Blog – Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שווה-1-1.m4a” /]שָׁוֶה The Hebrew word for equal is שוֶה[audioclip url=”[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שווה-1-1.m4a” /]  in the masculine and שוָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שווה-2-1.m4a” /] in the feminine. Here’s an example in the plural: [audioclip url=”[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שווה-3-1.m4a” /] ניתן לשלם את הארנונה בשנים עשר תשלומים שווים. One may pay property tax in twelve equal payments. שווה is also used in slang to mean worthwhile or great….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ארנונה-1.m4a” /]אַרְנוֹנָה If you’ve rented or owned property in Israel, you almost certainly know the word ארנונה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ארנונה-1.m4a” /] – property tax. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ארנונה-2.m4a” /]ארנונה על בית פרטי – צרות של עשירים. Property tax on a private home – rich-people problems. ארנונה first appeared in Mishnaic Hebrew, where it referred to tax imposed…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-של-1.m4a” /]צָרוֹת שֶׁל עֲשִׁירִים Some people’s problems – צרות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-של-2.m4a” /] – revolve around not having enough money. Other people have problems because they don’t know what to do with all their money. In Hebrew, these are צרות של עשירים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-של-3.m4a” /] – rich-people problems. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-של-4.m4a” /]לאן לטוס לחופשה – צרות של…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-1.m4a” /]צָרוֹת The Yiddish word tzuris – a word that refers to problems of the type caused by unfortunate financial circumstances or irreverent family members – derives from the Hebrew word צרות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/צרות-2.m4a” /]התאומים הגיעו לגיל ההתבגרות, ואז התחילו הצרות. The twins reached adolescence, and then the problems began. צרות is…

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 [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/2015/05/מוצרי-חשמל-1.m4a” /]מוּצָרֵי חַשְׁמַל Suppose you’re in an Israeli department store, and you want to buy a vacuum cleaner. You might ask for the electronics section, using either אלקטרוניקה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מוצרי-חשמל-2.m4a” /] or מוצרי חשמל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מוצרי-חשמל-1.m4a” /] – literally, electronic products. When you ask the attendant, you might hear: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מוצרי-חשמל-3.m4a” /]אפשר למצוא שואב אבק במחלקת מוצרי החשמל. You can…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שואב-אבק-1.m4a” /]שׁוֹאֵב אָבָק The Hebrew word for dust is אבק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שואב-אבק-2.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שואב-אבק-3.m4a” /]רוח מדברית מביאה איתה הרבה אבק. A desert wind brings with it lots of dust. And a vacuum cleaner? Though it’s often called a הובר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שואב-אבק-4.m4a” /] after the successful brand (Hoover), many Israelis call it שואב אבק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שואב-אבק-1.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעלות-חרס-1.m4a” /]לְהַעֲלוֹת חֶרֶס בְּיָדוֹ Hebrew does have a word for to fail – להיכשל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעלות-חרס-2.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעלות-חרס-3.m4a” /]הוא נכשל במבחן. He failed (on) the exam. But there’s another, softer expression: להעלות חרס בידו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/להעלות-חרס-1.m4a” /] – literally to raise clay on his hand. The phrase is often shortened to להעלות חרס – to raise clay. For…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/רוח-מדברית-1.m4a” /]רוּחַ מִדְבָּרִית On these cold Jerusalem nights I dream of a draft from down south – רוח מדברית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/רוח-מדברית-1.m4a” /] – a desert wind. In a Hebrew sentence: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/רוח-מדברית-2.m4a” /]נושבת כאן רוח מדברית נעימה. A pleasant desert wind is blowing here. מדברית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/רוח-מדברית-3.m4a” /] takes the word מדבר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/רוח-מדברית-4.m4a” /] – desert – and adds…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אי-נעימות-1.m4a” /]אִי-נְעִימוּת Unpleasantness is a dictionary word in English, but it’s hardly used – unlike its Hebrew counterpart אי-נעימות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אי-נעימות-1.m4a” /], an expression that is very much alive in Israeli culture. For example, at the Ben Gurion airport, you’ll hear something like: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אי-נעימות-2.m4a” /]נא להימנע מאי-נעימות מיותרת הכרוכה בגרירת רכב. Please avoid unnecessary…

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 [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!