Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-1.m4a” /]מִמּוּן If you’re familiar with Christian literature, the word Mammon may ring a bell, as it represents greed. The word came to Hebrew via Aramaic and makes appearances in the Mishnah, where it substitutes Biblical-Hebrew כסף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-2.m4a” /] – literally silver but also money – and is spelled ממון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-3.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מימון-4.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מילת-מפתח-1.m4a” /]מִלַּת מַפְתֵּחַ From what I hear, search engine optimization efforts are shying away from focusing on keywords and keyword placement, and focusing more on producing genuine content. But necessary or not, the Hebrew expression for keyword is מילת מפתח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מילת-מפתח-1.m4a” /] – literally, word of key. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מילת-מפתח-2.m4a” /]מה מילת המפתח הכי חשובה באתר שלכם?…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-1.m4a” /]תַּקְדִּים A couple of weeks ago, we saw the Hebrew expression for first of all – קודם כול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-2.m4a” /]. The root ק.ד.מ (k.d.m) is a versatile one. Its basic idea is before, and it is thus found in the words מוקדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-3.m4a” /] – early (before the normal time), להתקדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תקדים-4.m4a” /] – to get ahead (before everyone else),…

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 Game Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-1.m4a” /]אֲנִי מְקַוֶּה שֶׁכֵּן Israel’s national anthem is called התקווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-2.m4a” /] – literally, the hope. To hope is the active-intensive verb לקוות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-3.m4a” /], so that I hope is אני מקווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-4.m4a” /] if you’re a male, and אני מקווה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-5.m4a” /] if you’re a female. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אני-מקווה-שכן-6.m4a” /]האם הבנק פתוח היום? אני מקווה…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/יש-בזה-משהו-1.m4a” /]יֵשׁ בְּזֶה מַשֶּׁהוּ Your friend goes on and on about their new business idea. You fade in an out of concentration, until you hear a nugget of wisdom, at which point you might say, there’s something to that. The equivalent Hebrew expression is יש בזה משהו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/יש-בזה-משהו-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/יש-בזה-משהו-2.m4a” /]מה שאת…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נוזל-1.m4a” /]נוֹזֵל, נָזִיל The Hebrew word for a runny nose is נזלת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נוזל-2.m4a” /], which comes from the word נוזל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נוזל-3.m4a” /] meaning flowing or liquid. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נוזל-4.m4a” /]לפני צום, חשוב לשתות הרבה נוזלים. Before a fast, it’s important to drink lots of liquid(s). Now, that’s liquid the noun. To describe something as liquid, the…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תחתום-פה-1.m4a” /]תַּחְתּוֹם פֹּה Over Yom Kippur you may have heard or perhaps wished someone גמר חתימה טובה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תחתום-פה-2.m4a” /] – a good final seal. The word חתימה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תחתום-פה-3.m4a” /] means seal or signature. Likewise, to sign is the simple verb לחתום[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תחתום-פה-4.m4a” /].   For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תחתום-פה-5.m4a” /]תחתום פה. Sign here.  That’s when speaking to a…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דקירה-1.m4a” /]דְּקִירָה One of the oldest acts of violence, stabbing in Hebrew is דקירה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דקירה-1.m4a” /]. To stab, a verb of the simple variety, is לדקור[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דקירה-2.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דקירה-3.m4a” /]לאחרונה ראינו בירושלים כמה פיגועי דקירה. Recently, we’ve seen in Jerusalem several stabbing attacks.

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 Game Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קודם-כול-1.m4a” /]קֹדֶם כֹּל The Hebrew equivalent of the English expression first of all is קודם כול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קודם-כול-1.m4a” /], often written קודם כל. קודם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קודם-כול-2.m4a” /] means initially or before, and כול[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קודם-כול-3.m4a” /] means all, so קודם כול means literally, before all. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/קודם-כול-4.m4a” /]אתה יכול לצאת, אבל קודם כול אתה צריך לשטוף כלים. You (a…