Elohim means God in Hebrew. Why does it have a plural suffix at the end? Is it really plural in Modern Hebrew? How do we use elohim in Israeli slang, and what did we borrow from Arabic? Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Elohim – God – אלוהים El, Ela – God, Goddess – אל, אלה Elohim adirim – God Almighty – אלוהים אדירים “Elohim natan lecha be-matana” – God gave you, as a present… – אלוהים נתן לך במתנה Elohim gadol – Nobody knows – אלוהים גדול Elohim yodea – Onl...
Apr 01, 2014•8 min•Ep. 34
The Hebrew word עין means eye. How do we say it in plural? What is עין הרע? And how do we say ‘The apple of my eye’ in Hebrew? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ayin – Eye – עין Einayim – Eyes – עיניים “Al tich’asi einayim sheli” – Don’t be mad, darling – אל תכעסי, עיניים שלי Ooyoon, ayoon – Eyes (Arabic) – عيون – עויון, עיון Ayooni – My darling (Arabic) – عيوني – עיוני Einayim, einayim sheli – Darling – עיניים, עיניים שלי Einai – My eyes – עיניי Be-einai – In my ...
Mar 24, 2014•6 min•Ep. 33
The word Tachles is doing an amazing comeback to spoken Hebrew in the last few years. Where is it from, and what other words do we know from the same family? Words and expressions we talk about: תַּכְלִית tachlit תַּכְלִיתִי tachliti רַב תַּכְלִיתִי rav tachliti תַּכְלִיתִיּוּת tachlitiyut תַּכְלִית < תַּכְלֵס tachlit < tachles שַבָּת < שָאבֵּס shabat < shabes טָלִית < טָאלֵס talit < tales בַּתַּכְלֵס ba-tachles Songs: Shalom Rav, Chava Alberstein https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Mar 18, 2014•8 min•Ep. 32
Let’s talk about trains in Hebrew. What’s the root of רכבת, and how is it related to horse riding? Also, what do we call the Jerusalem Light rail in Hebrew and in Arabic? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Rakevet – Train – רכבת Karon shakket – Quiet train car – קרון שקט Lirkav al ofanyaim – To ride a bicycle – לרכב על אופניים Nasati barakevet – I went by train – נסעתי ברכבת Rokhev al sus – Riding a horse – רוכב על סוס Rechiva al susim – Horse riding – רכיבה על סוס...
Mar 11, 2014•6 min•Ep. 31
What’s חפיף, which language did we get it from, and how do you use it in Hebrew slang? Oh, and there’s a verb, too, לחפף. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Chafif (Ar.) – Light (opp. Of heavy), easy going – חפיף Dammo chafif (Ar.) – “His blood is light”, he’s funny, an easy going guy – دمه خفيف – דמו ח’פיף “K’chu chafif et hachayim” – Take life easy – קחו חפיף את החיים “Im mashehu kara, hafif ze lo nora” – If something happened, that’s ok, no worries. – אם מש...
Mar 04, 2014•7 min•Ep. 30
What’s Shitat Matsli’ach? And why do they say that everybody needs ksharim in life? What’s protektsia? And what’s Vitamin P? So many questions, so little time. Today we talk about bureaucracy in Israel. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Shitat matsliach – “The maybe successful technique” – שיטת מצליח “Ani matsliach lehavin pachot” – “I am successful in understanding less” – אני מצליח להבין פחות Im hitslachta/hitslacht – If you succeeded – אם הצלחת Kshari...
Feb 25, 2014•8 min•Ep. 29
We Israelis may not be the most polite people in the world, but from time to time even we say “I’m sorry” and “excuse me.” How do you say it in Hebrew? And what can you answer back? And how is it all connected to Korean? Listen and find out. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Slicha – Forgiveness – סליחה Sole’ach, solachat – Forgiving – סולח, סולחת “Slichot” wikipedia Slach/Slechi li – Excuse me – סלח לי / סלחי לי “Slicha al shepagati bach” – Sorry for hurting...
Feb 18, 2014•7 min•Ep. 28
When we need to use a foreign word in Hebrew, what do we do? Do we take it as is, or do we invite it to come along and wear Hebrew clothes? And how did my Dad say the word “Washington”? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Zot rak comedia yeshana, parodia meshuna” – C’est rien que de la comédie, que de la parodie (It’s nothing but a comedy, a parody) – זאת רק קומדיה ישנה, פרודיה משונה Parodya – Parody – פרודיה Comedya – Comedy – קומדיה “Situatsia aluva u-shneinu ba-...
Feb 11, 2014•7 min•Ep. 27
Israelis are playing it tough most of the time. How do you ask an Israeli to do something for you? Here are some ideas on how to make your message come across, without sounding too bossy, which might wreak havoc in the Middle East. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Efshar – Possible – אפשר Efshar lekabel mapit? – Could I have a napkin? – אפשר לקבל מפית Efshar mapit? – Could I have a napkin? – אפשר מפית Efshar espresso aroch – Could I have a long espresso? – אפשר...
Feb 04, 2014•5 min•Ep. 26
Relationships are hard. Here are some Hebrew slang terms to express your undying love — or lack thereof — with your significant other. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Tafur aleyha – She’s made to measure for me – תפור עליה Ha-job ha-hadash tafur alai – The new job is cut out for me – הג’וב החדש תפור עליי Tfira – Sewing – תפירה Mechonat tfira – Sewing machine – מכונת תפירה Zamin – Available – זמין “Ha-manui eino zamin ka’et” – The subscriber is not available...
Jan 28, 2014•8 min•Ep. 25
The word בסדר means okay, alright, and is one of the first words you learn in Hebrew. But where did it come from and what does it literally mean? And what’s the connection to the Ashdod Port? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Beseder – Fine, ok, alright – בסדר Be+seder – In (the) order – בַּסדר Seder pesach – Passover dinner – סדר פסח Lesader – To organize, to put in order – לסדר Sidoor – Organizing – סידור La’asot sidoorim – To run errands – סידורים Ha-klafim mes...
Jan 21, 2014•9 min•Ep. 24
Imperative in Hebrew: Often the ‘real’ imperative of our language sounds archaic to us, so we use the future instead. Here’s a quick how-to on the Hebrew imperative. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Saper/sapri/sapru – Tell (imp.)! – ספר, ספרי, ספרו Tesaper – You will tell – תספר “Elohim, ten li rak tipat mazal” – God, just give me a bit of luck – אלוהים תן לי רק טיפת מזל “Az titen li shiv’a shkalim” – So just give me 7 shekel then – אז תיתן לי רק שבעה שקלים Ten/...
Jan 14, 2014•8 min•Ep. 23
How do we say darling or honey in Hebrew? And can we use kapara and motek to both male and female? Listen to our lovey dovey episode. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: “K’chi taxi habaita kapara, lifney she-yihye me’uchar” – Take a taxi home, darling, before it’s going to get late – קחי טקסי הביתה, כפרה, לפני שיהיה מאוחר Kapara – Atonement, forgiveness – כפרה Kapara sheli – My darling – כפרה שלי KaPAra al X – It’s nothing, don’t worry about it (X being a...
Jan 07, 2014•7 min•Ep. 22
Why do we sometimes repeat the same word twice in Hebrew? Mashu-mashu , gever-gever , for example. Today we’ll talk about reduplication in Hebrew and… about Belize. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Le’at le’at – Slowly – לאט-לאט Mashu-mashu – Great – משהו-משהו Ha-lasagna ha-zot, mashu! – This lasagna is amazing! – הלזניה הזאת, משו Ha-lasagna ha-zot, mashu-mashu! – This lasagna is amazing! – הלזניה הזאת, משו משו Gever-gever – Macho – גבר-גבר Hi isha-isha – She’s a...
Dec 31, 2013•5 min•Ep. 21
The level of service in Israel can change from day to day, hour to hour. It depends on many factors, like the mood of the serving staff, life in the city, and other seemingly random factors. Guy explains. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Lo yodea ma ba li, al ma at mamlitza?” – I don’t know what I feel like, what do you recommend? – ?לא יודע מה בא לי, על מה את ממליצה “Az ma ba lanu le-kinu’ach?” – So what do we feel like for dessert? – ?אז מה בא לנו לקינוח ...
Dec 24, 2013•7 min•Ep. 20
Yes, you can learn Hebrew from pop culture. This time we decided to check out reality show Hebrew: We took one episode of The X Factor Israel and wrote down all the adjectives used there. Which ones made it to the top? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon Watch the entire X Factor episode Ze tov, ze tov, by Shokolad, Menta, Mastik New Words and Expressions: Tov – Good – טוב Metoraf – Crazy – מטורף “Yesh la yecholot metorafot” – She has crazy abilities – יש לה יכולות מטורפות “Ze she-higati ad k...
Dec 17, 2013•5 min•Ep. 19
In Hebrew, זזים (we’re making a move), זזנו (we made a move), and נזוז (we’ll make a move) are all used in the same way to say, “yalla, let’s go.” Guy explains. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Yalla, ani ole la’otobus” – I am getting on the bus – יאללה, אני עולה לאוטובוס “Ata taale laotobus, ata od lo ole” – You will get on the bus, you’re not getting on it yet – אתה תעלה לאוטובוס, אתה עוד לא עולה Zazim – Let’s go – זזים Nazuz? – Shall we make a move? – נז...
Dec 10, 2013•7 min•Ep. 18
The Hebrew word for husband is בעל, which also means owner . It’s no wonder, then, that so many Israeli women dislike its use. So what can we say instead? Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ba’al – Husband – בעל Ba’ali – My husband – בעלי Ben ha-zug – Male partner – בן הזוג Bat ha-zug – Female partner – בת הזוג “Ha-ben zug” (coll.) – The male partner – הבן זוג “Ha-bat zug” (coll.) – The female partner – הבת זוג “Ba’ali hu bediyuk bishvili” – My husband is just...
Dec 03, 2013•8 min•Ep. 17
Cursing* drivers is a national sport in Israel. Here are a few words and phrases you can use the next time someone cuts you off. * Streetwise Hebrew will not be responsible or liable for any misuse of idioms, words, verbs or adjectives mentioned in this show. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hel’at ha-min ha-enoshi – Scum of the human race – חלאת המין האנושי Evil mashrish – Stupid person – אוויל משריש Ben zona – Son of a bitch – בן זונה Bat zona – Daughter o...
Nov 26, 2013•8 min•Ep. 16
The word שואה, holocaust, used to be a sacred word. Not anymore. Like many loaded words, we used and reused it. Now you can hear people using Sho’a in totally different contexts. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Shoah – Holocaust – שואה Amud ha-esh – Pillar of fire – עמוד האש Yom Hazikaron La-shoah ve-la-gvura (Yom Ha-shoah) – The Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day – יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה, יום השואה Germania ha-natsit – Nazi Germany – גרמניה הנאצית “Ani ba...
Nov 19, 2013•5 min•Ep. 15
The Hebrew language lay dormant for a very long while. When it reemerged from its slumber, we Israelis found ourselves without the right words for all things relating to sex. Just how serious is this problem? Quite serious. Guy explains. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon Words and Expressions: Zayin – Dick – זין Pot, nartik, Vagina – Vagina – פות Kus – Pussy – כוס Le'onen – To masturbate – לאונן Lezayen – To fuck – לזיין Kusit – Chick, babe – כוסית Mizdayenet – She is fucking – מזדיינת...
Nov 11, 2013•7 min•Ep. 14
Kombina is one of the most salient features of Israeli society. In order to survive in this country, one needs to fend for oneself, using all possible means: Contacts, resourcefulness and creative ideas. Some Israelis say we are even ‘Medinat Kombina’, a ‘kombina’ state. So how do you use this word, and how can you even turn it into a verb? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Kombina, kombinot – Connections, shady business – קומבינה Kombinator – A person with a shad...
Nov 05, 2013•5 min•Ep. 13
In Hebrew, צוהריים means noon, and אחר הצוהריים means afternoon. But the actual afternoon hours, the ones we Israelis think of as afternoon, may be completely different than your own. So what do we mean when we say, “call me in the afternoon”? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Tsohorayim – Noon – צוהריים Hu hits-hir – He declared – הוא הצהיר “Be-tsohoray ha-yom” – At noon – בצוהרי היום Aruchat tsohorayim – Lunch – ארוחת צוהריים Lifney ha-tsohorayim –...
Oct 29, 2013•7 min•Ep. 12
What happens when we add the suffix -oosh to a word? And how do young people call Instagram in Hebrew? Hint: Not insta. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hi-oosh – Hey there (slang) – היוש Guyoosh, Galitoosh, Eyaloosh – Guy, Galit, Eyal (diminutive) – גיוש, גליתוש, איילוש Havitoosh – חביתוש Havit – Barrel – חבית Bat mitsvoosh – Bat mitzvah (diminutive) – בת מצווש Keshetoosh – Keshet (girl’s first name) + oosh – קשתוש Im atem mitgarshim, ani holechet im aboosh – If...
Oct 22, 2013•7 min•Ep. 11
People say that Israelis can sometimes be rude when speaking. Or are we simply too direct? Contrary to popular belief, we do have ways to be courteous in modern Hebrew. Want to know how? Bevakasha! Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Bevakasha – Please, here you are – בבקשה Ani rotse cappuccino – I want (I’d like) cappuccino – אני רוצה קפוצ’ינו “Hayiti rotsa cappuccino” – I would like / I would have liked cappuccino – הייתי רוצה קפוצ’ינו “Aval tov, ah?” – “But ...
Oct 15, 2013•7 min•Ep. 10
What Hebrew language teachings can we pick up from the documentary TV series “ Mishpachot ,” by the Heymann Brothers? The series is composed of five Israeli families who utilize many different layers of the language. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Mishpacha, mishpachot – Family, families – משפחה, משפחות “Ani ha-gever shelach” – I am your man – אני הגבר שלך “Ata ha-gever sheli, aval ata gam ha-yeled sheli” – You are my man, but you’re also my son – אתה הגבר שלי,...
Oct 08, 2013•4 min•Ep. 9
Today, I’ll give you a few tips: how to improve your accent and pronunciation in Hebrew. There are many things you can do on your own, at home. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Ma ata omer?” – What do you say? – מה אתה אומר “Ata omer li dvarim” – You are telling me things – אתה אומר לי דברים Playlist and Clips: My Fair Lady My Fair Lady – Hebrew version Kol Israel – Yehudit Ben Yaakov 88FM (Kan) – Kan, Sham uv-khol makom Israeli Radio in foreign languages Daniel...
Oct 01, 2013•6 min•Ep. 8
The word סחבק comes from Arabic and means “your friend.” So what’s its meaning when used in Hebrew? And what’s סחבקייה? Oh, and there’s even a verb, להסתחבק. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Sahbak qal li” – Your friend told me (Ar.) – صاحبك قالي – סחבק קאל לי “Ve’az sahbak ro’eh she-hamatsav lo tov” – And then yours truly sees that things are not going well”. – ואז סחבק רואה שהמצב לא טוב Ha-sahbakiyoot ha-israelit – The notion of the lack of proto...
Sep 24, 2013•6 min•Ep. 7
In Hebrew, the default form is the masculine form. But what happens when a navigation application speaks to women as if they were guys? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Maslul – Route – מסלול Ya’ad – Destination – יעד Pni – Turn (Imp., fem.) – פני Pneh – Turn (Imp., m.) – פנה Hayim, hayot – Live (present tense, pl. m, pl. f.) – חיים וחיות Anachnu hayavot ve-hayavim – We must (f.) and must (m.) – אנחנו חייבות וחייבים Anachnu lo yecholot ve-yecholim – We cannot (f....
Sep 17, 2013•8 min•Ep. 6
The word כבר, meaning “already,” has so many functions in modern Hebrew that we decided to dedicate an entire episode to it. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Kvar acharey chatzot – It’s already past midnight – כבר אחרי חצות Nu, dai kvar – Come on, enough already – נו, די כבר Achalta kvar – Have you already eaten? – אכלת כבר Ani kvar ba – I will come soon – אני כבר בא Wow, chatzot kvar – Wow, it’s already midnight – וואו, חצות כבר Ne’emar kvar ha-kol – Everyt...
Sep 10, 2013•8 min•Ep. 5
