Blog – Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חיבור-1.m4a” /]חִבּוּר This week we’ve seen a bunch of Hebrew words formed from the root ח.ב.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חיבור-2.m4a” /] meaning connection. But what’s the word for that deepest of human experiences, connection itself? The word is חיבור, as in: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חיבור-3.m4a” /]יש לנו חיבור טוב. We have a good connection. חיבור also refers to connection in the technical sense,…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אדם-חברותי-1.m4a” /]אָדָם חַבְרוּתִי חברתי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אדם-חברותי-2.m4a” /] means social as in צדק חברתי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אדם-חברותי-3.m4a” /] – social justice, and רשת חברתית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אדם-חברותי-4.m4a” /] – social network. But a social person? That’s אדם חברותי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אדם-חברותי-1.m4a” /] (with an oo vowel), where אדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אדם-חברותי-5.m4a” /] means person. Here’s an example without אדם: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אדם-חברותי-6.m4a” /]הבחורה הזאת מאוד חברותית – היא…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/צדק-חברתי-1.m4a” /]צֶדֶק חֶבְרָתִי If company or society is חברה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/צדק-חברתי-2.m4a” /], then social is חברתי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/צדק-חברתי-3.m4a” /] in the masculine and חברתית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/צדק-חברתי-4.m4a” /] in the feminine. For example, a social network is רשת חברתית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/צדק-חברתי-5.m4a” /]. Likewise, social justice is צדק חברתי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/צדק-חברתי-1.m4a” /], which itself was part of the slogan of המחאה החברתית[audioclip…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלכר-1.m4a” /]מלכ”ר A company for profit is a חברה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלכר-2.m4a” /] in Hebrew, sometimes a חברה בע”מ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלכר-3.m4a” /] – a proprietary limited company, where בע”מ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלכר-4.m4a” /] stands for בערבון מוגבל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלכר-5.m4a” /] – with limited guarantee. A nonprofit organization is called a מלכ”ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלכר-1.m4a” /] – an abbreviation for מוסד ללא כוונת רווח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מלכר-6.m4a” /] – a not-for-profit…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החברה-1.m4a” /]הַחֶבְרָה The letters ח.ב.ר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החברה-2.m4a” /] form a very common root in Hebrew, representing the concept of connection. This root appears in words such as חברים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החברה-3.m4a” /] – friends, להתחבר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החברה-4.m4a” /] – to connect, and חברה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החברה-5.m4a” /] – society, more typically seen as החברה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החברה-1.m4a” /] – literally, the society. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החברה-6.m4a” /]אי אפשר להאשים את החברה…

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/review-2.mp3″ /]שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מעמד-1.m4a” /]סְטָטוּס, מַעֲמָד When Israelis talk about a Facebook status, they adopt the English (originally Latin) word – סטטוס[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מעמד-2.m4a” /]. Likewise, status quo (also from Latin) in Hebrew is סטטוס קוו[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מעמד-3.m4a” /]. But when talking about a person’s status, the word is מעמד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מעמד-4.m4a” /], from the root ע.מ.ד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מעמד-5.m4a” /] meaning standing. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מעמד-6.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתרחש-1.m4a” /]לְהִתְרַחֵשׁ There’s the simple verb in English to happen, whose Hebrew equivalent is לקרות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתרחש-2.m4a” /], a simple verb. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתרחש-3.m4a” /]מה קרה? What happened? Then there are higher words, such as to transpire and to take place. These in Hebrew are the reflexive-intensive להתרחש[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתרחש-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתרחש-4.m4a” /]דבר מהפכני מתרחש במזרח התיכון. Something…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתלהב-1.m4a” /]לְהִתְלַהֵב The Hebrew word for flame is להבה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתלהב-2.m4a” /], while the word for blade is להב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתלהב-3.m4a” /]. Both are dangerous… and exciting. Thus the word for to be enthusiastic – or to light up in flames – is להתלהב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתלהב-1.m4a” /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/להתלהב-4.m4a” /]היא נורא התלהבה מהמחזמר. She was really enthusiastic about the musical. Enthusiasm…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דחיפות-1.m4a” /]דְּחִיפוּת To push in Hebrew is the simple verb לדחוף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דחיפות-2.m4a” /], which generates the word for urgent – דחוף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דחיפות-3.m4a” /], or that which is pressed. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דחיפות-4.m4a” /]אני מדבר בקו השני, זה דחוף? I (a male) am speaking on the other line, is this urgent? Urgency is דחיפות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/דחיפות-1.m4a” /], as in:…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בהקדם-האפשרי-1.m4a” /]בַּהֶקְדֵם הָאֶפְשָׁרִי Suppose you call a friend and get their voicemail. The message you hear might say: I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Hebrew’s term for as soon as possible or ASAP is בהקדם האפשרי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בהקדם-האפשרי-1.m4a” /] – literally, at the earliest possible. Sometimes it’s shortened simply to בהקדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בהקדם-האפשרי-2.m4a” /]. בהקדם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בהקדם-האפשרי-2.m4a” /]…