Streetwise Hebrew

The Hebrew word אירוע means an event, most often a happy event, like a wedding or bar/bat mitzvah. But its usage has changed lately. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Eru'ah yeri – Shooting – אירוע ירי Eru'ah dkira – Stabbing – אירוע דקירה Eru'ah mitgalgel – Developing event – אירוע מתגלגל "Yesh li eru'ah" – I have an event (wedding, bar/bat mitzvah)...

The Hebrew word פרסס is what you'd use in a sentence to ask a driver to make a U-turn. But what does it mean in slang? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Pniya, pniyot – Turn, turns – פנייה, פניות Pniya yamina/smola – Right/left turn – פנייה ימינה/שמאלה Pniyat parsa – U-turn – פניית פרסה "Ata yachol la'asot po parsa vaksha?" – Could you please make a...

The Hebrew word לפנות means to turn, like to turn right or left. But we use לפנות for other things as well, like when we need to contact our municipality or to tell someone to stop texting us. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Lifnot – To turn – לפנות Pné – Turn (Imp., m.) – פנה Pni – Turn (Imp. f.) – פני Pné/pni yamina – Turn right – פנה/פני ימינה Pnu le-rofe ha-...

The Hebrew word הפתעה means "surprise." Don't be surprised if by the end of this episode you'll know several uses of הפתעה to impress your Israeli friends. Oh, and everybody knows what a ביצת הפתעה is, right? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Hafta'ah – Surprise – הפתעה Mesibat hafta'ah – Surprise party – מסיבת הפתעה Yesh li haftaah bishvilcha/bishvilech – I have...

From antique cars to very slow, local buses, Guy picks up where we left off in the last episode and explains additional בניינים from the root אספ. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Asfanoot – Collecting (a collection) – אספנות Rechev asfanoot – Antique car – רכב אספנות Richvei asfanoot – Antique cars – רכבי אספנות Hit'asafnoo kan ha-erev – We gathered here tonight...

The Hebrew word לאסוף is to collect, to gather. We use this verb in supermarkets, airports, and when we talk about people with unique collections. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Esof – Collect, gather (Imp.) – אֱסוף "Esof et ha-ma'asim" – Collect the deeds – אֱסוף את המעשים Asif – Harvest – אסיף Le'esof kesef – To collect money – לאסוף כסף Anachnu osfim kesef k...

What's the right way to pack a suitcase and what should you say to airport security when asked about your packed bags? From the root ארז we get the Hebrew words for packaging, gift boxes and more. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Hu araz – He packed – הוא ארז Arazta/arazt levad – Have you packed it yourself? – ארזת לבד "Ve-laanot shuv va-shuv et ota...

How do you watch your favorite television series? And what genre do you like most? Guy explains all things TV series in Hebrew, and what verbs go along with them. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Sidra – Series – סדרה Sidrat televizya – A TV series – סדרת טלוויזיה Sidrat ha-televizya – The TV series – סדרת הטלוויזיה Sidra shel eru'im – Series of events – סדרת איר...

The Hebrew word יוזמה means initiative. We also use יוזמה when talking about new educational or social projects. Using the verb ליזום, we Israelis often give unsolicited advice to family, friends, and even passersby, telling them to take some initiative in their life! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Yozma – Initiative – יוזמה Ein lo yozma, hu hasar yozma – He la...

The Paris 2024 Olympics are here! What Hebrew words and phrases must we know in order to understand the broadcasts and fully enjoy the games? The hardest of them might just be טניס שולחן. Stam! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Ha-mischakim ha-olimpyiim – The olympic games – המשחקים האולימפיים Ha-olimpiada – The Olympics – האולימפיאדה Atem ro'eem ta-olimpiada? – D...

The Hebrew word מתווך means a real estate agent. Some people really really dislike מתווכים. Let's learn why. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Metavech (dirot) – Real estate agent – מתווך Metavech – Mediator, middleman – מתווך Ha-metavech ba-sichot – The mediator in the talks – המתווך בשיחות "Halo halo halo, ani lo metavech beynechem" – Hey, I am not mediating bet...

Imagine this: You are walking your dog in the 'Viv and, out of nowhere, someone comes up to you, clearly wanting to speak about something important. Their lips are moving. They are saying something. What are they likely to say to a dog owner like you? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Zachar o nekava? – Is it male or female? – זכר או נקבה Ben kama hu / bat kama hi...

You're eyeing the cheddar cheese at a Tel Avivi deli. Now comes the big question: How do you ask the seller to give you 100 grams of it in Hebrew? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Lishkol – To weigh – לשקול Ani shokel / shokelet 63 kilo – I weigh 63kg – אני שוקל / שוקלת 63 ק"ג Ani shokel/shokelet et ha'optsiot sheli – I am weighing my options – אני שוקל / שוקלת א...

The Hebrew word משקל means both weight and the device we use to measure weight, a scale. Whoa! That complicates things. How do we utilize this word in all its possible uses? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Mishkal – Weight, scale – משקל Shomrei mishkal – Weight Watchers – שומרי משקל Odef mishkal / mishkal yeter – Excess weight, overweight – עודף מש...

How do we respond when someone thanks us in Hebrew? What are the equivalents of, 'you're welcome', 'don't mention it' and 'it's nothing'? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Al lo davar – You're welcome – על לא דבר En be'ad ma, en al ma – You're welcome – אין בעד מה Bevakasha – Please / here you are / you're welcome – בבקשה Ein be'aya – No problem – אי...

The words stinky, smelly, and stench , exist in all languages. But in Hebrew these words can also be used as slurs. And while you absolutely should not use them in such manner, you do need to know their use. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Masri'ach – Stinky, smelly – מסריח Sirachon – Stench – סירחון Eize sirachon – What a foul smell – איזה סירחון Ptsatsat sirac...

From face and voice recognition, to identifying with a character from a book, for these and others linguistic uses we utilize the Hebrew root זהה. And how do we say, "Shazam, can you recognize this song?" Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Zihuy panim – Face recognition – זיהוי פנים Zihuy plili – Forensics – זיהוי פלילי Mazap, Ma'abada le-zihuy plili...

The Hebrew word זהות means identity. It's a word we Israelis use many times throughout the day, like any time we call customer service in Israel. Any guesses as to why? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Zehut – Identity – זהות "Zehut achat la-boker, achat la-laila" – One identity for the morning, one for the night – זהות אחת לבוקר, אחת ללילה Teudat zehut – ID – תע...

It happens to all of us: we have a task to accomplish and we promise ourselves to do it right after this one last thing. So how did an entire week pass by so quickly and yet we're staring at an even longer to-do list? Let's talk about procrastination in Hebrew. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Dachyanoot – Procrastination – דחיינוּת Dachyan, dachyanit – Procrasti...

The Hebrew words להתיישב and לשבת are both translated as 'to sit down', but they are not used in the same manner. And how are these words related to the West Bank? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: "Bo maher, hayeshiva kvar hitchila" – Come quick, the meeting has already started – בוא מהר, הישיבה כבר התחילה Lehityashev – To sit down – להתיישב Hu yash...

The word לשבת means to sit, and there's a plethora of uses for this verb in Hebrew. We'll be talking about jails and cafes, dog trainers, Ottoman Jews, and restaurant hosts, all in the same episode! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Yoshev – Sitting – יושב Yoshev al ha-gader – Sitting on the fence – יושב על הגדר Yoshev alai bool – It fits me perfectly – יושב עליי...

The Hebrew word ארץ means land/country. But it changes when we add prepositions to it. It's also an important word if you are training your dog to lie on the floor. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Eretz – Land, country – ארץ Eretz Israel – The land of israel – ארץ ישראל Be-khol ha-aretz – All over the country – בכל הארץ Kadur ha-aretz – The earth,...

So you've learned some Hebrew verbs and nouns, but now you're not sure how to properly address your 80 year old neighbor. Ma'am? גברתי? Mrs. Cohen? גברת כהן? Or is it fine to just use her first name? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Adoni ha-shofet / Kvodo – Your honor (m.) – אדוני השופט / כבודו Gvirti ha-shofetet / kvoda – Your honor (f.) – גברתי השופטת / כבודה...

The Hebrew word לתרגם, to translate, is a handy verb, especially if you live in Israel and go to the cinema. Why? Because you want to make sure the Israeli film you're about to watch has been translated and has English subtitles. How do you ask whether something has been translated to your language? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Letargem – To translate – לתרגם...

The Israeli song לצאת מדיכאון is perhaps the song that best describes how an entire nation is feeling at this moment. It's an appropriate time to talk about דיכאון, depression, and its root. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: "Atem yod'im ma ha-derech hachi tova latset mi-dika'on?" – Do you know what is the best way to get out of depression? – אתם יודעים מה הדרך הכ...