Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עולם-כמנהגו-נוהג-1.m4a” /]עוֹלָם כְּמִנְהָגוֹ נוֹהֵג A literal translation of the world keeps on turning is העולם ממשיך להסתובב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עולם-כמנהגו-נוהג-2.m4a” /]. But a more ancient expression not translated from English, appearing in the Talmud, is עולם כמנהגו נוהג[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עולם-כמנהגו-נוהג-1.m4a” /] – the world conducts itself as its custom. Broken down: עולם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עולם-כמנהגו-נוהג-3.m4a” /] – world -כ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עולם-כמנהגו-נוהג-4.m4a” /] – as מנהגו[audioclip…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מאותה-סיבה-1.m4a” /]מֵאֹתָהּ סִבָּה People think verbs in foreign languages are hard to learn, but mistranslations of words like at, to, from and with – prepositions – remain the most common errors when speaking a second language. For example, may I use your (a female’s) pen? in Hebrew is ?אפשר להשתמש בעט שלך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מאותה-סיבה-2.m4a” /] – literally, may (I) use with your…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ירק-1.m4a” /]יֶרֶק What are the primary colors? That’s subject to debate, but green – ירוק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ירק-2.m4a” /] – is generally considered one of them. In the feminine ירוק becomes ירוקה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ירק-3.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ירק-4.m4a” /]יש להם בית ירוק עם גינה ירוקה. They have a green house with a green garden. Green is the color…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כל-מיני-1.m4a” /]כָּל מִינֵי The word מין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כל-מיני-2.m4a” /] means kind or type, including a type of person or animal – sex or species also use the word מין. Kinds are מינים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כל-מיני-3.m4a” /], so kinds of are מיני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כל-מיני-4.m4a” /]. Thus all kinds is כל מיני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כל-מיני-1.m4a” /]. So if you ask a teenager: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/כל-מיני-5.m4a” /]מה למדת היום בבית הספר? What did…

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/לעלות-לירושלים-1.m4a” /]לַעֲלוֹת לִירוּשָׁלַיִם The simple word for to go by foot, in Hebrew, is ללכת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לעלות-לירושלים-2.m4a” /]. To go by vehicle is לנסוע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/לעלות-לירושלים-3.m4a” /]. But going to Jerusalem is a special affair, partly because it requires ascending a mountain, but also because it’s such a special place that it involves a personal ascent as well. Thus to go…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/איחוד-1.m4a” /]אִחוּד Looking at the word at hand today, איחוד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/איחוד-1.m4a” /], you may spot the word אחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/איחוד-2.m4a” /] – one. איחוד, unification, derives from the active-intensive verb לאחד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/איחוד-3.m4a” /] – to unite. Referring to the reunification of Jerusalem that took place 50 years ago in the wake of the Six Day War, Hebrew uses the term…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/בקבוקי-מים-1.m4a” /]בַּקְבּוּקֵי מַיִם Some Hebrew words are onomatopoeias – they’re named after the sound they make. One such word is בקבוק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/בקבוקי-מים-2.m4a” /]. Imagine pouring a lot of wine and you’ll understand what I mean. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/בקבוקי-מים-3.m4a” /]כשמטיילים, חשוב להביא בקבוק מים. When (you) hike, it’s important to take a bottle of water. Bottles…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/יהיה-כיף-1.m4a” /]יִהְיֶה כֵּיף A few months ago a video went viral in Israel, crossing all cultural, religious and political barriers. Sung by an Arab schoolteacher in Taibeh along with her young Hebrew-language learners, the words to the song featured in the video go: גשם, גשם מטפטף! [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/יהיה-כיף-2.m4a” /]גשם, גשם, איזה כיף! Rain, rain dripping! Rain, rain,…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מסע-1.m4a” /]מַסָּע If you’ve traveled anywhere in the world, you have probably met an Israeli traveling too. Israelis love to travel. The Hebrew word for to travel when on vacation is לטייל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מסע-2.m4a” /]. But the generic word for to travel is לנסוע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מסע-3.m4a” /]. And while in modern times לנסוע refers to travel by vehicle, in Biblical times it meant simply 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!