Blog – Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-1.m4a” /]עֹנִי The Hebrew Bible having exported to the world the value of helping the weak, it should come as no surprise that Hebrew has more than ten ways to say poverty, including דלות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-2.m4a” /], אביונות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-3.m4a” /] and מסכנות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-4.m4a” /]. The common word used today to describe this state lacking is עוני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/עוני-1.m4a” /], the same word…

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 . Space Race . Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעשות-סדר-9.m4a” /]חג שמח!

Note: This will be the last Dose of Hebrew until after Passover, except for tomorrow’s weekly review. חג שמח![audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעשות-סדר-9.m4a” /] [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעשות-סדר-1.m4a” /]לַעֲשׂוֹת סֵדֶר You may know the Hebrew slang word for a mess – בלגן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/לעשות-סדר-2.m4a” /]. Contrary to popular belief, this word is not borrowed from Arabic, but rather from Slavic languages such as…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מנוע-חיפוש-1.m4a” /]מָנוֹעַ חִפּוּשׂ To search in Hebrew is לחפש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מנוע-חיפוש-2.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מנוע-חיפוש-3.m4a” /]סליחה, אני מחפשת את הדואר. Excuse me, I (a female) am looking for the post office. Following the active-intensive verb pattern, the act of searching is חיפוש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מנוע-חיפוש-4.m4a” /]. And since an engine is a מנוע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מנוע-חיפוש-5.m4a” /], a search engine is a…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-1.m4a” /]מְחַטֵּא You may recognize the three-letter root of the word disinfectant – מחטא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-1.m4a” /] – as that of the word for sin – חטא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-2.m4a” /] as well as of the active-simple verb to sin – לחטוא[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-3.m4a” /].   To illustrate the latter word, here’s a Biblical verse: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מחטא-4.m4a” /]כי אין צדיק בארץ אשר יעשה…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ניקיון-1.m4a” /]נִקָּיוֹן If you’ve got some basic Hebrew down, you likely know the word for clean – נקי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ניקיון-2.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ניקיון-3.m4a” /]החולצה שלך לא נקייה. Your blouse (a feminine object) is not clean. The word for cleanliness is ניקיון[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ניקיון-1.m4a” /], as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ניקיון-4.m4a” /]מצב הניקיון בחדר שלך זה פשוט קטסטרופה. The…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זיהום-אוויר-1.m4a” /]זִהוּם אֲוִיר The Hebrew word for air – אוויר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זיהום-אוויר-2.m4a” /] – is borrowed from Ancient Greek. The word for pollution (as well as infection) is זיהום[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זיהום-אוויר-3.m4a” /]. The word appears in Mishnaic Hebrew and comes from the active-intensive verb לזהם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זיהום-אוויר-4.m4a” /] – to pollute or to contaminate. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/זיהום-אוויר-5.m4a” /]נמל חיפה זיהם את המים. The…