Streetwise Hebrew

How do we agree with someone in Hebrew? How do we say, I hear you, totally, yeah, right, spot on, exactly? Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Bool ma she-amart/amarta - Exactly what you've said - בול מה שאמרת Bool - Spot on, absolutely - בול Bool ba-zman - Right on time - בול בזמן Maskim - I agree - מסכים Maskim itcha lahalutin - I totally agree with you...

In Hebrew, סוף סוף (sof-sof ) means at last . Sof-sof can also mean finally , but not in all situations. Confusing, right? And how would we say final and infinite in Hebrew, which are derived from the word סוף, end? On this episode, Guy is going to clarify the appropriate usage of סוף סוף – finally. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Sof-sof - At last - ס...

How do we greet a stranger in the elevator, in Hebrew? How about a neighbor from our building? Could we perhaps just look down and not say anything at all? Guy presents a concise guide to Israeli elevator etiquette 101. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode New Words and Expressions: Ze yachol lehechashev lo menumas - It might be considered impolite - זה יכול להיחשב לא מנומס Hagana atsm...

Letting go of someone or something can be a difficult thing to do. How do we let it all go, in Hebrew? Guy explains. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Lo ozev et ha-ir - I am not leaving town - לא עוזב את העיר Hu ozev - He is leaving, letting go - הוא עוזב Azva et ha-ima ve-ha-mishpachca - She left her mom and the family - עזבה את האמא והמשפחה Azva et ha...

Guy noticed that even his most advanced students have problems with the Hebrew words for city, town, and municipality, so he decided to dedicate this episode to these words, once and for all. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Ir gdola - Big city - עיר גדולה Ir hachama - Smart city - עיר חכמה Arim gdolot - Big cities - ערים גדולות Arim yafot - Beautiful c...

Reflecting on the recent decision in Israel to go to elections again only months after the last, US President Trump said that Israeli politics are messed up and that the country needs to "get its act together." One Hebrew translation of Trump's quote read: "hem tsrichim lehit'apes al atsmam" (הם צריכים להתאפס על עצמם), which is extremely slangy and highly appropriate for the moment. So on today's...

There is a small yet significant difference between the Hebrew words פוטרתי and התפטרתי which share the common root פ.ט.ר. The former means "I was fired" and the latter means "I quit." On this episode, Guy covers all things פ.ט.ר, including the words for exemption, resignation, and dismissal. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: "Ani putarti, lo hitpatarti"...

In order to say "that's irritating" or "I'm irritated" in Hebrew, we first need to learn the root ע.צ.ב, which gives us the word עצבים (nerves). Now imagine this scenario... you're at the office, hard at work. You ask a colleague to grab you coffee from the kitchen. But walking over to the other side of the office is the last thing they want to do. So they give you that look. You know the look. Wh...

The Hebrew root ת.ל.ה gives us the words לתלות (to hang), תלה (hung), and תלוי (hangs). So why does זה תלוי mean "it depends"? On this episode, Guy won't leave you hanging as he explains all things ת.ל.ה. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Taluy - It depends - תלוי Hu tala - He hung - הוא תלה Litlot - To hang - לתלות Litlot kvisa - To hang the laundry - ל...

Shlita (שליטה) means control. So why do some people graffiti שולט or שולטת on walls? And how do we say, "where's the remote?" in Hebrew? Guy takes control of the situation and explains. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Efo ha-shalat? - Where is the remote? - ?איפה השלט Shalat rachok - Remote control - שלט רחוק Shalit - Ruler, leader - שליט Le-shlita muh...

Shtiya means drinking, but it could also means beverages. In the last Israeli elections, political pundits spoke about shtiyat kolot , 'votes drinking.' What does it mean, and how did this saying make the jump from army slang to civilian slang? Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Shtiya - Drinking, beverages - שתייה Hu shata - He drank - הוא שתה Lishtot -...

In Hebrew dugma (דוגמה) is "an example," and ledugma (לדוגמה) means "for example." This root, d-g-m, is quite handy and from it we derive words and phrases like fashion model, sample, and the perfect husband. In this episode Guy provides many examples using the root ד.ג.מ. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Ledugma, lemashal - For example - לדוגמה, למשל D...

How many followers (עוקבים) do you have on Facebook? What about Instoosh? Twitter? And what do high heels (עקבים) have to do with social networks? Well, not much except that they share a common Hebrew root. Follow closely as Guy talks about followers, following, follow up, and so much more. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Hu akav - He followed - הוא עק...

We're getting ever closer to elections day in Israel. So over the past few weeks, every time we turned on the news we would hear politicians calling one another a liar. How do we say liar in Hebrew? How do we say white lies ? Guy tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the root sheker (ש.ק.ר). Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: S...

It's time we talk about our emotions, our feelings. On this episode, Guy sets aside his feelings to talk about the Hebrew root r-g-sh. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Regesh, regashot - Emotion, emotions - רגש, רגשות Regashot me'oravim - Mixed feelings - רגשות מעורבים Rigshot ashma - Guilt - רגשות אשמה Ani be-se'arat regashot - I am on an emotional rol...

The Hebrew root מ.ש.כ (mashach) pulls together seemingly unrelated matters like gravity, ATMs, and the act of stalling for time. Mashach is highly resourceful and provides plenty of interesting uses and meanings. As always, Guy provides some serious slang insight. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Hu mashach - He pulled - הוא משך Zochrim et ha-tkufa ha-h...

How does the Hebrew language integrate foreign words into its vocabulary? And how do we Israelis manipulate English words, like coupons and cupcakes, in order to make them sound natural alongside native Hebrew words? Guy explains. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Shipur dramati - A dramatic improvement - שיפור דרמטי Globalizatsia - Globalization - גלובל...

Shabbat (שבת) in Hebrew means Sabbath. In a religious context, it's the time span between Friday afternoon and Saturday evening. In secular terms, it's Saturday, the day of the week. So how do we tell them apart? It depends whether you've been invited Le-Shabbat or Be-Shabbat. And let's not forget the words we derive from the same root, like sabbatical, paralyzed, and strike. On this episode, Guy...

Lehipared  (להיפרד) means 'to break up' but can also be used to say goodbye. The root פרד is your foundation for the words you'll need to request the salad dressing on the side or to explain that you and a friend are paying separately. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Lehipared mi-mishehu - To break up with someone / say goodbye to someone - להיפרד ממיש...

Lachtoch (לחתוך) means 'to cut,' like when we cut onions. But in slang, this word and its root ח.ת.כ can be used in many ways to mean many different things. From 'breaking up' to 'you clean up nice,' or 'a hunk' and 'a hottie.' Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Lachtoch - To cut - לחתוך Eich hotchim batsal? - How do you cut onions? - איך חותכים בצל Eich...

What's the difference between lilmod and lelamed ? What's the difference between limud and limudim ? And how could we have possibly missed the Hebrew root ל.מ.ד on a podcast meant to teach Hebrew?! Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Anahnu lomdim ivrit be-yahad kvar hamesh shanim - We've been learning Hebrew together for more than five years now - אנחנו ל...

"Eize bushot" (איזה בושות) is what we Israelis say when we witness an embarrassing event. Remember the time your mother commented on a Facebook photo of you? איזה בושות! Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Lama ani tsricha lehitbayesh? - Why should I feel ashamed? - למה אני צריכה להתבייש? Ze lo busha lihyot atsuv - One shouldn't be ashamed for being sad -...

The word פשוט (pashut) means "simple" in Hebrew. Knowing that, how would you attempt to say "simplify", "simplicity," or "simpleton"? Guy explains all the complexities behind the seemingly simple root פשט. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Lamdeni et ha-shir ha-pashut - Teach me the simple song - למדני את השיר הפשוט Ze shir ahava pashut - It's a simple l...

What can we learn from the music-listening habits of Israelis in 2018? Lots of interesting uses of Hebrew words and phrases! The internet music service Spotify just published data on the most popular music listened to by Israelis in 2018. We take a look at these songs and revisit our archives in order to remind ourselves when and why we used these songs in previous episodes. Listen to the All-Hebr...

Dropped your phone? Did the screen crack? The phone needs fixing! The Hebrew word you'll need to know is tikun , from the root תקנ. Use it when something needs to be fixed. Tikunim (plural of tikun ) also means corrections, amendments, alterations. Not familiar with the תקנ root and its related words? We can fix that! Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Ti...