Streetwise Hebrew

This episode is about the Hebrew root פקח. We call parking enforcement officers פקחי חניה. What might you say to one in order not to get a parking ticket? And what does this root have to do with kosher certificates? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Pikuach – Supervision, regulation – פיקוח Be-fikuach/be-pikuach – Under supervision – בפיקוח Gaz beiti – Domestic gas – גז ביתי “Batuach kshe-ze be-fikuach” – It’s safe when it’s under supervision – בטוח...

There are so many סכנות, dangers, in everyday life. How do we say, “it’s not worth the risk,” in Hebrew? And what does the Japanese word for fish have anything to do with taking risks? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Sakana la-demokratya – Danger to democracy – סכנה לדמוקרטיה Sakanat hitchashmelut – Danger of electrocution – סכנת התחשמלות Ha-demokratya be-sakana – Democracy is at risk – הדמוקרטיה בסכנה “Mevad’im she-ein ba sakana le-yeladim” – Making...

What Hebrew words and phrases do you need to know when looking for a new gym? How do we say fitness trainer, and what time is the best time to go to a gym? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hadar kosher/Machon kosher – Fitness center, gym – חדר כושר, מכון כושר Ani holech la-machon – I am going to the gym – אני הולך למכון Minui (manuy) – Subscription, membership – מנוי, מינוי Minui “1 plus 1” – 1+1 subscription – מינוי אחד פלוס אחד Kama ole minui...

We love using ראשי תיבות - acronyms - in modern Hebrew. We take the initials and between the last two letters we add inverted commas (two apostrophes) to show that it's an acronym rather than an ordinary word. Sometimes the transformation from word to acronym is so extreme that some words even end up changing their gender! New Words and Expressions: Drishat shalom chama – דְּרִישַׁת שָׁלוֹם חַמָה Timsor drishat shalom la-mishpacha – תִּמְסוֹר דְּרִישַׁת שָׁלוֹם לַמִשְׁפָּחָה Moser dash...

The Hebrew word מת means dying and the word למות means to die. Today, Guy teaches us to use these words to mean 'cool' and 'happy.' New Words and Expressions: Ata chayav lamoot alay – אַתָּה חַיָּיב לָמוּת עָלַיי Ani meta aleyhem – אֲנִי מֵתָה עֲלִיהֶם Na’alayim yafot – נַעֲלַיִים יָפוֹת Ani meta al shokolad – אֲנִי מֵתָה עַל שוֹקוֹלָד Lamoot mi – -לָמוּת מִ Met mi-sartan – מֵת מִסַּרְטָן Ha-yom kvar lo metim me-ahava – הַיּוֹם כְּבָר לֹא מֵתִים מֵאֲהָבָה Lamoot mi-tschok – לָמוּת...

The Hebrew word לחשוף is commonly used by archaeologists, journalists, dermatologists and… strippers. What does it mean? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Lahsof – To expose – לחשוף “Anahnu hosfim et ha-or shelanu la-shemesh, bederech klal bimchuvan” – We expose our skin to the sun, usually intentionally – אנחנו חושפים את העור שלנו לשמש, בדרך כלל במכוון “Gam anashim im gon or kehe yisarfu” – People with dark skin will also burn – גם אנשים...

There are people you don’t want to mess with, and there are things you shouldn’t do because they’re too much of a hassle. How do you say all this in Hebrew? Well, you’d use the עסק root, of course! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Laasok be- – To deal with – לעסוק ב Hu osek be-ze harbe shanim – He’s been dealing with this for many years – הוא עוסק בזה הרבה שנים Al taasok be-ze achshav – You don’t have to deal with this right now – אל תעסוק בזה...

In Hebrew עסקים means business. Today, Guy talks about the root עסק and introduces other nouns we should know. Bonus: What do you do when you see an unfamiliar transaction in your credit card statement? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Esek – Business, mattar – עסק Asakim – Business – עסקים Beit esek – Shop, store – בית עסק Ze lo ha-esek shelcha – It’s none of your business – זה לא העסק שלך Ish asakim – Businessman – איש עסקים Eshet asakim –...

The Hebrew word דווקא does not have a direct English translation. Sometimes it means “actually” (as opposed to what you might think). At other times it means “particularly.” So what does the saying לעשות דווקא (to do a דווקא) mean? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Davka – Actually, as opposed to what you may think – דווקא “ze lo kashe bichlal, ze davka kal” – It’s not hard at all, it’s actually easy – זה לא קשה בכלל, זה דווקא קל “Eich ze kara li, lama...

The Hebrew word להגיש is a verb with several different meanings. Food, university papers and TV shows — these are all things we can להגיש. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Lehapil – To drop – להפיל, נפל Lehasi’ah – To drive someone somewhere – להסיע, נסע Lehagish bakasha – To submit a request, an application, or to apply for something – להגיש בקשה Kupat Holim – A national health insurance company – קופת חולים Eich lehagish bakasha...

In Hebrew, מתוק means sweet or sweetie. You might also hear מתוק used passive-aggressively by a person standing in a Tel Avivi line. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Matok, matok hu ta’am ha-hayim” – Sweet, sweet is the taste of life – מתוק, מתוק, הוא טעם החיים Matok li – It’s too sweet – מתוק לי Matok/Metuka sheli – My darling – מתוק/מתוקה שלי Toda matok/metuka sheli! – Thank you sweetie! – תודה, מתוק/מתוקה שלי Ehhh, metuka sheli, slicha, ani...

You’re home, in front of the TV screen, watching one of the most important football games in the world cup. Suddenly, your team goes on the offensive. This could be the big moment. What Hebrew words and phrases do you shout in order to help bring them to victory? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Yalla – Yalla – יאללה Nu – Come on – נו Yeshhhhhhhhh – Yeaaaaaah! – יששששש Ta’avir ta’kadur – Pass the ball – תעביר ת’כדור Timsor ta’kadur – Pass the ball –...

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...

The words להזהיר and אזהרה are used to warn someone of something or someone. We have many Hebrew expressions with אזהרה, warning, including the saying, רְאו הוזהרתם. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Lehazhir – To warn – להזהיר “Ani mazhira otcha” – I am warning you – אני מזהירה אותך Lehazahir mishehu mi-mashehu – To warn someone of something – להזהיר מישהו ממשהו Hizharti ota me-hem – I warned her of them – הזהרתי אותה מהם Lehazhir mishehu she-ulai ze...

How would you warn a friend who is about to be hit by an electric bike speeding on the sidewalk? We would shout, !זהירות The Hebrew word זהירות is an important word to know. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Zehirut – Caution, care, watch out – זהירות “Adoni, hizaher, al tiga ba-iris” – Be careful, Sir, don’t touch the iris – אדוני, היזהר, אל תיגע באיריס Tizaher! – Careful – תיזהר Tizaher/tizahari/tizaharu sham – Be careful there – תיזהר/תיזהרי/תיזהרו...

Israelis love to indulge in the circular “how-are-you-how’s-it-going-what’s-new” conversation chain, so it’s important to become proficient in this verbal dance. Today, Guy teaches us 11 ways, no less, of asking someone how they’re doing. Let’s get on the dance floor! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ma hainyanim? Beseder – How are things? Alright – מה העניינים? בסדר Seder – Order – סדר Az ma kore? – So what’s happening? – אז מה קורה Hakol tov? – Is...

How could it be that we still didn’t dedicate an entire episode to the Hebrew word כסף, money? Let’s correct that wrong. Guy explains the slangy term for someone who is “loaded” with cash, and will also teach a special ‘blessing’ directed towards someone who stole from us. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Kesef – Money – כסף Haavarat ksafim – Money transfer – העברת כספים Lehaavir kesef – To transfer money – להעביר כסף Laasot kesef – To make money –...

Using banking apps in a foreign language is not the easiest thing. Guy is here to help. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Aplikatsyat tashlumim – Payment application – אפליקציית תשלומים Lo naim ledaber al kesef? – Does it feel awkward to talk about money? – לא נעים לדבר על כסף Heshbon over va-shav – Current account – חשבון עובר ושב Kartisei Ashrai – Credit cards – כרטיסי אשראי Matbe’a zar – Foreign Currency – מטבע זר Anachnu mitchayvim le-maane...

A Listener from Kansas City asked whether we use AM/PM in Hebrew. Here is the answer. Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: 4 pm = 16:00 6 pm = 18:00 8 pm = 20:00 Nifgashim be-shesh? – Are we meeting at six? – נפגשים בשש נפגשים ב6 נפגשים ב-6 נפגשים ב-18:00 Sheva ba-boker – 7 am – שבע בבוקר Az amarnu be-arba, ken? – So we said at four, right? – אז אמרנו בארבע, כן Tsohorayim – The hot hours of the day – צוהריים Daber iti ba-tsohorayim – Talk to...

On this episode, we explore the root of the word ערב, which means evening, and explain what it’s got to do with Western movies. Plus, why wasn’t Miley Cyrus willing to say the name of a famous Israeli TV show host? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: “Erev tov lach, at mushlemet” – Good evening to you, you’re perfect – ערב טוב לך, את מושלמת Erev tov lecha/lach/lachem – Good evening to you – ערב טוב לך/לכם Erev tov – Good evening – ערב...