Streetwise Hebrew

"Sha...losh, it's me, Guy, from Streetwise Hebrew." Yes, you read right. Three years ago we aired our first episode of StreetWise Hebrew on TLV1 Radio. So this week, Guy talks about "shalosh" - three - and all its related words and phrases. We cover everything from basketball, to math, beer and music, plus we even get to hear some iconic Israeli poetry. Exclusive content for Patrons   New words &...

In Israel you'll come across plenty of people who get carried away, overreact to things, or go over the top. How do you deal with these people? What should you say to them in Hebrew? Host Guy Sharett explains what you should say when you're overcharged for something that should be really cheap, and what you should do with your hands when someone is saying something totally exaggerated. Exclusive C...

Today we're getting negative. Double negative, in fact. After some Hebrew words like "klum" ("nothing") or "af pa'am" ("never") we also have to use "lo" ("no"). So, unlike in English, we use two negation words. Host Guy Sharett takes us through the rules, mentioning English, French and Portuguese as he goes. Oh, and while we're learning, we also get to listen to some beautiful French and Brazilian...

Whether it's telling someone they did well, asking the cost, or lashing out at someone, "yatsata" (from "latset" – to "go out"/"come out") plays an important role in everyday Hebrew slang. Host Guy Sharett teaches us a few of these useful idioms, which you won't find in your dictionary. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: "Britanya rotsa latset me-ha ichud ha-eropi"...

It's not always easy to be "different" – שונה – but Guy tackles this word and its offshoots head-on. He explains how we get "change" and "strange" from the same root, and how to say "it's all the same to me." Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Shoneh – Different – שונה Ze shoneh be-ze she… – It's different in that… – זה שונה בזה ש Be-ma ata shone mimenu – How do yo...

We're airing pieces of the Skype chat host Guy Sharett had with some of our Patrons in March. In this, "Part 3" of the chat, we hear different ways to say how tired we are in Hebrew, and our Patrons tell us how difficult they think Hebrew is to learn compared to other languages. If you missed the first two parts, go back and have a listen before continuing with today's show: Part 1 ; Part 2 . Excl...

In a country where everybody tells you what to do, how to do it, and when, it's only natural the word "adif" - "it's preferable" - would be a word you hear every day. Host Guy Sharett explores the "adif" family, and shows us the link between preference, priority, and pasta. Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Adif – Preferable – עדיף Adif machar – It's better tomorrow – עדיף מ...

"Keta" means "part," "section," "thing" or "gag," but it also appears in lots of really handy Hebrew slang expressions. Host Guy Sharett explains how we use "keta" to say that we're not into something, or to tell our friend how (un)funny they're being. Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Keta, kta'im – Part; section; leg of a trip; thing; gag – קטע/קטעים Yeled shome'a kta'im b...

"Lefargen" is a rather special word with no simple translation into English. It means to express happiness for someone, to encourage and praise them with full empathy. As host Guy Sharett explains, in some cases it can mean to give something out of the goodness of your heart. Get ready for a feel-good episode! Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Lefargen – To express happiness...

StreetWise Hebrew has just reached 700,000 downloads, and host Guy Sharett thinks this is a great reason to talk about the root of number seven in Hebrew - shin beit ayin  - and get to learn its other meanings. Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Sheva (f.), shiv'ah (m.) – Seven – שבע, שבעה Sheva banot, shiv'aa banim – Seven girls, seven boys – שבע בנות, שבעה בנים Shiv'ah – Se...

Listen up! Today's episode teaches you how to do something very useful on the Israeli streets – to stop someone who's talking at you and tell them "listen!" Pay attention as Guy explores this gem of a root. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Takshiv, takshivi, takshivu – Listen! (imperative) – תקשיב, תקשיבי, תקשיבו "Im takshiv heytav" – If you listen well – אם תקשי...

This episode is all about "mazal tov." How do we congratulate friends who have a newborn baby? And what do you say when you're not sure if it's a boy or a girl, in a gender-based language like Hebrew? Guy has all the answers. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Mazal tov – Congratulations – מזל טוב She-yihie be-mazal tov – Congratulations – שיהיה במזל טוב Mazal tov al...

One of the first things we learn to say in a foreign language is "how much does it cost?" But what if we're the ones who are selling? We have to know how to "charge" as well. Guy helps us get our heads around all these money matters, including how to tell a shopkeeper that we were mistakenly charged for something. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Kama ze ole lanu?...

"You guys look so alike, it's crazy!" The Israeli street is all about exclamations, including strangers telling you how much you resemble someone... or not. It's important to understand what's being said, so today host Guy Sharett focuses on the Hebrew word "domé" and its relatives. And what does this all have to do with virtual reality and imagination? Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words &...

Asking for the bill is one of the most important things to learn in any language. But "heshbon," in Hebrew, is about much more than just settling the account. On this episode, host Guy Sharett explains how Israelis do self-reflection, how they break even... and how they don't give a damn. Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Heshbon, heshbonot (m.) – Account, bill, arithmetic –...

Are you playing by the "klalim"? A "klal" is a rule or regulation, and it's a great Hebrew root to devour together. Host Guy Sharett takes us through all the rules, regulations, generalizations, and exceptions. Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Klal, Klalim – Rule, regulation – כלל, כללים Klalim lechatsiyat kvish – Rules for crossing the road – כללים לחציית כביש Ve-ha-ikar,...

In Hebrew we like to set meetings, rendezvous, appointments. We use likb'oa, the verb to set, for these actions, plus some interesting nouns coming from this family, ק.ב.ע. Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Eich kov'im ma yihye godel taktsiv ha-medina? – How do they determine the state budget? – ?איך קובעים מה יהיה גודל תקציב המדינה Likbo'a – To set, to determine – לקבוע Mis...

We have already spoken about what you say in a restaurant or at a café, but what would a waiter say to you? Host Guy Sharett prepares us with the lines that will grace our ears as we sit down for a meal or a quick Tel Avivi bite. Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Bifnim o ba-huts? – Inside or outside? – ?בפנים או בחוץ Lashevet o lakachat – For here or to go? – ?לשבת או לקחת...

The Hebrew word לגמור means to finish, but also to reach orgasm. So this episode might not be for everybody! Guy explains how to use the root גמר while playing it safe. Hear the All-Hebrew episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Lesayem – To finish – לסיים Ligmor – To finish / to reach orgasm – לגמור Gmira (coll.) – Orgasm – גמירה Gomrim holchim – We finish and we go – גומרים הולכים Hu gam...

"She'ar" - "the rest," is our week's theme. From the same root we have "lehash'ir" - "to leave," "lehisha'er" - "to stay," and other useful verbs, and of course some spaghetti leftovers from yesterday; host Guy Sharett explains how it's all connected.   Exclusive Content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Ha-she'ar – The rest – השאר She'ar yerakot –  And other things – שאר ירקות Bein ha-sh'ar...

Part of learning a new language is knowing when to speak properly and when you’re free to let loose. Today Guy Sharett explains how to downgrade your upmarket Ulpan Hebrew to street level. EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FOR PATRONS   New words & expressions: Haiyten – You were (pl., f.) – הייתן Ma aten rotsot – What you (pl., f.) want – מה אתן רוצות Eich oto aten mevalbelot – How you (pl., f.) confuse him – אי...

The root נפל is all about falling – ליפול means "to fall." It's used in so many different expressions it can be easy to forget where it came from. Guy takes us through the most common usages, taking us from meteors to waterfalls to shooting down planes. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Hu nafal – He fell – הוא נפל Nafalta hazak – You really went down hard – נפלת...

The root חבב, which gives us the word חביבי, is all about affection. Guy explains what it's got to do with gay Tel Avivi speech and Ashdod in the 80's. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode   New Words and Expressions: Habibi (Arabic) – My darling (m.) – חביבי Habibti (Arabic) – My darling (f.) – חביבתי Haviv – Pleasant, nice – חביב Haya haviv – It was nice – היה חביב Acharon acharon haviv – Last but not le...

As soon as you get close to the root קרב you realize there's much to learn: From family members, to boxing matches, to intestines. Guy helps to make sense of it all, including how it relates to the Aussie TV show "Home and Away." Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Karov, krova, krovim, krovot – Close – קרוב, קרובה, קרובים, קרובות "Nachon at krova" – It's true, you'...

You can "miss" a lot of different things: a bus, a lesson, miss someone, miss the point, and much more. Hebrew does not use one verb for all of the above, and some acrobatics is needed. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Ani mit-ga-ah-ge-ah elayich – I miss you (m to f)  – אני מתגעגע אלייך Ani mit-ga-ah-ge-ah elecha – I miss you (m to m) – אני מתגעגע...