Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אין-מצב-1.m4a” /]אֵין סִכּוּי, אֵין מַצָּב The Hebrew word for chance as in “so you’re saying there’s a chance” is סיכוי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אין-מצב-2.m4a” /]. Thus Hebrew speakers do sometimes translate the expression not a chance to אין סיכוי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אין-מצב-3.m4a” /], as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אין-מצב-4.m4a” /]אין סיכוי שאני קופץ ממטוס. Not a chance that I’ll jump out of a plane….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מיסים-1.m4a” /]מִסִּים Welcome to 2017, a new tax year. Those of you who haven’t closed your browser get a pat on the back (I wish I could promise a tax break too). First appearing in the biblical Book of Kings, Hebrew word for tax is מס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מיסים-2.m4a” /]. Thus income tax is מס הכנסה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מיסים-3.m4a” /]. Taxes…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הפתעה-1.m4a” /]הַפְתָּעָה The Hebrew word for to surprise is להפתיע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הפתעה-2.m4a” /], an active-causative verb deriving from the word פתע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הפתעה-3.m4a” /] meaning, roughly, suddenly. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הפתעה-4.m4a” /]הוא הפתיע אותה ביום ההולדת שלה. He surprised her on her birthday. Likewise, a surprise is הפתעה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הפתעה-1.m4a” /]. For example, if you’re caught off guard at home…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מרכז-הארץ-1.m4a” /]מֶרְכַּז הָאָרֶץ Of Israel’s population of about 8 million people, almost 4 million live in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Israelis call this large concentration המרכז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מרכז-הארץ-2.m4a” /] – the Center. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מרכז-הארץ-3.m4a” /]רוב המשפחה שלי גרה במרכז. Most of my family lives in the Center. מרכז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מרכז-הארץ-4.m4a” /] comes from the root ר.כ.ז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מרכז-הארץ-5.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעבור-דירה-1.m4a” /]לַעֲבוֹר דִירָה Usually, English is the one with several words for one in Hebrew. To move is an exception, with לזוז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעבור-דירה-2.m4a” /] meaning to move as in not to stand still, להזיז[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעבור-דירה-3.m4a” /] meaning to move something else, and לעבור דירה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעבור-דירה-1.m4a” /] meaning to move (house), where דירה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעבור-דירה-4.m4a” /] means apartment or, more generally, place…

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   Blast from the Past Crossword Puzzle! [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/2014/10/עזוב-1.m4a” /]עֲזוֹב, עִזְבִי The Hebrew word for to forget is לשכוח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עזוב-2.m4a” /]. But to say to someone forget it, you’d use a different word: עזוב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עזוב-3.m4a” /] to a male, or עזבי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עזוב-4.m4a” /] (pronounced colloquially עזבי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עזוב-5.m4a” /]) to a female. Take this dialogue for example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/עזוב-6.m4a” /]אמא – יוני, תוציא את הזבל….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-1.m4a” /]אִיּוּם To threaten is לאיים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-2.m4a” /], an active-intensive verb. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-3.m4a” /]החיזבאללה מאיימת ל… The Hizbollah is threatening to… Likewise, a threat is איום[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-4.m4a” /]ישראל נמצאת תחת איום קיומי תמידי. Israel is under constant existential threat. What about feeling threatened? That’s להרגיש מאויים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/איום-5.m4a” /], where…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מינים-בסכנת-הכחדה-1.m4a” /]מִינִים בְּסַכָּנַת הַכְחָדָה Yesterday we saw the scientific word for species – מין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מינים-בסכנת-הכחדה-2.m4a” /]. What about a species that is endangered? That’s מין בסכנת הכחדה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מינים-בסכנת-הכחדה-3.m4a” /], literally, species in danger of extinction. Broken down: בסכנת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מינים-בסכנת-הכחדה-4.m4a” /] – in danger of הכחדה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מינים-בסכנת-הכחדה-5.m4a” /] – extinction For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מינים-בסכנת-הכחדה-6.m4a” /]היא סיימה…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מין-1.m4a” /]מִין The Hebrew word מין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מין-1.m4a” /] has three meanings (no pun intended): gender, sex and species. In order to avoid misleading people into thinking that there is only one sex of crocodile, some speakers might use the word זן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מין-2.m4a” /] to mean species and say: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מין-3.m4a” /]זה לא קרוקודיל, זה זן אחר. This is not a crocodile,…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורי-1.m4a” /]מְקוֹרִי Last week we saw the Hebrew word for research – מחקר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורי-2.m4a” /], used in the example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורי-3.m4a” /]זה מחקר מקורי. This is original research. מקורי means original. It derives from the word מקור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מקורי-4.m4a” /] meaning source (note that though they have the same spelling מקור meaning source has no connection to מקור meaning beak): something original is from…