Streetwise Hebrew

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...

Gather = lerakez . Center = merkaz . Concentrated = merukaz . Coordinator = merakez . All these words share a common Hebrew root: רכז. Put aside all possible distractions because today's episode is laser-focused on the root RKZ. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode Check out TLV1's WhyWhyWhy! True Stories from Israel podcast  New Words and Expressions: Rikuz - Concentration - ריכוז Yes...

We often hear the same errors made over and over again by those learning to speak Hebrew. Some sound worse than others. But once pointed out, they'll be easy to fix. On this episode, Guy explains some of these common mistakes — why they happen and how to correct them. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Toda al X - Thanks for X - תודה על משהו Toda al ha-pr...

Did you know that "I loved her" in Hebrew can be expressed using only a single word? On this episode, Guy talks love. "Loving", "in love", "falling in love", "love me, love me not"... he covers all the bases. We're pretty sure you're going to love this episode. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Ani ohev shokolad - I like chocolate - אני אוהב שוקולד Oheve...

In Hebrew, צד is side. And what about its plural צדדים, sides? It's a bit of a mouthful. Today Guy explains the different sides of צד, as well as useful expressions like, "fine by me" and "there are two sides to every story." Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Tsad, tsdadim - Side, sides - צד, צדדים Le-shnei ha-tsdadim - To both sides - לשני הצדדים "Birds...

In Hebrew,  mefunak is spoiled (as in a spoiled kid) while lefanek is to spoil. On this episode, Guy explains how to spoil someone rotten and how to deal with spoiled brats. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Mefunaki, pinuki - Spoiled person/kid - מפונקי, פינוקי Dai, tafsik leyalel, mefunaki - Stop wailing, mefunaki - די, תפסיק ליילל, מפונקי Ani medabere...

The word mag'il in Hebrew means disgusting. And even though we're keeping it clean on the podcast, the topic of disgust might not be for everyone. That said, knowing how to say eeew gross in Hebrew is critical! We think you'll be fine as long as you're not eating lunch. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Achil - Edible - אכיל Mag'il - Disgusting - מגעיל Z...

What do we say to a friend who's in bed with high fever? And to someone who got a minor scratch? And to that one person who keeps on complaining but has no right to complain?  Oy misken ! Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode   New Words and Expressions: Misken Juanito - Poor Juanito - מסכן חואניטו Misken Jerry, shamat ma kara lo? - Poor Jerry, did you hear what happened to him? - מסכן...