מְתֻחְכָּם If you know some Hebrew, you surely know the word for wise or smart – חָכָם/חֲכָמָה. But sophisticated is more than smart. It takes smart to a whole different level. Thus Hebrew takes the root ח.כ.מ (kh.k.m) and adds a ת (t) to the beginning, taking the meaning of words derived to a whole new level….
לִתְפוֹס תְּאוּצָה Acceleration is a physics concept that has been used to describe trends in business, social media etc. The Hebrew word is תְּאוּצָה (te-oo-TSAH), a noun form of לְהָאִיץ (le-hah-EETS), to accelerate – a הפעיל (heef-EEL) verb. Say a product or an idea is catching on, starting to pick up speed. In Hebrew, we’d…
הַתְמָדָה At the front of a synagogue, usually hanging over the ark, shines a light that stays on on a regular basis. This light is called the נֵר תָּמִיד (nehr tah-MEED), the “always” candle. Diligence and persistence are about doing something regularly. It’s the best way to get something done that takes a…
לְאַמֵּת If you know some Hebrew, you likely know the word for truth – אֶמֶת (eh-MET). Suppose a woman representing your credit card company calls to inform you that you and your family have won a trip to Euro Disney. She’d ask you to verify your details. This is how she might say it: …
מַאֲמָץ The Hebrew word for courage and valor is אֹמֶץ (OH-mets). The word for an effort or exertion, or an act of valor is מַאֲמָץ (mah-ah-MAHTS). For example, אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה מַאֲמָץ לֶאֱכוֹל בָּרִיא (ah-NEE oh-SEH mah-ah-MAHTS le-eh-KHOHL bah-REE) – I make an effort to eat healthy. To make an effort, often a physical one, is לְהִתְאַמֵּץ (le-heet-ah-METS). A synonym…
לְהִמָּנַע To prevent something actively, in Hebrew, is לִמְנוֹע (leem-NOH-ah). For example, צָרִיך לַעֲבוֹד כְּדֵי לִמְנוֹעַ אָסוֹן (tsah-REEKH la-ah-VOHD ke-DEH-ee leem-NOH-ah ah-SOHN) – we need to work to prevent a disaster. למנוע is an active, “simple” verb, a פעל (pah-AHL) verb. To avoid something is to prevent it from happening indirectly. For example, הִיא…
לְאַתֵּר If you’ve been following קצת עברית (Ktzat Ivrit) for a while, you likely know the word for site – אֲתָר (ah-TAHR). The word is borrowed from Aramaic, creating a synonym for מָקוֹם (mah-KOHM) – place. To refer to a website in Hebrew, you’d say אֲתָר אִינְטֶרְנֶט (ah-TAHR EEN-tehr-net). To locate something or someone is לְאַתֵּר (le-ah-TEHR)….
לְהַגְשִׁים The root of this one comes from גֶּשֶׁם (GEH-shem), the Hebrew word for rain. To make it rain – or, to make something materialize is לְהַגְשִׁים (le-hahg-SHEEM). For example, הַחֲלוּצִים הִגְשִׁימוּ אֶת חֲלוֹמָם (hah-khah-loo-TSEEM heeg-SHEE-moo et khah-loh-MAHM) – the pioneers made their dream come true (literally, realized their dream). This is the הפעיל…
לְהִתְנַדֵּב, לְנַדֵּב Perhaps you know Israeli men or boys with the name נָדָב (nah-DAHV). One of the star instructors on the Ulpan La-Inyan staff bears that name. The root נ.ד.ב (n.d.b) is the concept of giving and contributing. To volunteer oneself, as in cleaning up a beach or spending quality time with underprivileged children, is…
בִּלְתִּי חֻקִּי Last night 150 refugees were deported back to Sudan from Israel. The phrase for illegal in Hebrew is בִּלְתִּי חֻקִּי (beel-TEE khoo-KEE). The word בלתי functions in Hebrew in a similar way to how the prefixes in- and un- function in English – such as in impossible – בלתי אֶפְשָׁרִי (beel-TEE ef-shah-REE) – and בלתי נִשְׁכַּח…
לְמִידָה מֵרָחוֹק Distance learning has become quite an industry. In Hebrew, it’s לְמִידָה מֵרָחוֹק (le-mee-DAH me-rah-KHOHK). Literally, that’s learning from afar. We use למידה as opposed to לִמּוּד (lee-MOOD), which means teaching. We at Ulpan La-Inyan are offering our renowned classes to distance learners. If you’d like to take one of our courses, fill…