Streetwise Hebrew

Matsav  is a word Israelis use as much as they possibly can. It means situation, state, or condition, but it can be used in lots of different idioms: ma ha-matsav?;   yesh matsav;   Ha-matsav; matsav cherum etc. Guy Sharett takes us through the 'matsav' of the matsav family.   Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Matsav, Matsavim – מַצָּב, מַצָּבִים Ma ha-m...

Be'etsem , which means 'actually,' is comprised of preposition 'be' -בְּ plus the word etsem , which is an 'object,' 'essence,' or 'gist'… but also a 'bone.' What? Guy Sharett explains all. And what is, be'etsem , the difference between small talk and networking? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Be'etsem – Actually – בעצם Etsem (Pl. atsamim) – Object, gist, bone...

Today Guy Sharett teaches us all things  tsarich –  'need.' This root, צרכ, comes in many shapes and sizes: Need, necessity, consumption, consumer, and much more. Guy also tells us about a new word he found in the dictionary – kids, don't try this at home! Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Tsarich – One needs – צריך Kvar tsarich lehit'orer – One already needs...

This week, we dedicate the show to Paris and France, as a tribute to our French friends who are going through a difficult time. Many Israelis don't even know that some of the famous songs they enjoy humming are actually French songs translated into Hebrew – so we sample some of those. Guy Sharett also teaches us some new words like ga'agu'a – 'longing.' A tout de suite! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode...

Everyone in Israel is talking about March 17. Any idea what's happening on that date? That's right, b'chirot - 'elections.' A b'chira is a 'choice.' Guy Sharett teaches us how to choose, elect, and select in Hebrew, in time for March 17. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Bchirot – Elections, choices – בחירות Bchira, bchirot – Choice, choices – בחירה, בחירות Bachar...

There is one thing we Israelis dread above all: Being a 'fraier' – a 'sucker.' That's why we have to stand firm, drive a hard bargain, suspect anyone who offers super cheap prices, and never take things for granted. Guy Sharett teaches us about this crucial term, and we learn what the 'fraieriyoot' index is.   New Words and Expressions: Fraier – פְרָאיֵיר Lihyot fraier – לִהיוֹת פְרָאיֵיר Ata chos...

Ru’ach  means wind or breeze, so you'll hear it a lot on the weather forecast at this time of year. But it also means spirit, soul, or even ghost. Guy Sharett shows us the root's Biblical usages, as well as its cousins in other languages - we even hear a beautiful 13th century Farsi poem.   Words and expressions discussed : Ru’ach – רוּחַ Ru’ach stav – רוּחַ סְתָיו Ruchot chazakot – רוּחוֹת חֲזָקו...

When an Israeli tells you "al tid'ag," or "don't worry," that's when you should probably start to worry. Guy Sharett teaches us how to talk about worrying – or making sure people don't – and what else this root, דאג, has up its sleeve. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Al tid'agi, al tid'ag, al tid'agoo – Don't worry – אל תדאג, אל תדאגי, אל תדאגו Al tid'ag – Don't...

The Hebrew word כאילו  is one of the words you'll hear most on the streets of Tel Aviv. It means 'as if,' but lots of Israelis use it in the same way we use 'kinda,' or 'like' in English. So just  ke'ilu  stick it  ke'ilu  anywhere  ke'ilu  in the sentence! Guy Sharett tells us more… Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Ke'ilu – As if – כאילו "Lif'amim niraa ke'ilu k...

Eavesdrop on any phonecall on a bus or sherut in Israel, count to ten, and you'll probably hear  be'emet ? ('really?') 'Truth,'  emet , and its derivatives are found in all shapes and sizes in Hebrew. Host Guy Sharett teaches us some words and expressions with the alef-mem-tav root… we mean it!  Be'emet ! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: "Rak sheteda et haemet" –...

The Hebrew word דווקא does not have a direct English translation. Sometimes it means "actually" (as opposed to what you might think). At other times it means "particularly." So what does the saying לעשות דווקא (to do a דווקא) mean? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Davka – Actually, as opposed to what you may think – דווקא "ze lo kashe bichlal, ze davka kal" – It'...

We love using ראשי תיבות - acronyms - in modern Hebrew. We take the initials and between the last two letters we add inverted commas (two apostrophes) to show that it's an acronym rather than an ordinary word. Guy explains that the transformation from word to acronym is so extreme that some words even end up changing their gender! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions:...

The Hebrew word חיים, life, is so widely used that we just had to give it its own episode. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Chayim (pl.) – Life – חיים Ha-chayim shelcha nifl'aim – You're life is beautiful – החיים שלך נפלאים "Tni li lageshet el chayaich" – Let me approach your life – תני לי לגשת אל חייך Be-chaye-cha – Come on, please – בחייך Be-chayecha ta'avir ar...

The Hebrew word מת means dying and the word למות means to die. Today, Guy teaches us to use these words to mean 'cool' and 'happy.' As usual, prepositions must rear their ugly head. But don't worry, we're stronger! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Lamoot – To die – למות "Ata chayav lamoot alai" – You must go crazy about me – אתה חייב למות עליי "Ani meta aleyhem"...

Le, לְ, is how we say 'to' or 'for' in Hebrew. Guy teaches some cool expressions, and shows how we say stuff like 'for you' and 'to her.' Plus a bonus tip: How to do the most Israeli 'ch' sound! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: לי, לךָ, לךְ, לו, לה, לנו, לכם, לכן, להם, להן Lachem – To you (pl.) – לכם Lahem – To them – להם "Yesh li cheder mi-sheli" – I have a room...

The word סתם can mean many things in Hebrew: 'for no particular reason,' 'just kidding,' and it also has many more linguistic uses. Today we'll learn the most common uses of סתם by 'enlightened' Israelis, and hear an advert where Rivka from Jerusalem calls China to ask how long she should boil her rice. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Stam – Just like that, for...

Listen to anyone speak on their phone on an Israeli bus and chances are you'll hear them utter the word נכון ('right') every few seconds. Today, Guy teaches us how to use נכון in different circumstances and explains why we should never trust a shin (ש) when we see one. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Nachon – Right, correct, true – נכון "Nachon at yafa" – It's t...

What other ways are there to say 'goodbye' in Hebrew, apart from the ubiquitous,  yalla bye ? If you want to sound like an Israeli you can't just say the right words, you also have to sing them in the right tune. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Lehitraot – See you, until we see each other – להתראות Shalom ve-lo lehitraot – Adieu and not goodbye – ש...

Israelis love to indulge in the circular "how-are-you-how's-it-going-what’s-new" conversation chain, so it’s part of the verbal dance you need to know. Today Guy teaches us 11 ways, no less, of asking someone how they're doing. Let’s get on the dance floor! Words and expressions discussed: Ma hainyanim? (maina-nim) – ?מַה הָעִנְיָינִים Inyan – עִנְיָין Beseder – בְּסֶדֶר Az ma kore? – ?אָז מַה קוֹ...

What's happened to Hebrew-speaking romantics in these days of Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter? How do they convey their feelings in 140 characters? Guy Sharett analyzes a unique song called 'Smiley,' whose lyrics are a collection of one-liners, sometimes just one word long, taken from real online chats between Israeli couples. And, most importantly, which Hebrew word is used by Israelis to text the...

On this episode, we explore the root of the word ערב, which means evening, and explain what it's got to do with Western movies. Plus, why wasn't Miley Cyrus willing to say the name of a famous Israeli TV show host? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: "Erev tov lach, at mushlemet" – Good evening to you, you're perfect – ערב טוב לך, את מושלמת Erev tov le...

Yaffe  means 'beautiful,' but the noun  yofi  – 'beauty' – is used in Modern Hebrew to mean 'Great!' You've probably heard your Hebrew teacher saying it when you get an answer right in class. How do you say 'beauty queen,' for instance? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: "Ha-ra'ita eize yofi?" – Did you see this beauty? – הרָאית איזה יופי Yofi – Beauty – יופי Yafé,...

This week Guy does something a little bit different. He's joined in the studio by Grego Villalobos, an interpreter for the European Institutions in Brussels, originally from Peru. He also happens to be learning Hebrew, so he's an avid Streetwise Hebrew listener. This was a great opportunity for Guy to engage with a listener; to find out how Grego uses the podcast, what he finds most difficult abou...

The word זַיִן, which is also how we say the 7th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is defined as the male reproductive organ. It is a word we hear a lot in Hebrew because it is in many slang terms – many of which are not necessarily related to sex. Today we learn a few of these sayings and find out the connection between the term 'friends with benefits' and Austrian composer Franz Schubert. Listen to...

Everyone's talking about הפסקת אש, ceasefire. Let's get to know the word הפסקה (break) and other words in its family which come from the root פסק. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions : Hafsakat-esh – Ceasefire – הפסקת אש Hafsaka – Break, stop, halting – הפסקה "Maga'im intensiviyim lehafsakat esh, ach ha-esh lo poseket" – There are intensive talks for a ceasefire, but...