Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ענק-#.m4a” /]עֲנָק The word ענק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ענק-#.m4a” /] refers to a giant person: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ענק-#.m4a” /]האם באמת מצאו שלד של ענק? Did they really find a skeleton of a giant? Israelis also use it as an expression of enthusiasm and great approval: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ענק-#.m4a” /]הוא סיים קורס טייס? ענק! He finished the pilots’ course? Amazing! (Giant!)…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/שלד-#.m4a” /]שֶׁלֶד Here’s one of those words that’s not super useful but you might well run into at some point: שלד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/שלד-#.m4a” /] – skeleton. Here it is in a possible conversation: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/שלד-#.m4a” /]אתה לא אוכל כלום – אתה נראה כמו שלד! You (a male) don’t eat anything – you look like a skeleton!…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/כלום-#.m4a” /]כְּלוּם, שׁוּם דָּבָר Modern Hebrew has two ways to say nothing in Hebrew: כלום[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/כלום-#.m4a” /] and שום דבר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/כלום-#.m4a” /]. Biblical Hebrew has a third: מאומה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/כלום-#.m4a” /]. Like אף אחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/כלום-#.m4a” /], the words כלום and שום דבר take לא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/כלום-#.m4a” /] in a sentence: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/כלום-#.m4a” /]אף אחד לא יודע כלום…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/אף-אחד-#.m4a” /]אַף אֶחָד The Hebrew expression for no one or nobody is אף אחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/אף-אחד-#.m4a” /]. In sentences, it’s used with לא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/אף-אחד-#.m4a” /], for example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/אף-אחד-#.m4a” /]אף אחד לא יודע על זה, אל תגלי. Nobody knows about this, don’t tell. (spoken to a female) People tend to think that אף אחד לא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/אף-אחד-#.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לגלות-#.m4a” /]לְגַלּוֹת לגלות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לגלות-#.m4a” /] means to reveal: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לגלות-#.m4a” /]אל תגלה לה את הסוד. Don’t tell her (reveal to her) the secret. (spoken to a male) It also means to discover: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לגלות-#.m4a” /]קולומבוס גילה את אמריקה? Columbus discovered America? לגלות comes from the root ג.ל.ה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/לגלות-#.m4a” /] and is a פיעל verb. Likewise, a revelation or discovery…

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/להדביק-#.m4a” /]לְהַדְבִּיק Yesterday we saw the word for glue – דבק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להדביק-#.m4a” /]. The three letters of דבק form a root that finds application in other words as well, including the הפעיל verb להדביק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להדביק-#.m4a” /] – to stick. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להדביק-#.m4a” /]תעשי לי טובה, תדביקי את המודעה הזאת על הלוח. Do me a favor,…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/דבק-#.m4a” /]דֶּבֶק The root ד.ב.ק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/דבק-#.m4a” /] in Biblical Hebrew refers to clinging, cleaving, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/דבק-#.m4a” /]“ודבק באשתו והיו לבשר אחד.” (בראשית ב’, כ”ד) “And he shall cleave to his wife and they shall be as one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) We use this root today to form the word that refers to something adhesive or…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /]קְבוּצָה In Biblical Hebrew, קבוצה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /] referred to a group of objects gathered together: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /]“קְבֻצַת כֶּסֶף וּנְחֹשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל וְעוֹפֶרֶת…” (יחזקאל כ”ב, כ’) “A grouping of silver and bronze and iron and lead…” (Ezekiel 22:20) But in Modern Hebrew, קבוצה usually refers to a group of people: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/קבוצה-#.m4a” /]הקבוצה הזאת נפגשת פעם בשבועיים. This…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להיפגש-#.m4a” /]לִפְגּוֹשׁ, לְהִפָּגֵשׁ Hebrew has two words for to meet: לפגוש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להיפגש-#.m4a” /] and להיפגש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להיפגש-#.m4a” /]. While לפגוש is to meet someone or something, להיפגש is to meet with someone. לפגוש take a form of את[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להיפגש-#.m4a” /] after it, while להיפגש would take a form of עם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/להיפגש-#.m4a” /]. And לפגוש is often more abrupt, often given…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/טוב-בסדר-#.m4a” /]אוֹקֵי, בְּסֵדֶר, טוֹב By using the word okay people might segue into a new piece of a conversation. They might also express that they agree with or accept something, sometimes reluctantly. Hebrew has three words for this, including simply אוקיי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/טוב-בסדר-#.m4a” /]: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/טוב-בסדר-#.m4a” /]אוקיי, אז אמלא את כל ארבעת הטפסים… Okay, so I’ll…