Streetwise Hebrew

Now that the holidays are behind us, you will likely get asked 'eich haya,' or 'how was it?' Whether your chagim were fabulous, same ol', or just plain rotten, host Guy Sharett gives you 10 expressions to respond with. He even describes how to use 'pach,' the literal word for trash can. Happy small talking!   Exclusive content for Patrons   New words & expressions: 1. Madhim – Amazing – מדהים 2. A...

Repeat the mantra: I will become a fluent Hebrew speaker. But how do we say 'become' in Hebrew? 'Nihya,' which  is passive of Hebrew verb ' lihyot,'  or 'to be.' TLV1's language Jedi Guy Sharett explains.    Exclusive content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Pitom nihya kayits – Suddenly it became summer – פתאום נהיה קיץ Nihya – It has become – נהיה Ma nihya (niya)? – What's going on? – ?מה...

'Fashla' and 'fadiha,' originally Arabic words, are used by Israelis to talk about embarrassing or awkward moments. Host Guy Sharett tells us not only how to avoid awful mess-ups, but also how to fry up the roots of these words in a sizzling Hebrew verb pan. They get juicy - want a bite? Exclusive content for Patrons   New words & expressions: Efshar lishol ma ata ose kan? – May I ask what are you...

Israelis love  WhatsApp groups. It's how journalists receive the latest news updates, it's how sports teams arrange lifts for upcoming matches, it's how school parents communicate about homework, and, of course, it's how friends plan their weekend get-together. So this week, host Guy Sharett explains how Israelis communicate in WhatsApp groups. We use a special brand of concise, efficient Hebrew t...

The letter "resh" (ר) is one of the most difficult ones to pronounce when you start learning Hebrew, and it can continue to plague you even when you become quite fluent. How did Israelis come to pronounce the letter "r" like this, how do we produce the sound, and is it the "resh" our forefathers had in mind? Today host Guy Sharett answers all these questions and more, with tips, tongue-twisters an...

One of the first words Israeli children learn is "kacha" - "like this" - especially when they keep asking "lama?" - "why?" - and their parents don't have the strength to answer. You may even have been told "kacha" by your Hebrew teacher when you asked too many grammar questions. Today host Guy Sharett answers all your questions about "kacha," and gives some examples of how it pops up in Israeli sl...

"Hu ta'an" means "he loaded" or "charged," like charging a phone. But it can also mean "he claimed" or "complained." If you want to avoid panic-inducing low battery when you're in Israel, you'd better learn how to talk about charging your phone in Hebrew. Host Guy Sharett takes us through the root - .ט.ע.נ - from which we also get baggage, loaded questions and much more. Exclusive content for Patr...

"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...