Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

  סָגוּר!  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     סָגוּר listen and repeat means literally closed, but it is also used informally to mean decided and confirmed, as in:   אָז נִפָּגֵשׁ בִּשְׂדֵה הַתְּעוּפָה. סָגוּר! So we’ll meet at the airport. Done deal!  listen    As does its English equivalent, !סגור comes from the business expression…

  מַלָּח  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew word for sailor, appearing already in Biblical Hebrew, is מַלָּח listen and repeat.    For example:   הַמַּלָּחִים עוֹבְדִים עַל הַסְּפִינָה. The sailors are working on the ship.  listen    With an ah-AH vowel sequence and an emphasized second root letter, מַלָּח follows the…

  מִשְׁאָלָה  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The simple word for a request is בַּקָּשָׁה listen and repeat, so that the common Hebrew term for please – literally, with request – is בְּבַקָּשָׁה listen and repeat.   But a wish is more than a simple request, as it expresses hopes and dreams. The Hebrew word for a wish is…

  קָשֶׁה  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The Hebrew word for hard both in the physical and metaphorical senses is קָשֶׁה listen and repeat.   For example:   יֵשׁ הַרְבֵּה סוּגֵי גְּבִינוֹת קָשׁוֹת. There are many types of hard cheeses.  listen    and    קָשֶׁה לָצוּם. It’s hard (difficult) to fast/ Fasting is hard….

  שָׁנָה טוֹבָה!  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?   Watch the video for translation and more.    

  סְגִירַת מַעֲגָל  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     Tomorrow evening, Jews around the world will be celebrating רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה listen and repeat – Rosh Hashana, the head of the year – thus coming full circle seasonally and religiously.   The Hebrew expression for coming full circle borrows from applied physics, where a closed circuit is a מַעֲגָל…

  כּוֹתֶרֶת  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     The word title has a few meanings in English. Here I’ll focus on the one that you find on the cover of a book or at the top of a newspaper article… also called a headline.   The word is כּוֹתֶרֶת listen and repeat, whose root…

  לֶאֱכוֹל אֶת הָעוּגָה וּלְהַשְׁאִיר אֹתָהּ שְׁלֵמָה  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     Sometimes we want it all. But you can’t have your cake and eat it too… or   אִי אֶפְשָׁר לֶאֱכוֹל אֶת הָעוּגָה וּלְהַשְׁאִיר אֹתָהּ שְׁלֵמָה. Literally – It’s not possible to eat the cake and leave it complete.  listen   …

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material  listen and repeat 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       שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!  listen and repeat

  זִכּוּי כַּסְפִּי  listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet?     If you’re not happy with a product you bought in Israel, you’ll find many shops reluctant to give a refund, but happy to give store credit.   The term for such credit is זִכּוּי כַּסְפִּי listen and repeat (literally, monetary credit) or simply זיכוי listen and…