Streetwise Hebrew

As soon as you get close to the root קרב you realize there's much to learn: From family members, to boxing matches, to intestines. Guy helps to make sense of it all, including how it relates to the Aussie TV show "Home and Away."

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Karov, krova, krovim, krovot – Close – קרוב, קרובה, קרובים, קרובות

"Nachon at krova" – It's true, you're close – נכון, את קרובה

Krov mishpacha – Relative – קרוב משפחה

Krovei mishpacha – Relatives – קרובי משפחה

Hu karov sheli – He's my relative – הוא קרוב שלי

Kirvat dam – Blood relation – קרבת דם

Karov rachok – Distant relative – קרוב רחוק

Be-karov – Soon – בקרוב

Mi-kar...

The shoresh ר.ש.מ is one of those Hebrew roots with so many different words stemming from it, you could easily get baffled. Whether you want to make an impression, write a list, pick up a prescription, register for an event, or create a flow chart, Guy will help you make sense of it all.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

"Im yesh lachen she'elot aten muzmanot lirshom li" – If you've got questions you're invited to write to me – אם יש לכן שאלות אתן מוזמנות לרשום לי

Lirshom – To note, to write down, to illustrate – לרשום

Reshima – List – רשימה

"Hu haya...

The word משחק can mean so many things in Hebrew – from a game, a match, or a toy, to acting in a movie or a play. Guy explains this root, שֹחק, and teaches us how to thank a good friend who brought coffee to our office desk without even being asked.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Lesachek – To play a game, to play with a toy, to play in a movie – לשחק

"Lo lesachek im lev shel gever" – Don't play with a guy's heart – לא לשחק עם לב של גבר

Mesachek be-esh – Playing with fire – משחק באש...

The Middle East is a place where people swear "on the honor of their mom" without thinking too much. Guy teaches us all the uses of the Hebrew word כבוד – "honor" – right from the Prime Minister's official title to what you jot on the front of an envelope.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Kavod – Respect, honor – כבוד

Kol ha-kavod – Well done – כל הכבוד

Kol ha-kavod lecha/lach – Kudos to you – כל הכבוד לך

"Kvodo shachach levarech" – You (formal) forgot to say the prayer – כבודו שכח לברך

"Ze kavod gadol she-" – It's a great honor that… – זה כבוד גדול ש<...

The word for "support" – תמיכה – is used widely in Hebrew, mainly in the context of tech support. The verb is לתמוך. Guy has a special message at the end of the show related to this. Curious? Have a listen and click below.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Hu tamach – He supported – הוא תמך

Litmoch be-mishehu/be-mashehu – To support someone or something – לתמוך במישהו/במשהו

"Hu dei tamach ba-proyekt" – He kinda supported the project – הוא די תמך בפרוייקט

"Be'otam mikrim she-hadafdefan lo tomech be JavaScript" – In those cases where the browser does not support JavaScript – באותם מקרים שהדפדפן לא תומך בג'אווה סקריפט<...

Oftentimes, Israelis mix up the Hebrew words משכיר and שוכר. It's the difference between "renting" an apartment and "renting out" an apartment. It's a common mistake that you don't have to make! Guy explains.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Liskor dira – To rent an apartment – לשכור

Baal/ba'alat ha-bayit – Landlord, landlady – בעל / בעלת הבית

Ani socher / socheret dira – I rent an apartment – אני שוכר / שוכרת דירה

Ha-socher / ha-socheret – The tenant, the renter – השוכר / השוכרת

S'char dira – The rent – שכר דירה, שכ"ד

Schar dira gavoha / schar dira namooch – High rent, low rent – שכר דירה גבוה, שכר דירה נמוך

Hi gara be-dira schoora – She lives in a rental apartment – היא גרה בדירה שכורה

Rechev sachoor –...

We are going through some ימים משוגעים – "crazy days" – in Israel at the moment, so let's talk about how we drive someone crazy in Hebrew. Guy promises a special sanity episode once things get back to normal.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Yamim meshugaim – Crazy days – ימים משוגעים

Meshuga – Crazy – משוגע

Pgu'a nefesh – Suffering from mental illness – פגוע נפש

Leshage'ah – To drive someone crazy – לשגע

"Zeh ha-erev ha-ze ha-meshge'ah" – It's this amazing evening – זה הערב הזה המשגע

"Hu meshage'ah et kulan" – He drives all the girls crazy – הוא משגע את כולן

Al teshage'ah oti (al chage'ah oti) – Don't drive me crazy – אל תשגע אותי

"Ha-bachur...

How do we sleep in Hebrew? What about snoozes and power naps? Guy talks about our sacred שנ"צ, and introduces us to some very sleepy words.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Hu yashen – He is sleeping / he is asleep – הוא ישן

Hi yeshena – She is sleeping / she is asleep – היא ישנה

Lishon – To sleep – לישון

Shoel "gam at yashant?" – I am asking "Were you sleeping as well?" – שואל גם את ישנת

Yashnooni – Sleepy – ישנוני

Sheina – Sleep (noun) – שינה

Shnatz, Shnat tsohorayim – Afternoon nap – שנ"צ, שנת צוהריים

"Ha-amuta le-kidum tarboot ha-shnatz be-israel" – The association for the promotion of siesta...

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...

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 –...

The Hebrew word נצלן is an exploiter – someone who'll use you and then dump you without giving it a second thought. In this episode, Guy breaks down the word and its root נצל.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Lenatsel – To make use of, to utilize – לנצל

Nitsool – Exploitation – ניצול

Nitsool kalkali – Economic exploitation – ניצול כלכלי

"Kol ehad menaseh lenatsel" – Everyone tries to exploit the other – כל אחד מנסה לנצל

Hu menatsel et ha-matsav – He takes advantage of the situation – הוא מנצל את המצב

"Hu menatsel bachurot ve-zorek" – He uses women and then dumps them – הוא מנצל בחורות וזורק

"Eich lenatsel yemei macha...

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

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 yo...

The Hebrew word פרישה means retirement, and these days פרישה המוקדמת is on everyone's mind. Guy explains פרישה and other words from its root פרש.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Prisha me-ha-avoda – Retiring from work – פרישה מהעבודה

Prisha me-ha-avoda, Yetsi'ah le-pensia – Retiring from work – פרישה מהעבודה

"Kshe-at tets'ee le-pensya, mi yid'ag lach?" – When you retire, who will look after you? – כשאת תצאי לפנסיה, מי ידאג לך

Retirement age – Gil ha-prisha – גיל הפרישה

"Halom ha-prisha ha-mukdemet ha-mele'ah nimtsa rak be-heseg yadam shel israelim me'atim" –  The dream of full early retirement is within reach for only a few Israelis – חלום הפרישה המוקדמת המלאה נמצא רק בהישג ידם של ישראלים מעטים

Prisha mukdemet m...

The Hebrew word יד means hand, but also so much more. Let's find out its other meanings, idioms, and expressions Israelis often use. And what's yad2? Guy gives us a hand with the lesson.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Yad, yadayim – Hand, hands – יד, ידיים

Ten / tni li yad – Give me a hand – תן לי יד

Ani lo rotse latet le-zeh yad – I don't want to collaborate with this – אני לא רוצה לתת לזה יד

Bishvilech ha-yare'ach etslo ba-yadayim – For you the moon is in his hands – בשבילך הירח אצלו בידיים

Ani yad rishona – I am the first owner of the car – אני יד ראשונה

Eize yad ha-oto...

You can't be in the Start-up Nation and not know how to talk tech in Hebrew. Guy teaches us how to say "attachment," "text message," and "chat" in Hebrew, and how to conjugate the verb לסמס. Things are about to get geeky!

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Telefon nayad, telefon cellulari – Cellphone – טלפון נייד, טלפון סלולרי

Titkasher elay la-nayad – Call me on my cellphone – תתקשר אליי לנייד

Pelephone – Cellphone – פלאפון

"Talpeni, talepni" – Call (Imp. fem) – טלפני, טלפני

"Mitkasher elayich at lo ona" – I am calling you, you don't answer – מתקשר אלייך את לא עונה

Telefon Kavi – Home phone, landline – טלפון קווי

Titkasheri elay rega lakavi –...

If you've ever considered becoming a Streetwise Hebrew patron but haven't gotten around to it, now might be the best time to join and gain access to our all-Hebrew episodes.

Starting January 1st, our entry level Patron tier will see its first ever price increase since we started using Patreon more than 10 years ago. The price change only applies to new patrons who sign up after the end of this year. Existing patrons and those who sign up in the coming days will continue paying the current monthly rate.

By signing up before the end...

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 עו...

From leaking documents to a leaky faucet at home, the root דלפ is an interesting one, and from which we get the Hebrew word for whistleblower.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Ha-mazgan dolef – The air conditioning unit is leaking – המזגן דולף

Tsinor dolef – Leaking pipe – צינור דולף

Dlifa – Leaking – דליפה

"Yesh lanoo dlifa ba-mazgan" – We have a leak in our AC unit – יש לנו דליפה במזגן

"Yesh lanoo dlifa me-hatikra'" – We have a leak from our ceiling – יש לנו דליפה מהתקרה

Dlifat gaz – Gas leak – דליפת גז

Dlifot neft – Oil spills – דליפות נפט

Dalaf tik mismachim – A dossier was leaked – דלף תיק מסמכים

"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...

Lior Peleg, our beloved editor and technical producer, is leaving us. As a tribute to him, we'll explore his full name and learn some cool stuff about it, especially about Or, light.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Peleg, plagim – Brook, stream – פלג, פלגים

"Ve-haya ke-ets shatul al palgei mayim" (Psalms 1:3) – "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water" – והיה כעץ שתול על פלגי מים

Ha-peleg ha-matoon – The moderate stream – הפלג המתון

Or, orot – Light – אור, אורות

"Ha-or shelcha me'ir, adayin zoher" – Your light, me'ir, is still shining- האור שלך, מאיר, עדיין זוהר

Ha-ner shelcha...

The Hebrew word לברוח means to escape, but the same root has other interesting meanings in other verb formats. Guy also explains the meaning of חדר בריחה.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Livro'ach – To escape – לברוח

"Ma ze be'etsem meshaneh mi-ma be'estem hem borchim" – What does it really matter what exactly they're running from – מה זה בעצם משנה ממה בעצם הם בורחים

Livro'ach mi-mashehu – To flee something – לברוח ממשהו

"Isha borachat mi-bsora" – "A woman flees a message'" – אישה בורחת מבשורה

"Barach li pipi" – I peed myself – ברח לי פיפי

Oy, barach li me-ha-rosh, slicha – Sorry, it slipped my mind – אוי, ברח לי מהראש

Bricha – Escape – בריחה

Brichat mochot – Brain drain...

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 mi...

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<...

Today we'll talk about the word חסר, missing, and its root. You don't want to miss it!

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Haser – Missing, lacking, deficient – חסר

"Ha-shir Ha-haser" – The missing song – השיר החסר

Ata haser li – I miss you – אתה חסר לי

At hasera li be-ramot – I miss you terribly – את חסרה לי ברמות

Hasar menoocha – Restless – חסר מנוחה

Hoser menoocha – Lack of rest – חוסר מנוחה

Hoser nimoos – Lack of manners – חוסר נימוס

Hasar nimoos, hasrat nimoos, hasrei nimoos, hasrot nimoos – Someone who lacks manners – חסר נימוס, חסרת נימוס, חסרי נימוס, חסרות נימוס

Hasar savlanut – Impatient – חסר סבלנות

Hasar bayit – Homeless – חסר בית

Hasar mooda'oot – Unaware, oblivious – חסר מודעות...

Lots of Hebrew learners find it hard to discern between 'speak,' 'talk,' and 'tell' when they talk with their Israeli friends, colleagues, classmates, and flatmates.

It's time, once and for all, for Guy to imprint it on our memories. Don't worry, it's not difficult!

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Ledaber – To speak – לדבר

Medaber – Speaking – מדבר

"Ratsiti ledaber itcha al hakol" – I wanted to talk to you about everything – רציתי לדבר איתך על הכל

Ani medaber im – I am talking to – אני מדבר עם

Hu amar – He said – הוא אמר

"Az ma ratsinoo lehagid be'e...

You can "miss" a lot of different things: a bus, a lesson, miss someone, miss the point, and much more. Hebrew does not use one verb for all of the above, and some acrobatics is needed. Guy explains.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Ani mit-ga-ah-ge-ah elayich – I miss you (m to f)  – אני מתגעגע אלייך

Ani mit-ga-ah-ge-ah elecha – I miss you (m to m) – אני מתגעגע אליך

Ani mit-ga-ah-ga-at elecha – I miss you (f to m) – אני מתגעגעת אליך

Ani mit-ga-ah-ga-at elayich – I miss you (f to f) – אני מתגעגעת אלייך

Pashut le-hit-ga-ah-ge-ah – Just to long for – פשוט להתגעגע

Hitga...

This week we’re celebrating half a million downloads of our podcast, so Guy decided to dedicate this episode to חצי – “half” in Hebrew. From telling the time, to sports, to fashion, “hetsi” gets everywhere. But when do we say “hetsi” and when “hatsi”? Listen to find out.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Hatsi/hetsi, hatsa’eem – Half, halves – חצי, חצאים

“Omrim li she-ani hatsi benadam ve-hi hatsi meshuga’at” – They tell me I am half a person, and she’s half crazy – אומרים לי שאני חצי בנאדם והיא חצי משוגעת

“Hatsi olam soneh hatsi” – Half the world hates the other half – חצי עולם שונא חצי

“Tsarat...

The word דקירה can take us from a relaxing acupuncture treatment to the newsy mayhem of a stabbing attack. Guy explains the full gamut of uses provided to us by the root דקר.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Pigu’ah – Terror attack – פיגוע

Dkira – Stabbing – דקירה

“Bo nikach dkira ktana” – Let’s take a little sting/prick – בוא ניקח דקירה קטנה

“Mashehu mukar et libi dakar” – Something familiar stung my heart – משהו מוכר את ליבי דקר

Lidkor – To stab – לדקור

Zeh doker – It prickles, it stings – זה דוקר

Dakru oti be-machat – They pricked/stung me with a needle – דקרו אותי במחט

Zo rak dkira ktana – It’s j...

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 – Insura...

The verbs of the Hebrew root kbl are everywhere: To get, to receive, to be hired, plus things which are just not done and are considered unacceptable.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Lekabel – To receive – לקבל

Kibalti hoda'ah – I received a message – קיבלתי הודעה

"Ba-boker kibalit email katsar ve-nechmad" – In the morning I got a short and nice email – בבוקר קיבלתי אימייל קצר ונחמד

Kibalta/kibalt et hahodaa sheli? Ken, kibalti. – Did you get my message? Yes, I did – קיבלת את ההודעה שלי? כן, קיבלתי

Tagidu, kibaltem kvar heshbon hashmal? – Say, did you guys already get the electricity bill? – תגידו, קיבלתם כבר חשבון חשמל

Ki...

The Hebrew word חמוד, which means ‘cute’ or ‘sweet,’ could be used in several ways, depending on the context and intonation. But just like in English, calling someone ‘sweetie’ in Hebrew isn’t always a good thing! Listen to Guy’s explanation on how ‘hamud’ can be either endearing or angry.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Hamood – Cute, sweet – חמוד

Lahmod – To covet – לחמוד

Alhamdullila – Praise be to God – אלחמדולילה

“She-yihyu lecha male yeladim hamudim” – May you have a lot of cute kids – שיהיו לך מלא ילדים חמודים

Hamuuud, todah! – Sweet, thanks! – חמוד, תודה 

Ma kara lach, hamuda? – What...

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 לעז...

The Hebrew word גירוש means expulsion and deportation, but the most commonly used word we get from this root is entirely different. Guy explains.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Legaresh – To expel, to deport – לגרש

Gerush – Expulsion, deportation – גירוש

"Mishpacha she-higiah le-loov achrei gerush sfarad" – A family which arrived to Lybia after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain – משפחה שהגיעה ללוב אחרי גירוש ספרד

Gerush sfarad – The expulsion of the Jews from Spain – גירוש ספרד

Gerush shedim – Exorcism – גירוש שדים

"Gershu et ha-mishpacha sheli" – My family was expelled – גירשו את המשפחה שלי

"Shir megaresh et ha-hoshech ba-laila" – A song expels the darkness at night – שיר מגרש את החוש...

It’s not always easy to be “different” – שונה – but Guy tackles this word and its offshoots head-on. He explains how we get “change” and “strange” from the same root, and how to say “it’s all the same to me.”

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Shoneh – Different – שונה

Ze shoneh be-ze she… – It’s different in that… – זה שונה בזה ש

Be-ma ata shone mimenu – How do you differ from him? – במה אתה שונה ממנו

“Etmol hayit shona” – Yesterday you were different – אתמול היית שונה

“At ha-yom shona” – Today you’re different (f.) – את היום שונה

Shinooy, shinooyim – Change, changes – שינוי, שינויים

Shi...

Sometimes we’re just “in basa” – in a state of annoyance, not really angry, but just bummed. Guy teaches us verbs derived from “basa,” plus more nouns like “hitba’asut,” which could be translated as “the process of getting bummed out.” Who said Hebrew isn’t a rich language?

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Bassa – Bummer – באסה

Eize bassa – What a bummer – איזה באסה

Eize basa ze she… – It’s so annoying when… – איזה באסה זה ש

Ani be-basa – I am depressed – אני בבאסה

Kuli be-basa – I am so bummed out – כולי בבאסה

Ani al ha-panim – I am not doing well at al...

Let’s face it; you don’t want to watch that movie your friends are going to see. So how do you say so without a blunt ‘no’? The word פחות in Hebrew means “less”, “minus” and a few other things. Guy explains how to use פחות in conversations when you want to let someone down easily.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Pahot – Less – פחות

Pahot aval od Koev – Less, but it still hurts – פחות אבל עוד כואב

Shneinu shavim, pahot o yoter – We’re both equal, more or less – שנינו שווים, פחות או יותר

Teshalmu pahot...

The Hebrew word קבלה has many meanings and uses, from receipts to acceptance. Guy explains how to use קבלה in its many forms and its plural.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Kabala – Receiving – קבלה

Sh'ot kabala – Office hours – שעות קבלה

Kabala – Receipt – קבלה

Heshbonit – Invoice – חשבונית

Efshar kabala? – Could I have a receipt? – אפשר קבלה

Hu oved bli kabalot – He works with no receipts – הוא עובד בלי קבלות

Yesh lo/la kabalot – They are experienced – יש לו/לה קבלות

Hu bachur/hi bachura im kabalot – They have proven achievements – הוא בחור עם קבלות / היא בחורה עם קבלות

"Hi lo stam architektit, yesh la kabalot" – She's not just another architect, she has successfully completed many project...

This episode is all about "mazal tov." How do we congratulate friends who have a newborn baby? And what do you say when you're not sure if it's a boy or a girl, in a gender-based language like Hebrew? Guy has all the answers.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Mazal tov – Congratulations – מזל טוב

She-yihie be-mazal tov – Congratulations – שיהיה במזל טוב

Mazal tov al ha-herayon – Congrats for the pregnancy – מזל טוב על ההריון

Mazal tov al ha-dira – Congrats for the apartment – מזל טוב על הדירה

Magi’a lecha/lach mazal tov, lo? – You deserve a mazal tov, right? – מגיע לך מזל טוב, לא

Brachot...

One of the first things we learn to say in a foreign language is “how much does it cost?” But what if we’re the ones who are selling? We have to know how to “charge” as well. Guy helps us get our heads around all these money matters, including how to tell a shopkeeper that we were mistakenly charged for something.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Kama ze ole lanu? – How much does it cost us? – כמה זה עולה לנו

Kama ze ole li ba-shura ha-tachtona? – How much does it cost me, bottom line – כמ...