic – porcelain – is חרסינה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/חרסינה-#.m4a” /]. For example, one might wonder: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/חרסינה-#.m4a” /]מה ההבדל בין חרס לחרסינה? What’s the difference between ceramic and porcelain? Turns out that the main difference is that חרסינה is less porous than חרס…

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] Review Material You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep.      To take full advantage of the review material, click on “Choose a study mode” in the bottom right corner of the box above. [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שבת שלום, וסוף…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/יוקר-המחיה-#.m4a” /]יֹקֶר הַמִּחְיָה The Hebrew expression for cost of living is יוקר המחיה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/יוקר-המחיה-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/יוקר-המחיה-#.m4a” /]מה יוקר המחיה הממוצע בארצות הברית? What is the average cost of living in the United States? The expression means literally, expensiveness of sustenance. You may recognize the word יקר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/יוקר-המחיה-#.m4a” /] – expensive or dear – in the word…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ממוצע-#.m4a” /]מְמֻצָּע The Hebrew word for average is ממוצע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ממוצע-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ממוצע-#.m4a” /]האדם הממוצע לא מבין בפיננסים. The average person isn’t much of an expert in finance. This word comes from the root מ.צ.ע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ממוצע-#.m4a” /] and is formed using the פועל verb structure.

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מבין-ב-#.m4a” /]אֲנִי לֹא מֵבִין בְּ… The Hebrew word for expert is מומחה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מבין-ב-#.m4a” /] for a male and מומחית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מבין-ב-#.m4a” /] for a female. But to say I’m not much of an expert in something in a more informal sense, Hebrew has a special expression: -אני לא מבינה ב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מבין-ב-#.m4a” /] if you’re a female, and…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ביוטכנולוגיה-#.m4a” /]בִּיוֹטֶכְנוֹלוֹגְיָה This dose is useful for two reasons: 1. you can get a sense of how Hebrew translates (or transliterates) international technical or scientific terms, and 2. you can practice recognizing such terms in Hebrew, which are often more difficult to read than proper Hebrew words. The Hebrew word for biotech or biotechnology is ביוטכנולוגיה[audioclip…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מכללה-#.m4a” /]מִכְלָלָה While the Hebrew word for university remains the transliteration אוניברסיטה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מכללה-#.m4a” /], the word for college is an authentic Hebrew one: מכללה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מכללה-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/מכללה-#.m4a” /]מכללת ספיר ממוקמת קרוב לעיר שדרות. Sapir College is located near the city Sderot. If you look closely at מכללה, you might spot its root: כ.ל.ל[audioclip…

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] Review Material You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep.      To take full advantage of the review material, click on “Choose a study mode” in the bottom right corner of the box above. [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שבת שלום, וסוף…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/מורה-פרטי-#.m4a” /]מוֹרֶה פְּרָטִי If you’ve been to a Hebrew class before, you probably know the word for teacher – מורֶה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/מורה-פרטי-#.m4a” /] if he’s a male and מורָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/מורה-פרטי-#.m4a” /] if she’s a female. Kids use המורָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/מורה-פרטי-#.m4a” /] and המורֶה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/מורה-פרטי-#.m4a” /] – literally, the teacher – to refer to their teacher, just like English speaking…