Streetwise Hebrew

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?

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New Words and Expressions:

Bassa – Bummer – באסה

Eize bassa – What a bummer – איזה באסה

Eize basa ze she… – It’s so ann...

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.

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New Words and Expressions:

Pahot – Less – פחות

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

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.

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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...

The word זול means cheap and is used in spoken Hebrew in all kinds of interesting ways. For example, what’s זיל הזול? Guy explains.

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New Words and Expressions:

Zol – Cheap – זול

Periferia – Periphery, places outside the big cities – פריפריה

Yoker ha-mihya – Cost of living – יוקר המחיה

“Ad achshav ha-amira hayta ke’ilu, lechu la-periferia, ba-periferia zol, az hine halachnu laperiferia, ve-pit...

When and how do you properly use the Hebrew root בצע? And where might we hear the phrase, רוצה לשמוע על המבצעים שלנו?

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New Words and Expressions:

Mivtsa – Military operation – מבצע

Mivtsa be-hanuyot – Sale – מבצע בחנויות 

Ha-mivtsa shel ha-medina – The best sale in the country – המבצע של המדינה

Rotse lishmo’a al ha-mivtsaim shelanu?’ – Do you want to hear about our special sales? – רוצה לשמוע...

The word רועד means shivering, shaking, and in this episode Guy explains its meaning and usage. Along the way we learn to say earthquake, and vibrato.

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New Words and Expressions:

Roed – Trembling, shivering – רועד

Kshe-tsiltsalt ra’ad kolech – When you called your voice trembled – כשצלצלת רעד קולך

Ha-kol shelach ra’ad – Your voice was trembling – הקול שלך רעד

Lir’od me-rov hitragshoot – To tr...

The Hebrew word רעל means poison. Its root provides us with interesting words related to the military and to bosses, some of whom make our work environments toxic.

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New Words and Expressions:

Ra’al – Poison – רעל

Re’alim – Poisons – רעלים

Ra’al neged achbarim – Mouse poison – רעל נגד עכברים

Ra’al neged chuldot – Poison against rats – רעל נגד חולדות

Nikuy re’alim – Detoxification – ניקוי רעלים

The Hebrew word אירוע means an event, most often a happy event, like a wedding or bar/bat mitzvah. But its usage has changed lately. Guy explains.

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New Words and Expressions:

Eru’ah yeri – Shooting – אירוע ירי

Eru’ah dkira – Stabbing – אירוע דקירה

Eru’ah mitgalgel – Developing event – אירוע מתגלגל

“Yesh li eru’ah” – I have an event (wedding, bar/bat mitzvah) – יש לי אירוע

“Slicha, atem osim e...

The Hebrew word פרסס is what you’d use in a sentence to ask a driver to make a U-turn. But what does it mean in slang? Guy explains.

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New Words and Expressions:

Pniya, pniyot – Turn, turns – פנייה, פניות

Pniya yamina/smola – Right/left turn – פנייה ימינה/שמאלה

Pniyat parsa – U-turn – פניית פרסה

“Ata yachol la’asot po parsa vaksha?” – Could you please make a u-turn here? – אתה יכול לעשות פה פר...

The Hebrew word לפנות means to turn, like to turn right or left. But we use לפנות for other things as well, like when we need to contact our municipality or to tell someone to stop texting us.

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New Words and Expressions:

Lifnot – To turn – לפנות

Pné – Turn (Imp., m.) – פנה

Pni – Turn (Imp. f.) – פני

Pné/pni yamina – Turn right – פנה/פני ימינה

Pnu le-rofe ha-mishpacha shelachem – Contact your ...

The Hebrew word הפתעה means “surprise.” Don’t be surprised if by the end of this episode you’ll know several uses of הפתעה to impress your Israeli friends. Oh, and everybody knows what a ביצת הפתעה is, right?

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New Words and Expressions:

Hafta’ah – Surprise – הפתעה

Mesibat hafta’ah – Surprise party – מסיבת הפתעה

Yesh li haftaah bishvilcha/bishvilech – I have a surprise for you – יש לי הפתעה בש...

From antique cars to very slow, local buses, Guy picks up where we left off in the last episode and explains additional בניינים from the root אספ.

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New Words and Expressions:

Asfanoot – Collecting (a collection) – אספנות

Rechev asfanoot – Antique car – רכב אספנות

Richvei asfanoot – Antique cars – רכבי אספנות

Hit’asafnoo kan ha-erev – We gathered here tonight – התאספנו כאן הערב

“anashim matchi...

The Hebrew word לאסוף is to collect, to gather. We use this verb in supermarkets, airports, and when we talk about people with unique collections.

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New Words and Expressions:

Esof – Collect, gather (Imp.) – אֱסוף

“Esof et ha-ma’asim” – Collect the deeds – אֱסוף את המעשים

Asif – Harvest – אסיף

Le’esof kesef – To collect money – לאסוף כסף

Anachnu osfim kesef kedei liknot la matana – We collect ...

What’s the right way to pack a suitcase and what should you say to airport security when asked about your packed bags? From the root ארז we get the Hebrew words for packaging, gift boxes and more. Guy explains.

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New Words and Expressions:

Hu araz – He packed – הוא ארז

Arazta/arazt levad – Have you packed it yourself? – ארזת לבד

“Ve-laanot shuv va-shuv et otan tshuvot” – And answer the same qu...

How do you watch your favorite television series? And what genre do you like most? Guy explains all things TV series in Hebrew, and what verbs go along with them.

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New Words and Expressions:

Sidra – Series – סדרה

Sidrat televizya – A TV series – סדרת טלוויזיה

Sidrat ha-televizya – The TV series – סדרת הטלוויזיה

Sidra shel eru’im – Series of events – סדרת אירועים

Sidrat mikrei pesha – Series o...

The Hebrew word יוזמה means initiative. We also use יוזמה when talking about new educational or social projects. Using the verb ליזום, we Israelis often give unsolicited advice to family, friends, and even passersby, telling them to take some initiative in their life!

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New Words and Expressions:

Yozma – Initiative – יוזמה

Ein lo yozma, hu hasar yozma – He lacks initiative – אין לו יוזמה, הוא ...

The Paris 2024 Olympics are here! What Hebrew words and phrases must we know in order to understand the broadcasts and fully enjoy the games? The hardest of them might just be טניס שולחן. Stam!

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New Words and Expressions:

Ha-mischakim ha-olimpyiim – The olympic games – המשחקים האולימפיים

Ha-olimpiada – The Olympics – האולימפיאדה

Atem ro’eem ta-olimpiada? – Do you watch the olympics? – אתם רוא...

The Hebrew word מתווך means a real estate agent. Some people really really dislike מתווכים. Let’s learn why.

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New Words and Expressions:

Metavech (dirot) – Real estate agent – מתווך

Metavech – Mediator, middleman – מתווך

Ha-metavech ba-sichot – The mediator in the talks – המתווך בשיחות

“Halo halo halo, ani lo metavech beynechem” – Hey, I am not mediating between you guys – הלו, הלו, הלו, אני ...

Imagine this: You are walking your dog in the ‘Viv and, out of nowhere, someone comes up to you, clearly wanting to speak about something important. Their lips are moving. They are saying something. What are they likely to say to a dog owner like you?

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New Words and Expressions:

Zachar o nekava? – Is it male or female? – זכר או נקבה

Ben kama hu / bat kama hi? – How old is he/she? – בן כמה הוא...