Streetwise Hebrew

This is from our 100th podcast episode, and we felt it was time to say, "toda raba," thanks so much. This is a good opportunity to learn how to thank someone profusely and cynically in Hebrew. Hear the all-Hebrew Episode   New Words and Expressions: Toda – Thanks – תודה Toda al ha-osher – Thanks for the happiness – תודה על האושר Toda la-el – Thank God – תודה לאל Toda le-mishehu al mashehu – Thanks to someone for something – תודה למישהו על משהו Be'emet toda raba – I really thank you very much – באמת תודה רבה Mamash / Hamon / Ma-zeh toda – I really thank you – ממש / המון / מה-זה תודה Be-toda – With thanks – בתודה Be-toda me-rosh – Thanks in advance – בתודה מראש Asir toda – Grateful – אסיר תודה Ani modeh – I thank – אני מודה Lehodot le-mishehu al mashehu – To thank someone for something – להודות למישהו על משהו "Hakol nachon, ani mode ba-ashma" – Everything is true, I plead guilty – הכל נכון, אני מודה באשמה Lehodot be mashehu – To admit to doing something – להודות במשהו Ani ma-ze mode lach – I really thank you –

Hebrew has this interesting structure: Verb “haya” (past tense of “to be”) plus a conjugated verb in the present, like “hayiti holech.” It can mean several different things, and host Guy Sharett teaches us all of them, including some conditional phrases. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: “Hayita bone li kirot, hayita matkin menorot, sheyihye li or” – You would build walls for me, you’d install lamps, so that I’d have light – היית בונה לי קירות, היית מתקין מנורות, שיהיה לי אור “Lu hayiti shnei alim ba-stav, hayiti nosheret alecha achshav” – If I were two leaves in the fall, I’d fall on you right now – לו הייתי שני עלים בסתיו, הייתי נושרת עליך עכשיו Ma atem hayitem osim? – What would you do? – מה אתם הייתם עושים Hayiti ochel pizza achshav – I could have a pizza now – הייתי אוכל פיצה עכשיו “Ani zocher be-leilot shel yare’ach male, hayit ba’a elay” – I remember on full moon nights, you used to come to me – אני זוכר בלילות של ירח מלא, היית באה אליי “Hayit sholachat yad ve-okeret e

It's been exactly a year since we had Gadi (Grego) in the TLV1 studio for a short conversation. He's made aliyah since then. We wanted to check in with Gadi to see how he's doing and to get some Hebrew speaking tips from him. Last year's interview: http://tlv1.fm/streetwise-hebrew/2014/09/02/how-a-peruvian-interpreter-goes-about-learning-hebrew-streetwise-hebrew

An עוזר is an “assistant,” but it could also mean “he’s helping” – a verb in the present tense. How are you supposed to know which one it is? Guy teaches us how to work it out from the context, and he explains what initials religious people jot on every piece of paper they write on. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Shalom, efshar laazor- Hello, may I help? – שלום, אפשר לעזור Ata/at yachol/yechola laazor li bevakasha? – Could you help me please? – אתה/את יכול/ה לעזור לי בבקשה Ulai at yechola la’azor li… – Maybe you could help me… – אולי את יכולה לעזור לי Eich ani yachol/yechola laazor lecha – How can I help you? – איך אני יכול/ה לעזור לך Ze mamash azar li – This really helped me – זה ממש עזר לי  Ze lo azar –  It didn’t help – זה לא עזר לי “Hayiti be-esrim tipulim, shum davar lo azar” – I had 20 sessions, nothing helped – הייתי ב-20 טיפולים, שום דבר לא עזר Lo ya’azor bet din – Even a court won’t help – לא יעזור בית דין Lo ya’azor klum – Nothing can help – לא יעזור כלום Ozer/et

Omed, "stands," and omed le-, "is about to," are two different things. Guy teaches us the important words in this shorseh("root"), ע.מ.ד, one of which is also a sexual term. At the end of the episode, Guy explains how you can learn Hebrew from reading tombstones at an old Tel Aviv cemetery. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: La'amod – To stand – לעמוד "Ha-kol omed bamakom" – Everything stands still – הכל עומד במקום Hu omed – He is standing – הוא עומד Hu omed lalechet – He's about to go – הוא עומד ללכת Hi amda linsoa le-chul – She was about to go abroad – היא עמדה לנסוע לחו"ל Aval ba-sof hi lo nas'aa – But she didn't go in the end – אבל בסוף היא לא נסעה Ani rotse lada'at eifo ani omed ba'avoda – I want to know where I am standing at work – אני רוצה לדעת איפה אני עומד בעבודה Omed lo – He's got an erection – עומד לו Ha-lev sheli lo omed be-ze yoter – My heart cannot stand this anymore – הלב שלי לא עומד בזה יותר Ani lo omed be-ze – I can't deal with it – אני לא עומד בזה Ani omed a

How do you say "have a great day" in Hebrew? In English it's so easy, but in Hebrew you have to take into account a few different things, like the gender of what you're wishing. Guy Sharett teaches us some useful formulas, and tells us a story about an interesting wedding that didn't end like it started… Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: She-yihye lach tov – May you be well – שיהיה לך טוב Ani me'achel lecha she-yihye lecha achla yom – I wish that you have a great day – אני מאחל לך שיהיה לך אחלה יום She-yihye lecha achla yom/she-yihye achla yom/achla yom – May you have a great day ahead – שיהיה לך אחלה יום/שיהיה אחלה יום/אחלה יום Achla shavua – Great week; Have a great week – אחלה שבוע Achla mishmeret – Have a great shift – אחלה משמרת Achla yom she-yihye – Have a great day – אחלה יום שיהיה She-yihye achla tiyul – Have a great trip – שיהיה אחלה טיול She-yihye sofash naim/Sofash naim – Have a great weekend – שיהיה סופ"ש נעים/סופ"ש נעים She-tihye achla mesiba – Have a great

Many things "happen" here in the Holy Land, which is why the root "kara" – ק.ר.ה – with all its derivatives, is so popular. Guy Sharett explains how it's related to murder, earthquakes, and soy milk, and finishes with an anecdote (in Hebrew) about a lady called Carmela. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Karah – Happened – קרה "Ma kara la-yeled" – What happened to the child – מה קרה לילד Ma kara, ma kara? – What on earth? – מה קרה, מה קרה Ma koreh achi? – What's going on, dude? – מה קורה אחי Az ma od koreh itach – So what else is happening with you? – אז מה עוד קורה איתך Ma koreh im… – What's happening with… – מה קורה עם Ma kara im – What happened to… – מה קרה עם Tagidi ma kore itach? – Tell me, what's happening with you – תגידי מה קורה איתך Ma koreh itach? – What on earth is going on with you? – מה קורה איתך Ma leazazel koreh itcha? – What the hell is going on with you? – מה לעזאזל קורה איתך Ze ma she-kara – This is what happened – זה מה שקרה Ze lo kore li – It's not happenin

How many times have you called a company or a bank and had to deal with מענה קולי, an automated answering service? Today we’ll learn words and phrases you’ll be hearing while waiting on the telephone line, plus a tip how to quickly reach a real live customer service representative. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Ma’ane koli – Voice answering service – מענה קולי Le-ivrit na lehakish achat – For Hebrew please press 1 – לעברית נא להקיש אחת Ana/na – Kindly, please – אנא, נא Na lehakish – Please press – נא להקיש Li-tmicha technit – For technical support – לתמיכה טכנית Litmoch be-mishehu – To support someone – לתמוך במישהו Le-sherut lakochot – For customer service – לשירות לקוחות Meida klali – General information – מידע כללי Hinchem mu’avarim li-ntsig tmicha – You’re being transferred to a support agent – הנכם מועברים לנציג תמיכה Natsig – Representative, agent – נציג Netsig tmicha technit – Technical support agent – נציג תמיכה טכנית Netsig sherut – Customer service agent – נציג

תאומים are twins, from the root תאמ which is used in Hebrew for anything to do with matching, suiting, fitting, and coordinating. Let's learn how to use this family of words in our everyday life. Mat'im lachem? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Te'om, te'omim – Twin, twins – תאום, תאומים Zug te'omot siamyot – A pair of siamese twins (f.) – זוג תאומות סיאמיות Migdaley ha-teomim – The twin towers – מגדלי התאומים "Zeh lo ta'am et ha-tsipiyot" – It did not match the expectations – זה לא תאם את הציפיות "Eich lifgosh ben zug to'em – How to meet a matching partner – איך לפגוש בן זוג תואם Eich efshar letaem pgisha merubat mishtatfim – How can one coordinate a multi-participant meeting – איך אפשר לתאם פגישה מרובת משתתפים Te'amti lecha tor – I've coordinated an appointment for you – תיאמתי לך תור Meto'emet lecha/lach pgisha – A meeting is coordinated for you – מתואמת לך פגישה Efshar leta'em li tor? – Is it possible to coordinate an appointment? – אפשר לתאם לי תור Te'um, teumim – Coordi

The Hebrew word ‘sherut’ means ‘service,’ but the plural – ‘sherutim’ – is more commonly used to mean something quite different. From toilets to angels, Guy Sharett teaches us what else we can learn from this root. Hope you’re happy with our sherut! Listen to the All-Hebrew Version on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Sherut – Service – שירות Lesharet – To serve – לשרת Hi mesharetet – She serves – היא משרתת Sherut tsva’i – Army service – שירות צבאי Sherut le’umi – National service – שירות לאומי Sherut atsmi – Self service – שירות עצמי Monit sherut –  Shared taxi – מונית שירות Sherut lakochot – Customer service – שירות לקוחות Sherut chadarim – Room service – שירות חדרים Sherutim – Toilets, bathroom – שירותים Sherutim tsiburiyim – Public toilets – שירותים ציבוריים Hayinu me’ashnim be-sherutei ha-banim – We used to smoke in the boys toilets – היינו מעשנים בשירותי הבנים Sheruti – Service-oriented – שירותי Le-sherutcha – At your service – לשירותך Lo kolel sherut – Doesn’t include service – לא כולל שירות Sharat

Why is it that some mistakes in a foreign language sound worse than others? It’s unfair, but some things Hebrew learners say sound more cringy to the Israeli ear than others. Guy Sharett teaches us what mistakes make Israelis cringe so we can try to avoid them at all costs! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Ka’asher – When (archaic) – כאשר K’sheh – When –  כש K’shebati habaita – When I came home – כשבאתי הביתה K’she-ha-lev bocheh – When the heart is crying – כשהלב בוכה Ima sheli – My mom – אמא שלי Lirot et ha’or – To see the light – לראות את האור Pagashti et Danny – I met Danny – פגשתי את דני Ani ochel tapu’ach – I am eating an apple – אני אוכל תפוח Ani ochel et ha-tapu’ach – I am eating the apple – אני אוכל את התפוח “Hayiti rotse lihyot melech shelach” – I’d like to be your king – הייתי רוצה להיות מלך שלך Ani rotsa cappuccino bevakasha – I’d like a cappuccino – אני רוצה קפוצ’ינו בבקשה Efshar kiseh? – Could I please have a chair? – אפשר כיסא Efshar ledaber im Alex? – May I sp

In Hebrew, בטח or בטוח – “sure” or “for sure” – are words we hear a lot on the Israeli streets, so we need to know how to use them properly. Guy does some excavation work so we can see where this root, בטח comes from. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: “Israel betach be-elokim” – People of Israel have faith in God – ישראל בטח באלוקים Livto’ach be-mishehu – To trust in someone – לבטוח במישהו Batu’ach – Safe, secure – בטוח Ani margish batu’ach – I feel safe – אני מרגיש בטוח Batu’ach – For sure, sure thing – בטוח Betach she-agi’a – Sure I’ll come – בטח שאגיע Bitu’ach – Insurance – ביטוח Levate’ach – To insure – לבטח Polisat bitu’ach – Insurance policy – פוליסת ביטוח Bitu’ach leumi – Social security – ביטוח לאומי “Bi-mdinat Israel kol talmid mevutach be-polisa shenikret polisat talmidim” – In the state of Israel every student is insured with a policy called student insurance policy – במדינת ישראל כל תלמיד מבוטח בפוליסה שנקראת פוליסת תלמידים “Hivtachtem yona, aleh shel zayit, hivta

It's summertime and everybody is going somewhere for hofesh, holiday. That being the case, let's talk about flights, package deals and checking-in –Hebrew style. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Hofesh – Holiday –חופש Ha-hofesh ha-gadol – The summer holiday –החופש הגדול Hofesh ha-dibur – Freedom of speech –חופש הדיבור Hufsha – Vacation –חופשה Hufsha mishpachtit – Family vacation –חופשה משפחתית Hofshi ze legamrei levad – To be free means to be completely on your own –חופשי זה לגמרי לבד Lakachat hofesh – To take days off –לקחת חופש Ani be-hofesh – I am on holiday –אני בחופש Latus, tisa – To fly, flight –לטוס, טיסה Tisa haloch va-shov – A Round trip flight –טיסה הלוך וָשוב Hazmana – Reservation, booking, order, invitation –הזמנה Chevrot hateufa zihu et ha-nekuda ha-regisha etsel ha-nosea ha-israeli, ha-chalom lehisthadreg le-machleket asakim – The airlines recognized the Israeli passenger's soft spot, the dream to be upgraded to business class – חברות התעופה זיהו את הנקודה

The Hebrew word ילד – 'child' – comes from the root 'y.l.d' – י.ל.ד – which has made a huge career for itself in Semitic languages. This is a great example of how one root behaves in different verb patterns, keeping the stem meaning but then providing us with exciting branches of it. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Yeled – Kid, boy – ילד Yalda – Girl – ילדה "Kulanu yeladim shel ha-chayim" – We are all children of life – כולנו ילדים של החיים "Yaldey ha-yare'ach" – "Children of the moon" – ילדי הירח "Hu ya'aseh lach yeled" – He will have a child with you – הוא יעשה לך ילד Ta'aseh li yeled – Give me a child – תעשה לי ילד Hi yalda – She gave birth – היא ילדה Hi yalda ben/bat – She gave birth to a boy/girl – היא ילדה בן/בת "Eich shir nolad?" – How is a song born? – איך שיר נולד Hu nolad – He was born – הוא נולד "Ma nolad?" – What was born (a boy or a girl)? – מה נולד Nolad lo ben – He had a boy – נולד לו בן Nolda lahem bat – They have a little girl – נולדה להם בת "Ani noladti la

Enough is enough! Guy Sharett introduces us to the word 'maspik' - 'enough.' We'll also listen to some songs so we can check out how 'maspik' deals with the adjectives, adverbs, and verbs it meets on the way.   New words & expressions: Ze maspik? - Is it enough? - ?זה מספיק Ze lo maspik – It’s not enough – זה לא מספיק Metsuyan – Excellent – מצויין Tov meod – Very good – טוב מאוד Kim’at tov me’od – Almost very good – כמעט טוב מאוד Kim’at tov – Almost good – כמעט טוב Maspik – Sufficient, just about – מספיק Maspik be koshi – Hardly sufficient – מספיק בקושי Bilti maspik – Not sufficient – בלתי מספיק Bilti nisbal – Unbearable – בלתי נסבל Ha-state dipartment natan le-Israel tsiyun bilti maspik be-sovlanoot datit – The State Department gave Israel an 'F' in religious tolerance - משרד החוץ האמריקני נתן לישראל ציון בלתי מספיק בסובלנות דתית Bilti maspik be-matematika, be-historia – בלתי מספיק במתמטיקה, בהסטוריה - Below standard/'F' in mathematics, in history Maspik im – enough with – מספיק עם Maspik im ze ve-dai -

"Od, od, od!" – we're always wanting more. How do we ask for more milk, for an encore or for another goal in a football game? You guessed it, we use "od." Guy Sharett tells us more… Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Od – More, else, still – עוד Ken, od tipa – Yes, a tiny bit more – כן, עוד טיפה Efshar od chalav? – May I have a bit more milk? – אפשר עוד חלב "Ma od bikasht?" – What else did you ask for? – מה עוד ביקשת Ma od vaksha? – What else would you like? – מה עוד בבקשה Od mashehu? – Anything else? – עוד משהו Ma od, ata rotseh gam café? – What else, do you want a cup of coffee as well? – מה עוד, אתה רוצה גם קפה Mi od ba? – Who else is coming? – מי עוד בא Tagidi li od paam – Tell me one more time – תגידי לי עוד פעם "Od ha-paam" – One more time – עוד הפעם "Ata od tegaleh et ha-olam" – You'll still discover the world – אתה עוד תגלה את העולם Yesh adayin zman, yesh od zman – There's still time – יש עוד זמן, יש עדיין זמן Daber iti be-od yomayim – Talk to me in two days – דבר איתי

Guy shares his top 10 tips on how to rejuvenate your linguistic inner self: 1. Find stuff you love and read about it in Hebrew. 2. Songs on StreetwiseHebrew.com  3. Radio: Israeli National Radio in 10 languages 4. Flash cards all over your home 5. Saying new words out loud. Talk to AI and the Google Translate App. 6. Tandem with a Hebrew speaker. You can message me through Patreon with your location or timezone and we'll try to find other patrons with similar schedules willing to work on spoken Hebrew.  7. Facebook your Hebrew. 8. Likpotz la-mayim, לקפוץ למים, jump into the water. 9. Ani rotse/ Ani rotsa ledaber be'ivrit, אני רוצה לדבר בעברית, I want to speak Hebrew. Ani lomed/lomedet ivrit, אני לומד/ת עברית, I learn Hebrew. Ani chayav/chayevet, אני חייב/ת, I must, ledaber ivrit, to speak Hebrew. 10. Magazines, children books, newspapers, websites, inflight magazines. Morfix online dictionary El Al inflight magazine – Eng./Heb.

Do you have “zman” - time? This root, “z.m.n,” is used in so many words in Hebrew, it definitely merits an episode to itself. Guy Sharett also explains how it’s related to the Arab Spring and Tahrir Square in Cairo. “Zman” to press play… Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Ha-zman hu kmo galgal anak – Time is like a ferris wheel – הזמן הוא כמו גלגל ענק Yesh lecha zman machar? – Do you have time tomorrow? – יש לך זמן מחר? Higia hazman – It’s about time – הגיע הזמן Bata ba-zman – You came right on time – באת בזמן Ba-zman ha-acharon – Lately – בזמן האחרון Hayinu yeladim ve-ze haya mizman – We were kids and it was long ago – היינו ילדים וזה היה מזמן Mizman – Long ago – מזמן – من زمان Ha-zman avar ve-lo dibarnu – Time went by and we didn’t speak – הזמן עבר ולא דיברנו Lakach li zman lehavin – It took me some time to understand – לקח לי זמן להבין Ata shayach li – You belong to me – אתה שייך לי Lakach lecha zman – It took you some time – לקח לך זמן Lezamen – To summon – לזַמן Zuman – H

How do we give something to someone in Hebrew? To give is לתת, but in some structures it could mean something else entirely. And what is לתת בראש – 'to give in the head'? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Natati la chayay – I gave her my life – נתתי לה חיי Past: Natati, natata, natat, natan, natna, natanu, natatem, natnu – נתתי, נתתָ, נתתְ, נתן, נתנה, נתַנו, נתתם, נתְנו Present: Noten, notenet, notnim, notnot – נותן, נותנת, נותנים, נותנות Imperative: Ten, tni, tnu – תן, תני, תנו Ten li daka, tni li daka – Give me a sec – תן לי דקה, תני לי דקה Ten li et mispar teudat ha-zehut shelcha – Give me your ID no. – תן לי את מספר תעודת הזהות שלך Tavi li – Give me (slang) – תביא לי Tni li le'ehov otach – Let me love you – תני לי לאהוב אותך Ten li rega lir'ot – Let me see for a sec. – תן לי רגע לראות Hi natna li lehavin she… – She let me understand that… – היא נתנה לי להבין ש… Slicha, mi natan lachem lehikanes le-po? – Excuse me, who let you in here? – סליחה, מי נתן לכם להיכנ

Israelis love tips and recommendations in order to speed up their decision making. So it’s no surprise that the word כדאי – ‘it’s worth it’ – is so popular in everyday use. How do we tell our friends they should totally check out a certain bar? And how do we make sure they don’t go and see the new superhero movie? Guy Sharett introduces us to the Israeli dichotomy of כדאי/לא כדאי. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Kedai – Worthwhile, worth doing – כדאי Ze lo kedai – It’s not worthwhile – זה לא כדאי Kedai lachem – It’s worthwhile for you – כדאי לכם Tagid, kedai li liknot nayad chadash – Tell me, is it worth it for me to buy a new mobile? – תגיד, כדאי לי לקנות נייד חדש Baroor, kedai lecha/lach – Of course, it’s worth it for you – ברור, כדאי לך Mamash lo kedai lecha – It’s really not worth it for you – ממש לא כדאי לך “Bli shum davar asher kedai lamut lemaano” – Without anything it’s worth dying for – בלי שום דבר אשר כדאי למות למענו Kedai lir’ot et ha-seret haze?-  Is it worth it