The Hebrew word צחוק means laughter. We combine צחוק with different verbs and prepositions to express how hard we laughed at something or just how funny something is. But as is often the case with Hebrew slang, when used in the right context, and with the appropriate intonation and word-pairing, the word צחוק can be no laughing matter. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ts’chok – Laughter – צחוק Eize ts’chok – That’s hilarious – איזה צחוק Ts’chok-ts’chok – Joking a...
Feb 16, 2021•9 min•Ep. 322
The Hebrew word שרוף means burnt, and its root takes us on an exciting semantic road trip. Guy covers everything from a burning sensation to diehard football fans, seared vegetables to wasting time and money. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ze soref li ba-einayim – My eyes are burning – זה שורף לי בעיניים Soref le-someone ba+body part – My X is burning – שורף למישהו משהו Koev li ha-rosh – I have a headache – כואב לי הראש Ze yisrof tipa – It will burn a bit ...
Feb 09, 2021•12 min•Ep. 321
The Hebrew word קטן looks small but its root holds a large number of slang expressions and verbs. Here’s an example: what does קטן עליי, literally “small on me,” mean in slang? Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Katan – Small – קטן Ze katan aleinu – Yes, we can do it – זה קטן עלינו Katan alai – Easy as pie – קטן עליי Ka tan aleycha, ka tan alayich – You can do it! – קטן עליך, קטן עלייך Ba-ktana – A bit, small size of something – בקטנה “Cottage baktana” – Mini-...
Jan 26, 2021•13 min•Ep. 320
Sometimes we just gotta be honest with ourselves and say, “אני לא סובל אותו” (I can’t stand him). Guy explains the Hebrew root סבל, which means suffering or misery, and how it is linked to muscular endurance, horrible traffic jams and passive verbs. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Sevel – Suffering, misery – סבל “Ata garamta li sevel ve-yisurim” – You caused me misery and agony – אתה גרמת לי סבל ויסורים Eize sevel – Such misery – איזה סבל Lisbol – To suffer...
Jan 19, 2021•16 min•Ep. 319
Is it okay to save an open parking spot for someone, shooing away other drivers? Well, that’s what many Tel-Avivim do. It’s called לשמור חניה, and it happens all the time. On this episode, Guy continues with the root שמר, explaining how to say ‘watch your mouth?’ in Hebrew and why you should never really say it. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Elohim Yishmor – Good lord – אלוהים ישמור Oy, elohim yishmor – Good lord – אוי, אלוהים ישמור Shmor/shimri/shimru me...
Jan 12, 2021•11 min•Ep. 318
The Hebrew words שומר, משמרת, שמירה, משמר, all come from the same shoresh, שמר. On this episode, Guy continues where he left off in the previous episode with the shoresh שמר and, along the way, explains how to avoid embarrassing moments when you’re about to shake hands in Israel. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Strudel – @ sign – שטרודל Shomrim – Guards – שומרים Shmira – Guarding, keeping – שמירה Shmirat shabbat – Keeping the Sabbath – שמירת שבת Shmirat neg...
Dec 22, 2020•15 min•Ep. 317
The Hebrew word שימור (shimur) is an interesting one. We use שימור to say canned goods, the preservation of historic buildings, and even customer retention. Guy explains. Bonus: A rare Yemenite song for Hanukkah. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Galut – Exile, diaspora – גלות Shimur ha-tarbut ha-teimanit – Conservation of the Yemenite culture – שימור התרבות התימנית Meshamer – Conserving – משמר Meshamer et avodat ha-tsorfut ha-atika shel yehudei teiman – He c...
Dec 08, 2020•10 min•Ep. 316
In Hebrew, שירה means singing. It can also be used to mean poetry. It depends on the context. On this episode, Guy reviews the words that stem from the root ש/י/ר and several well-known phrases that make use of them. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Nurit – Buttercup – נורית Agav – Speaking of, apropos – אגב Shira – Singing, Poetry – שירה Shira be-tsibur – Singalong – שירה בציבור Ha-cohenet ha-gdola – The high priestess – הכוהנת הגדולה Meshorer, meshoreret –...
Dec 01, 2020•17 min•Ep. 315
What do courage, poor acting, and pet adoption have to do with one other? They have the same Hebrew root אמצ. On this episode, Guy explains the word אומץ, courage, and its root. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Omets – Courage – אומץ Kibalti/tafasti/azarti omets – I mustered up my courage – קיבלתי אומץ Eize omets – How brave – איזה אומץ Ein li et ha-omets lehagid lach – I don’t have the courage to tell you – אין לי את האומץ להגיד לך Kama she-ani ohev otach –...
Nov 24, 2020•12 min•Ep. 314
There are several confusing verbs in Hebrew. Some are even spelled the same. This is an episode that you will want to follow along with the show notes as you listen. We wouldn’t want to cause any more confusion! Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Tamid ohev, tamid nifga” – He always loves, he always gets hurt – תמיד אוהב, תמיד נפגע Nifga, he gets hurt, nif’al, present, 3rd person, singular, masculine, shoresh: פגע Ma na’ase achshav, nipaga o nitgaber – What s...
Nov 10, 2020•10 min•Ep. 313
In Hebrew, we say, ?נפגעת ממני (Were you offended by me?) We can also say, ?פגעתי בך (Did I offend you?) And even though these two basically mean the same thing, the way we use them in spoken Hebrew determines who is to blame, the speaker or the spoken to. Guy explains. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hu nifga – He was hit, hurt – הוא נפגע Nifga, nifga’im – Casualty, casualties – נפגע, נפגעים Yesh nifgaim – There are casualties – יש נפגעים “Mi-tchilat ha-sh...
Nov 03, 2020•13 min•Ep. 312
How do we say, “I don’t want to offend you” in Hebrew? How about “bullseye”? Or perhaps “fragile”? On this episode, Guy covers the verb לפגוע (lifgo’a), meaning to hurt, and its usage in everyday Hebrew. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Pachot ve-adayin, adayin poge’a” – It’s hurting less, but it’s still hurting – פחות ועדיין, עדיין פוגע Pagata be-emun ha-tsibur – You hurt, you undermined, the public’s trust – פגעת באמון הציבור Pagata be-khol ma she-efshar ...
Oct 27, 2020•10 min•Ep. 311
What do we mean when we say קפה מחוזק (roughly translated as strengthened coffee), and is it legitimate to drink it at 1:30 PM? Or when we say הוא מתחזק (he’s getting stronger) about someone? It’s not what you might think. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Eich lechazek et kol ha-rosh – How to strengthen the head voice – איך לחזק את קול הראש Lehazek – Strengthen – לחזק Tsarich lechazek et ha-shimshiya lifnei ha-sufa – We need to tie the parasol down before th...
Oct 13, 2020•16 min•Ep. 310
It’s asked as a question but it’s actually a statement: ?תחזיק רגע That’s how we ask a friend to hold our bags while we run into another store to buy something. And how would we say, “I think highly of him” (or not so highly)? Guy explains. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Tachzik/tachziki/tachziku rega – Hold this for a sec. – תחזיק/תחזיקי/תחזיקו רגע ‘Tachzik rega neshama’ – Hold it for a sec., darling – תחזיק רגע, נשמה Tachzik shniya – Hold it for a sec. –...
Oct 06, 2020•12 min•Ep. 309
Israelis sometimes use a single word to review a movie or tv series: “!חזק” In Hebrew, חזק (pronounced hazak ) means strong. So what are they trying to convey and how else can we use the word חזק? Guy explains. Check Out the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hazak – Strong – חזק Klaf hazak – High card – קלף חזק Hazak! – Deep, intense, powerful, moving – !חזק Hazak be- mashehu – Expert on something, has a special ability in a specific field – חזק במשהו “Hazak be-ke’evim haz...
Sep 29, 2020•10 min•Ep. 308
The Hebrew word לחפש means “to search for.” So what does “המורה סתם מחפש אותי” or “לכי חפשי ת’חברים שלך” mean? Both are slang and they don’t mean what you might think they mean! On this episode, Guy covers the root ח.פ.ש and explains several ways to say, “take a hike!” Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Lechapes – To search for, to look for – לחפש Chipus ba-reshet – Internet search – חיפוש ברשת Mano’a chipus – Search engine – מנוע חיפוש Chapsu et arizot T...
Sep 15, 2020•10 min•Ep. 307
The Hebrew word לנסות, to try , is very handy in everyday conversation. People always say, “try this,” “don’t try that,” “try these pants on,” “try this dish.” On this episode, Guy tries to explain it all. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Nasui – Married – נשוי Linso’a – To travel – לנסוע “Nisiti meod lehilachem ba-ruchot” – I really tried to fight the winds – ניסיתי מאוד להילחם ברוחות Nisiti (Piel, נסה) – I tried – ניסיתי Giliti – I found out – גיליתי ...
Sep 08, 2020•11 min•Ep. 306
Vé- ( and in Hebrew) is sometimes pronounced Va- or Oo-, depending on the usage. So when is the letter ו at the beginning of a word pronounced Vé, Va or Oo? And should Hebrew learners invest their time to learn these elaborate rules? Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Ve – And – ו (letter vav) “Al safsal ba-gan yoshevet, u-frachim bi-se’ara” – “She’s sitting on a bench, with flowers in her hair” – על ספסל בגן יושבת, ופרחים בשערה Vav + בומ”פ letters = U U-...
Aug 25, 2020•12 min•Ep. 305
The word נגד means against , and its root gives us the Hebrew words for contrast, contradiction and conflict. We’ll also head over to the Knesset in Jerusalem to hear an up or down vote take place. Hear the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Neged – Against, nay – נגד Be’ad – For, yea – בעד Hatsba’ah ba-knesset – A vote in the knesset – הצבעה בכנסת Haver knesset – Member of Knesset – חבר כנסת Lihyot be’ad/neged – To be for or against – להיות בעד/נגד Ani be’ad/neged – I...
Aug 18, 2020•10 min•Ep. 304
In this episode, Guy covers the different words and meanings derived from the root ק.ר.א, like how to say, “Call an ambulance”, “Let’s call a spade a spade,” and perhaps most useful sentence of all, “Let me read to you the text he sent me.” He’ll also introduce you to the girl who currently holds the record for the youngest, most prolific reader of the city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode New Words and Expressions: Colloquial names of Hebrew letters – Daled, Hey, Yud, Pei, Ts...
Aug 04, 2020•13 min•Ep. 303
In Hebrew, נחמה (nechama) means consolation, comfort. It’s also a woman’s first name. The difference comes down to pronunciation. Today Guy explains how to give your condolences and how to jokingly comfort a friend who was delivered a cold pizza. Bonus: How do we say “Misery loves company”? How about comfort food? LISTEN TO THE ALL-HEBREW VERSION OF THIS EPISODE New Words and Expressions: Ko zkukim le-necha ma – We really need consolation – כה זקוקים לנחמה Necha ma – Comfort, consolation – נח מה...
Jul 28, 2020•13 min•Ep. 302
For the first time in its history, the Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled. But hopefully only this year. Many other events, both global and local, were also cancelled, all because the Coronavirus. How do we say “to cancel” in Hebrew, in the present? How about in the past? And what army radio comm talk breached the divide and made its way to civilian slang? Guy explains the root ב.ט.ל. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Bitul ha-hofesh ha-gadol – Cancel...
Jul 14, 2020•10 min•Ep. 301
Join us in celebrating our 300th episode with the best פספוסים ( fisfusim ), bloopers, by Hebrew learners from around the world. Learning Hebrew can be difficult. And we Israelis, who often swallow certain letters when we speak or don’t pronounce our words clearly, sure don’t make it any easier. So as a student trying to understand and speak the language, you’re bound to make mistakes. And that’s okay. The most important part is not letting your fear stop you from trying. Speaking Hebrew is and ...
Jul 07, 2020•25 min•Ep. 300
When job hunting, the Hebrew word דרושים, wanted, is what you’ll find written on job ads. Guy also talks about a slang term that, well, doesn’t hold anything back. A real hitter, one could say. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Ha’am doresh tsedek hevrati – The people (sg.) demands social justice – העם דורש צדק חברתי Lidrosh mashehu mi-mishehu – Demand something from someone – לדרוש משהו ממישהו Anashim dorshim ha’alaat sachar – People demand a pay raise ...
Jun 23, 2020•14 min•Ep. 299
The Hebrew word גבול means border, boundary, and limit. Its root provides us words like restrictions, limitations, and disabilities. So how would we say, “this offer is available for a limited time only”? Guy explains. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Gvul (m.) (pl. gvulot) – Border, boundary, frontier, limit – גבול, גבולות Gvulot be-beit ha-sefer – Boundaries at school – גבולות בבית הספר Az ani bati ve-amarti “rabotai, yesh gvulot” – And I came and sai...
Jun 09, 2020•11 min•Ep. 298
Using pronouns in conversation is easy when speaking our mother tongue. But in Hebrew, it might be more difficult. In this episode, Guy explains the mechanism of Hebrew pronouns which, in turn, will help you sound more natural and casual. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Lama ze magi’a lanu? – Why do we deserve it? – למה זה מגיע לנו? Ze magi’a le-mishehu/lo – Serves him right – זה מגיע למישהו/לו Magi’a le-eli – Eli deserves it – מגיע לאלי Lo yafe, lama ...
Jun 02, 2020•11 min•Ep. 297
In Hebrew, תרגיל means an exercise. This episode includes many תרגילים, of all kinds. Guy also explains the difference between לְ and לַ. And as a bonus: a song in Ladino, the language of the Spanish Jews. Send Guy your audio message guy@tlv1.fm Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode New Words and Expressions: Targil – Exercise – תרגיל Targilei neshima – Breathing exercises – תרגילי נשימה Targilei kol – Voice exercises – תרגילי קול Hayom anachnu na’ase kama targilim bi-myuchad la-davar...
May 26, 2020•12 min•Ep. 296
‘Eich omrim be-ivrit?’ means ‘how do you say in Hebrew?’. Today Guy explains the impersonal in Hebrew. What linguistic tools do we have to say generic things about everybody and anyone? Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: Guf stami – The Impersonal (gramm.) – גוף סתמי Matchilim me-chadash – Starting anew – מתחילים מחדש Lo ichpat li – I don’t care – לא אכפת לי Ma omrim alai – What they say about me – מה אומרים עליי Eich omrim “wi-fi” be-ivrit? – How do you ...
May 19, 2020•11 min•Ep. 295
This is the second episode on the Hebrew word מלא (malé), meaning full. Derived from מלא is the slang word מלאנתלפים (malantalafim). What does it mean and how do we say “a stuffed eggplant”? Guy gives a full explanation. Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode New Words and Expressions: “Shesh-esré mal’u la-na’ar” – The boy has reached the age of 16 – שש עשרה מלאו לנער Mal’u + le-mishehu + age Mal’u lo shloshim – He turned 30 – מלאו לו 30 Mal’u li arba’im – I turned 40 – מלאו לי 40 Mal’...
May 12, 2020•12 min•Ep. 294
In Hebrew, מלא (malé) means full, just like how we feel after eating too many french fries. So what does the phrase מודה בפה מלא, literally, I admit with a full mouth, mean? On this episode, Guy explains the root מ.ל.א Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode New Words and Expressions: Malé, mele’ah – Full – מלא, מלאה “Ani zocher be-leilot shel yare’ach malé” – I remember, on full moon nights – אני זוכר בלילות של ירח מלא “Ani makpida lehagid she-ani shmena, ani lo mele’a, o mele’a ba-mek...
May 05, 2020•10 min•Ep. 293
