Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/yo-#.m4a” /]סַע! לֵךְ! קָדִימָה! In English, to give someone a green light to do something, you might say go! or go ahead! In Hebrew, you’re likely to hear people saying !סע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/סע-#.m4a” /], which means literally travel! For example, the motto of one of Israeli’s shared car services (CityCar) is: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/סע-#.m4a” /]פשוט קח…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/פשוט-#.m4a” /]פָּשׁוּט Whereas in English it takes three (albeit short) words to say it’s just that…, Hebrew keeps it simple with one word: פשוט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/פשוט-#.m4a” /], which means, well simple or simply. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/פשוט-#.m4a” /]לא התכוונתי להתעלם ממך, פשוט הייתי נורא עסוק. I didn’t mean to ignore you (a female), it’s just that I…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להתעלם-#.m4a” /]לְהִתְעַלֵּם The Hebrew word for world is עולם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להתעלם-#.m4a” /], though the Biblical meaning is eternity. The root of עולם is ע.ל.מ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להתעלם-#.m4a” /] meaning concealment. So when ע.ל.מ gets plugged into the reflexive התפעל verb form, we get to ignore (to pretend that something is not there) – להתעלם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להתעלם-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להתעלם-#.m4a”…

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/2018/08/להדרים-#.m4a” /]לְהַדְרִים The Hebrew word for south is דרום[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להדרים-#.m4a” /]. Its ah vowel in the beginning gets shortened to a short eh or cut off entirely when דרום appears in an of relationship (construct state or סמיכות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להדרים-#.m4a” /]), as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/להדרים-#.m4a” /]הנגב נמצא בדרום הארץ. The Negev is in the south of Israel. To go south…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/יקב-#.m4a” /]יֶקֶב Referring in Biblical Hebrew to an element in the wine-making process, today יקב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/יקב-#.m4a” /] refers to the entire winery. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/יקב-#.m4a” /]תעשיית היין הישראלית חזקה מאוד – יש כאן יותר מ-300 יקבים. The Israeli wine industry is very strong – there are over 300 wineries here. In an of relationship…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/תעשיית-היין-#.m4a” /]תַּעֲשִׂיַּת הַיַּיִן Such a beloved item among people, it’s no surprise that the word for wine is similar in many languages. In Hebrew, it’s יין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/תעשיית-היין-#.m4a” /]. Here’s a Biblical example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/תעשיית-היין-#.m4a” /]ויין ישמח לבב אנוש. (תהלים ק”ד, ט”ו) And wine gladdens the human heart. (Psalms 104:15) The word for industry is תעשייה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/תעשיית-היין-#.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/לטעום-#.m4a” /]לִטְעוֹם The Hebrew word טעם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/לטעום-#.m4a” /] means taste or flavor. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/לטעום-#.m4a” /]יש לזה טעם של בוטנים. It has a flavor of peanuts. To taste is the simple verb לטעום[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/לטעום-#.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/לטעום-#.m4a” /]היא לומדת פיסול, והוא טועם יין. She studies sculpting, and he tastes wine.

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/פיסול-#.m4a” /]פִּסּוּל If you’ve read some of the Bible in Hebrew, you are almost certainly familiar with the word פסל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/פיסול-#.m4a” /] – graven image or statue. There, the simple פעל verb לפסול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/פיסול-#.m4a” /] means to chisel, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/פיסול-#.m4a” /]פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים (שמות ל”ד, א’) Chisel out two stone tablets like the…

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/2018/07/לעקוב-#.m4a” /]לַעֲקֹב If you’ve got a good eye for Hebrew roots and a familiarity with Biblical figures, you might spot the connection between the פעל verb לעקוב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לעקוב-#.m4a” /] – to follow, and יעקב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לעקוב-#.m4a” /] – Jacob, right away: the root ע.ק.ב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לעקוב-#.m4a” /] means heel, so that when we follow someone, we’re tracing their footsteps. לעקוב…