Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

כָּבוֹד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כבוד-1.mp3″ /] The Hebrew word for respect or honor – כבוד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כבוד-1.mp3″ /] – is related to the word for heavy – כבד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כבוד-2.mp3″ /]: treating someone with respect is the opposite of taking them lightly. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כבוד-3.mp3″ /]הפתרון לכל בעיה בינאישית מתחיל עם כבוד. The solution to any interpersonal problem starts with respect. A related word…

מִיץ תַּפּוּזִים סָחוּט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סחוט-1.mp3″ /] If you’ve been in Israel longer than a week, there’s a good chance you know the expression meaning orange juice – מיץ תפוזים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סחוט-2.mp3″ /]. This means literally, juice of oranges, where the word of is implied. You may have even ordered it. To specify that you want your juice fresh-squeezed,…

שקי-קקי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שקי-קקי-1.wav” /] English-speaking dog owners know this term well. A pooper scooper is that handy device that saves the dog walker from having to bend down and scoop up their pet’s droppings manually. The Israeli brand is called שקי-קקי, where שקי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שקי-קקי-2.wav” /] is a cute version of שק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/שקי-קקי-3.wav” /] – bag, and קקי[audioclip…

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!

סיבה למסיבה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סיבה-למסיבה-1.mp3″ /] Jews party a lot, with ט”ו באב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סיבה-למסיבה-2.mp3″ /] (see Wikipedia article) tomorrow night being no exception. The Hebrew term for an excuse for a party is the play on words, סיבה למסיבה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סיבה-למסיבה-1.mp3″ /] – literally, a reason for a party. For example:   [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סיבה-למסיבה-3.mp3″ /]תמיד יש סיבה למסיבה. There’s always an excuse for a party.

בלתי מוגבל, ללא הגבלה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ללא-הגבלה-1.mp3″ /] In English, there’s the word unlimited as it might be used as an adjective, as in “we have an unlimited amount of…”, and there’s unlimited as it might appear in an ad: “Spaces unlimited!” Hebrew has a term for each. In adjective form, Hebrew uses בלתי מוגבל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ללא-הגבלה-2.mp3″ /] to describe masculine objects and…

תסריט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תסריט-1.mp3″ /] The Hebrew word for (movie) script is תסריט[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תסריט-1.mp3″ /], of the root ס.ר.ט (s.r.t) meaning ribbon or film. I put the word movie in parentheses because the תסריט contains the word for movie in itself. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תסריט-2.mp3″ /]הוא הגיש מאה תסריטים לפני שאחד התקבל. He submitted a hundred scripts before one was accepted….

הַר הַבַּיִת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הר-הבית-1.mp3″ /] The Hebrew word for mountain is הָר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הר-הבית-2.mp3″ /], and the word for temple is מִקְדָּשׁ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הר-הבית-3.mp3″ /]. In the case of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, the term is בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/הר-הבית-4.mp3″ /] – literally, the house of the temple. But you won’t hear anyone in Israel – religious or…

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!

תַּפְנִית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תפנית-1.mp3″ /] If you’ve taken our Level 1 class, you know the word for to turn – לִפְנוֹת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תפנית-2.mp3″ /], as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/תפנית-3.mp3″ /]בָּרַמְזוֹר, אַתְּ פּוֹנָה שְׂמֹאלָה. At the traffic light, you (a female) turn left. The root of לפנות is פ.נ.ה (p.n.h), which forms the base of the word for a change…

כּוֹנָן קָשִׁיחַ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כונן-קשיח-1.mp3″ /] We’ve seen that while the generic Hebrew word for hard is קָשֶׁה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כונן-קשיח-2.mp3″ /], the word for tough, at least when describing a person, is קָשׁוּחַ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/כונן-קשיח-3.mp3″ /], of the root ק.שׁ.ח. (k.sh.kh). That same root forms the word for stiff or rigid – also hard – when describing an object –…