Blog – Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

בַּשָּׁנָה שֶׁעָבְרָה, אֶשְׁתָּקַד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אשתקד-1.mp3″ /] In spoken Hebrew, the way to say last year is בַּשָּׁנָה שֶׁעָבְרָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אשתקד-2.mp3″ /] – literally, in the year that has passed. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אשתקד-3.mp3″ /]בַּשָּׁנָה שֶׁעָבְרָה הָיִינוּ בְּצָרְפַת. Last year we were in France. A more literary way of saying this is אֶשְׁתָּקַד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אשתקד-4.mp3″ /]. Here’s an example…

פִּשְׁעֵי מִלְחָמָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/פשעי-מלחמה-1.mp3″ /] This is not the place to share opinions about Israel and war crimes, but I will enable you to use the Hebrew term at your next Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or university-campus-abroad cocktail party. The term is פִּשְׁעֵי מִלְחָמָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/פשעי-מלחמה-1.mp3″ /] – literally, crimes of war: פִּשְׁעֵי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/פשעי-מלחמה-2.mp3″ /] is the construct…

Correction to earlier post: A couple of readers pointed out to me that while Israel’s diamond exchange is located in Ramat Gan, the stock exchange is in Tel Aviv. This information is now reflected in the corresponding post. אַכְזָבָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/אכזבה-1.mp3″ /] Disappointment is that feeling we get after being let down after we had formed an expectation….

צִפִּיּוֹת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ציפיות-1.mp3″ /] The simple verb לִצְפּוֹת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ציפיות-2.mp3″ /] means to watch or look out on, so that while the male colloquial-Hebrew speaker will say… [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ציפיות-3.mp3″ /]אֲנִי רוֹאֶה טֶלֶוִיזְיָה. I’m watching (literally, I see) TV. The Israeli man speaking in a higher register would mean the same thing by saying: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ציפיות-4.mp3″ /]אֲנִי צוֹפֶה…

בּוּרְסָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בורסה-1.mp3″ /] The Hebrew word for stock exchange, בּוּרְסָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/בורסה-1.mp3″ /], originates in Ancient Greek, as it does for the same word in other languages as varied as German, Farsi and Italian. In Ancient Greek, the word refers to a pouch made of leather, which evolved into what we call today a purse. The word bursa came…

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 Game 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!

מוֹשֵׁךְ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מושך-1.mp3″ /] Hebrew borrows lots of words from English and the Romance languages, such as telephone – טֶלֶפוֹן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מושך-2.mp3″ /], function – פוּנְקְצְיָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מושך-3.mp3″ /], and metaphor – מֶטָפוֹרָה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/מושך-4.mp3″ /]. In all these cases, the meaning is the same in both English and Hebrew. In the case of the word attractive – imported…

טֶלֶפוֹן חָכָם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סמארטפון-1.mp3″ /] You’re likely to hear Israelis referring to their Apple or Android devices as סְמַארְטְפוֹנִים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סמארטפון-2.mp3″ /]. But more and more you’re like to also hear a smartphone referred to as טֶלֶפוֹן חָכָם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סמארטפון-1.mp3″ /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סמארטפון-3.mp3″ /]רַק לְהַיּוֹם, מִבְצַע עַל כָּל הַטֶּלֶפוֹנִים הַחֲכָמִים. For today only, a sale on all…

חֵרֶם, לְהַחֲרִים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חרם-1.wav” /] The English word boycott is named for a 19th-century Irishman, Charles C. Boycott, who was ostracized after refusing to lower rent for his tenant farmers (see Online Etymological Dictionary). The Hebrew word for this social (or antisocial) action goes further back, all the way to the Bible. The word is חֵרֶם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/חרם-2.wav”…

טֶלֶפוֹן נַיָּח, טֶלֶפוֹן קַוִּי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-1.wav” /] More and more people don’t these anymore, but many still do, so it’s worth an entry. While a mobile phone is a טֶלֶפוֹן נַיָּד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-2.wav” /], a land line is called either a טלפון נַיָּח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-3.wav” /] – literally, stationary phone, or טלפון קַוִּי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/נייח-4.wav” /] – a line or wire…

רַע, גָּרוּעַ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-1.mp3″ /] I tend to veer away from presenting negative doses of Hebrew so as not to ruin your day, but this one’s far too שִׁמּוּשִׁי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-2.mp3″ /] – useful – to hold back from. The basic Hebrew word for bad is רַע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-3.mp3″ /]. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/רע-4.mp3″ /]הוּא יֶלֶד רַע. He’s…