Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/האותיות-הקטנות-1.m4a” /]הָאוֹתִיוֹת הַקְּטַנּוֹת Hebrew’s expression for the fine print – that important text in a contract that people often gloss over – is literally the small letters: האותיות הקטנות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/האותיות-הקטנות-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/האותיות-הקטנות-2.m4a” /]אל תחתום על ההסכם עד שקראת את האותיות הקטנות! Don’t sign the agreement until you’ve read the fine print! (spoken to…

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep.  Flashcards . Scatter . Gravity . Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/בית-זיקוק-1.m4a” /]בֵּית זִקּוּק The letters כ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/בית-זיקוק-2.m4a” /] and ק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/בית-זיקוק-3.m4a” /] sound alike in Modern Hebrew, when the כ is hard. In ancient times they sounded different, but similar. Sometimes meanings of roots and words are similar when in one root there’s a כ and in the other there’s a ק. One such…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/סכנה-1.m4a” /]סַכָּנָה If you’ve spent enough time around kids in Israel, you almost certainly know the word מסוכן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/סכנה-2.m4a” /] – dangerous, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/סכנה-3.m4a” /]אסור לחצות את הכביש בלי להסתכל – זה מסוכן! It’s not allowed to cross the street without looking – it’s dangerous!  A related word is the one for danger itself:…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/מתח-1.m4a” /]מֶתַח The word מתח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/מתח-1.m4a” /] means literally tension, while מתוח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/מתח-2.m4a” /] means tense. But it also means suspense, as in סרטי מתח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/מתח-3.m4a” /] – suspense films, as well as: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/מתח-4.m4a” /]אל תשאירו אותי במתח! Don’t leave me in suspense! מתח also has a meaning in physics – voltage.

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להשאיר-1.m4a” /]לְהַשְׁאִיר All the lights are on in the house, and you rush out to the supermarket, forgetting to turn off the lights. You might smack your forehead and say: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להשאיר-2.m4a” /]השארתי את כל האורות בבית דלוקים. I left all the lights on in the house. The word השארתי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להשאיר-3.m4a” /] – I left…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/דולק-1.m4a” /]הָאוֹר דּוֹלֵק (הָאוֹר דָּלוּק) How does blessing for lighting Hanukkah candles go? להדליק נר של חנוכה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/דולק-2.m4a” /]. להדליק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/דולק-3.m4a” /] means to light or to turn on. What about something that is already on? Hebrew has two words for this: דולק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/דולק-4.m4a” /] and דלוק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/דולק-5.m4a” /]. The first one, דולק, means literally is burning, while the second…

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep.  Flashcards . Scatter . Gravity . Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להישאר-1.m4a” /]לְהִשָּׁאֵר THe Hebrew word for to stay or to remain is להישאר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להישאר-1.m4a” /] – a nifal verb based on the root ש.א.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להישאר-2.m4a” /] meaning the rest. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להישאר-3.m4a” /]למה נשארת בגשם בלי מטרייה? Why did you (a male) stay in the rain without an umbrella? Now although you can…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מטרייה-1.m4a” /]מִטְרִיָּה The Hebrew word for umbrella, מטרייה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מטרייה-1.m4a” /], comes from the word מטר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מטרייה-2.m4a” /] meaning precipitation (also a fancy word for rain). For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מטרייה-3.m4a” /]אני מעדיף ללכת בגשם עם כובע, בלי מטרייה. I prefer walking in the rain with a hat, without an umbrella.

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעדיף-1.m4a” /]לְהַעֲדִיף The Hebrew word for to prefer is the active-causative להעדיף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעדיף-1.m4a” /]. It comes from the root ע.ד.פ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעדיף-2.m4a” /] meaning surplus: something we prefer has sort of a surplus in our minds over something else. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעדיף-3.m4a” /]מה את מעדיפה, מרק ירקות או מרק כתום? What do you prefer,…