Blog – Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/גורד-שחקים-1.m4a” /]גּוֹרֵד שְׁחָקִים While most Israelis are likely to refer to a really tall building as a סקייסקרייפר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/גורד-שחקים-2.m4a” /], the authentic Hebrew term is גורד שחקים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/גורד-שחקים-1.m4a” /]. גורד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/גורד-שחקים-3.m4a” /] means scraping. Likewise, לגרד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/גורד-שחקים-8.m4a” /] means to itch or to scratch. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/גורד-שחקים-4.m4a” /]מגרד לי ביד. My arm itches (literally, it’s itching me on the arm). And…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/קבלן-1.m4a” /]קַבְּלָן A person who builds houses – or fixes computers, freelance-writes articles or teaches independently, for that matter – is a contractor. The Hebrew word for such a person is קבלן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/קבלן-1.m4a” /] when he’s a male and קבלנית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/קבלן-2.m4a” /] when she’s a female. They are called such because they receive money: לקבל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/קבלן-3.m4a” /] means to receive….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הורים-1.m4a” /]הוֹרִים English speakers who didn’t grow up using the kh sound (as in chutzpah) often find it difficult to distinguish between the Hebrew h and kh sounds. Thus when they learn Hebrew, they might confuse the words חורים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הורים-2.m4a” /] – holes and הורים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הורים-1.m4a” /] – parents. הורים is the plural form of הורה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/הורים-3.m4a” /] – a…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-1.m4a” /]מִשְׁמֶרֶת לַיְלָה The Hebrew word for work shift is משמרת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-2.m4a” /], a Biblical Hebrew word of the root ש.מ.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-3.m4a” /] meaning  watch or guard. You may recognize it from this song. A night shift is משמרת לילה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-4.m4a” /]מי שעובד במשמרת לילה חי חיים אחרים. Those who work the night shift…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-1.m4a” /]מִשְׁמֶרֶת לַיְלָה The Hebrew word for work shift is משמרת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-2.m4a” /], a Biblical Hebrew word of the root ש.מ.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-3.m4a” /] meaning  watch or guard. You may recognize it from this song. A night shift is משמרת לילה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/משמרת-לילה-4.m4a” /]מי שעובד במשמרת לילה חי חיים אחרים. Those who work the night shift…

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 Blast from the Past Crossword Puzzle! [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/שנוי-במחלוקת-1.m4a” /]שָׁנוּי בְּמַחְלׁקֶת The Mishnah – המשנה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-2.m4a” /] – is called such because the words are meant to be repeated over and over until they are memorized: משנה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-3.m4a” /] comes from the root ש.נ.ה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-4.m4a” /], the same root as that of שניים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-5.m4a” /] – two, and שנית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-6.m4a” /] – a second time or again. Something else that tends…

 [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-1.m4a” /]עֲבַרְיָן The other day we saw the Hebrew word for crime – פשע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-2.m4a” /]. פשע is crime in the general sense, while פשיעה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-3.m4a” /] might refer to an individual crime or crime in a certain context such as a neighborhood. An offense, however, is an עבירה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-4.m4a” /]. And an offender? That’s an עבריין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עבריין-1.m4a”…

Correction: In yesterday’s post, I wrote that organized crime is פשע ארגוני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/פשע-2.m4a” /]. I’m not sure why I wrote that. In any case, the correct term is פשע מאורגן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/פשע-מאורגן-1.m4a” /]. [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מערכת-משפטית-1.m4a” /]מַעֲרֶכֶת מִשְׁפָּטִית The Hebrew word for system is מערכת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מערכת-משפטית-2.m4a” /], of the root ע.ר.כ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מערכת-משפטית-3.m4a” /] meaning order. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/מערכת-משפטית-4.m4a” /]איזו מערכת…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/פשע-1.m4a” /]פֶּשַׁע The Hebrew word for crime is פשע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/פשע-1.m4a” /]. Likewise, organized crime is פשע מאורגן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/פשע-מאורגן-1.m4a” /]. The term you’re more likely to hear in the Israeli media, though, is ארגוני פשע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/פשע-3.m4a” /] – crime organizations such as the mafia. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/פשע-4.m4a” /]ישנה מלחמה מתמדת בין המשטרה לבין ארגוני הפשע. There’s a perpetual…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/בוץ-1.m4a” /]בֹּץ The Hebrew word for mud is בוץ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/בוץ-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/בוץ-2.m4a” /]דרכת בבוץ? אתה צריך לנגב רגליים. You (a male) stepped in the mud? You need to wipe your (the) feet. Such a tangible thing as mud also serves as a symbol. Take coffee, for example – if it’s milk and sugar free, we…