Learn Hebrew for free with Your Daily Dose of Hebrew and Ulpan La-Inyan.
The links are now corrected in the online version of yesterday’s Dose of Hebrew, which you can find here. I apologize for the inconvenience. Keep learning and enjoying! אִבְחוּן listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? In Biblical times, diagnosis was done not by medical professionals (these did not exist), but…
מִבְחָן, בְּחִינָה listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? English has two words for that event that fills students with anticipation or dread – test and exam. Hebrew does too. מִבְחָן listen and repeat and בְּחִינָה listen and repeat, both of the root ב.ח.נ (b.kh.n), are more or less synonymous. They do have subtle…
אַתָּה נִרְאֶה חִוֵּר listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for pale is חִוֵּר listen and repeat when referring to a male, and חִוֶּרֶת listen and repeat when referring to a female. But when used as an adverb, חיור is the right word for both males and females. For example: אַתְּ נִרְאֵית…
לְסַפֵּר סִפּוּר listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? פֶּסַח listen and repeat – Passover – is coming up, the holiday when Jews tell over the story of the Exodus. But whereas in Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew, to tell something over is לְהַגִּיד listen and repeat (hence the הַגָּדָה שֶׁל פֶּסַח listen and repeat – the Passover Haggadah or the…
מַהֵר, מָהִיר listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? If you’ve got some basic Hebrew down, you likely know the word for fast or quickly – מַהֵר listen and repeat, for example: הַמְּכוֹנִית נוֹסַעַת מַהֵר. The car drives (travels) fast. listen Now, that’s fast as an adverb, describing an action such as the driving or…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? Review, practice and test yourself on this week’s doses of Hebrew! Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend! listen and repeat
יַיִן מְיֻשָּׁן listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Biblical Term In Biblical times, good aged wine might have been called יַיִן יָשָׁן נוֹשָׁן listen and repeat, as some sweet wines are called today. נוֹשָׁן listen and repeat means having become old. The word is derived from the נִפְעַל verb form and…
זָקֵן, יָשָׁן, וכו. listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? In English, we might call a person old (albeit not very politely) just as we might call a tree old. In Hebrew, we’ve got different terms for old people, animals and things. זקן, זקנה An old or elderly person might be called זָקֵן listen…
מוֹרֶה דֶּרֶךְ, מַדְרִיךְ טִיּוּלִים listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? If you’re stuck in the wilderness without a GPS, a מצפן (compass) listen and repeat might serve you well. But if you don’t have either of these (or don’t know how to use them), you might be aching for someone to show…
מַצְפּוּן listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? When Modern Hebrew created a word for the physical object called a compass – מַצְפֵּן listen and repeat, of the root צ.פ.נ (ts.p.n) meaning north as well as hidden – it employed the same root to create a term for the non-physical entity that guides people towards their destiny. The Hebrew word for conscience is מַצְפּוּן listen…
Can’t read Hebrew yet? מַצְפֵּן listen and repeat A working compass always points north. Thus the makers of Modern Hebrew invoked the Biblical word for north – צָפוֹן listen and repeat – when they created tailored a word for this invention of modern times. מַצְפֵּן listen and repeat is the Hebrew word for compass. For…