Ktzat Ivrit - קצת עברית

how to say "to carry" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Wed, 30 May 2012 05:12:00 PDT

לָשֵׂאת

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The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world is called נָשֹא (nah-SOH), which, literally, means lift up or carry (in the Biblical context, it means take a census or lift up the heads of children of Gershon, so that they can be counted).

The infinitive form of that word is לָשֵׂאת (lah-SET). In Modern Hebrew, לשאת means to carry. However, unlike the word carry in English, a very common word, לשאת is most often used to refer to carrying in a non-literal sense.

For example:

הִיא נוֹשֵׂאת אֶת הַתִּינוֹק.

She is carrying the baby.
(hee noh-SET et hah-tee-NOHK)

הֵם נוֹשְׂאִים בְּאַחְרָיוּת הָאֵרוּעַ.

They are taking responsibility (literally, carrying the responsibility) for the event.

The more common, literal word in Hebrew for to carry is לִסְחוֹב (lees-KHOHV), meaning literally, to drag or to carry with difficulty... or just to schlep.

For example:

הוּא סוֹחֵב הַרְבֵּה דְּבָרִים בַּיָדָיו.

He is carrying lots of things in his hands.
(hoo soh-KHEV hahr-BEH deh-vah-REEM beh-yah-DAHV)

שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים לכולם!
Shabbat Shalom, and a pleasant weekend to all!

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how to say "gender" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Wed, 30 May 2012 04:27:00 PDT

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מִגְדָּר

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We've seen the Hebrew root ג.ד.ר used in its original sense to mean fence - גָּדֵר (gah-DEHR), as well as in a modern application to mean definition or computer setting - הַגְדָּרָה (hahg-dah-RAH).

Another modern application of this Biblical root is the word for gender - מִגְדָּר (meeg-DAHR), since gender places a person into one of two defined or fenced-in denominations.

To use gender as an adjective, you'd say מִגְדָּרִי (meeg-dah-REE) in the masculine and מִגְדָּרִית (meeg-dah-REET) in the feminine.

A couple of examples:

שִׁוְיוֹן מגדרי
gender equality
(sheev-YOHN meeg-dah-REE)

נִתּוּחַ מגדרי
gender analysis
(nee-TOO-ahkh meeg-dah-REE)

זֶהוּת מגדרית
gender identity
(zeh-HOOT meeg-dah-REET)

Gender in the grammatical sense is מִין (meen).

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how to say "definition" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:53:00 PDT

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הַגְדָּרָה

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Yesterday's entry introduced the word for fence or, more abstractly, framework. The root is ג.ד.ר (g.d.r).

A definition is something that brings clarity to a word or idea: without definition, an idea runs freely, unattainable to the mind. A definition confines it, placing a virtual fence around it.

This is the logic behind the choice of the makers of Modern Hebrew to plug the root ג.ד.ר meaning fence into the active-causative הפעיל verb form. The result is the word לְהַגְדִּיר - to define (leh-hahg-DEER).

Following the הפעיל pattern, a definition is a הַגְדָּרָה (hahg-dah-RAH).

For example:

הַגְדָּרַת הַמִּלָּה הִיא...

The word's definition is...

(hahg-dah-RAHT hah-mee-LAH hee...)

.צָרִיךְ לְהַגְדִּיר אֶת הַתַּפְקִיד שֶׁלּוֹ הֵיטֵב
We need (literally, is needed) to define his role/job well.
(tsah-REEKH leh-hahg-DEER et hah-tahf-KEED sheh-LOH heh-ee-TEV)

The plural of הגדרה is also used to refer to computer settings. For example:

.שִׁנּוּי קָטָן בַּהַגְדָּרוֹת עָשׂוּי לִפְתּוֹר אֶת הַבְּעָיָה
A small change in the settings is likely to solve the problem.
(shee-NOO-ee kah-TAHN bah-hahg-dah-ROHT ah-SOO-ee leef-TOHR et hah-beh-ah-YAH)

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how to say "fence" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:25:00 PDT

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גָּדֵר

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by h.koppdelaney

A fence, in Hebrew, is a גָּדֵר (gah-DEHR) - a feminine noun. For instance, יֵשׁ גָּדֵר אֲרֻכָּה מִסָּבִיב לַבָּיִת - there is a long fence around the house (yesh gah-DEHR ah-roo-KAH mee-sah-VEEV lah-BAH-yeet).

A גדר creates a physical framework around a house, a building, a bunch of cows, etc. גדר is also used to refer to more abstract fences or frameworks, as in:

הַקַּבָּלָה לֹא נִמְצֵאת בְּגֶדֶר הַמְּצִיאוּת הַחָמְרִית
Kabbalah is not to be found in the framework of material reality
(hah-kah-bah-LAH loh neem-TSET beh-GHEH-dehr hah-meh-tsee-OOT hah-khohm-REET)

Note that when used in the construct "סְמִיכוּת" (seh-mee-KHOOT) state, גָּדֵר (gah-DEHR) becomes גֶּדֶר (GHEH-dehr).

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how to say "acceptance" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 PDT

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קַבָּלָה

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This weekend, Jews around the world will be celebrating the Feast of Weeks, which is a direct translation of the Hebrew term, חַג הַשָּׁבֻעוֹת (khahg hah-shah-voo-OHT).

This is the holiday in which the Jews in Biblical times expressed gratitude for the crop being harvested at the end of the spring, the fully-mature grains and the newly ripened fruits. When Jews became world wanderers upon losing the Temple as well as their independence in the Land of Israel almost 2,000 years ago, חג השבעות took on a new emphasis that would speak to the hearts of Jews in all regions and climates throughout the diaspora, as חג השבעות also commemorates the most monumental event in the world history of morality, the giving of Torah - מַתַּן תּוֹרָה (mah-TAHN toh-RAH).

There's the Giver - הַנּוֹתֵן (hah-noh-TEN)... and there are the receivers - הַמְּקַבְּלִים (hah-meh-kah-beh-LEEM). The Hebrew root for give is נ.ת.נ (n.t.n), while the root for receive is ק.ב.ל (k.b.l). Notably, the Hebrew term used to describe that Sinai transaction is מתן תורה, the giving of Torah, rather than קַבַּלַת תּוֹרָה - the receiving of Torah (kah-bah-LAHT toh-RAH). I believe that the term was thus selected to stress that the Torah is a gift and therefore to nurture gratitude toward the Giver.

The word for to accept and to receive is לְקַבֵּל (leh-kah-BEL), an active-intensive פיעל verb. The word for acceptance is קַבָּלָה (kah-bah-LAH). It's also the word for a financial receipt, as well as the body of Jewish literature containing mystical revelations received from above (the word קִבּוּל - kee-BOOL, the expected gerund for לקבל, refers to other things).

A couple of examples:

הוּא נֶהֱנֶה מִקַּבָּלָה חֶבְרָתִית
He enjoys social acceptance
(hoo neh-heh-NEH mee-kah-bah-LAH khev-rah-TEET)

בִּקַּשְׁתִּי קַבָּלָה מֵהַמִּסְעָדָה
I requested from the restaurant a receipt
(bee-KAHSH-tee kah-bah-LAH meh-hah-mees-ah-DAH)

Note - acceptance to a program of study, etc. uses a different word, הִתְקַבְּלוּת (heet-kah-beh-LOOT), the noun form of an active-reflexive התפעל verb, לְהִתְקַבֵּל (leh-heet-kah-BEL).

שבת שלום, חג שמח, וסוף שבוע נעים לכולם!
Shabbat Shalom, Happy (Shavuot) Holiday, and a wonderful weekend to all!

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how to say "disposable" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:16:00 PDT

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לְשִׁמּוּשׁ חַד-פַּעֲמִי

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Disposable - referring to an item that can be disposed of after one use - doesn't get translated literally into Hebrew. Rather, Hebrew uses the expression לְשִׁמּוּשׁ חַד-פַּעֲמִי - literally, for one-time use (leh-shee-MOOSH khahd-pah-ah-MEE). Most Israelis shorten the expression and say, simply, חד-פעמי - one-time.

A couple of examples:

מַזְלֵג חַד-פַּעֲמִי

disposable fork

(mahz-LEG khahd-pah-ah-MEE)

סַכִּין חַד-פַּעֲמִית

disposable knife

(sah-KEEN khahd-pah-ah-MEET)

For more examples, watch this video, Part 1 in the "Shopping for the Barbecue" series.

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how to say "sunburn" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:11:00 PDT

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כְּוִיַּת שֶׁמֶשׁ

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If you're like me and you've had a sunburn before, raise your hand.

The word for sun - שֶׁמֶשׁ (SHEH-mesh) - is one of those nouns people pick up pretty fast when learning Hebrew, especially if they're coming to Israel from a climate that doesn't get much of it.

The most common word for to burn in Hebrew is the active-simple פעל verb, לִשְׁרוֹף (lees-ROHF), of the root שׂ.ר.פ (s.r.p). A word for burn specific to the type of burn found on the body is כְּוִיָּה (keh-vee-YAH). This word appears prominently in the Biblical verses featuring the famous, "an eye for an eye":

עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן שֵׁן תַּחַת שֵׁן יָד תַּחַת יָד רֶגֶל תַּחַת רָגֶל, כְּוִיָּה תַּחַת כְּוִיָּה...

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm, a leg for a leg; a burn for a burn...

(AH-yeen TAH-khaht AH-yeen, shen TAH-khaht shen, yahd TAH-khaht yahd, REH-ghel TAH-khaht RAH-ghel; keh-vee-YAH TAH-khaht keh-vee-YAH...)

(Exodus 21:24-25)

Just as in English, where one wouldn't say the sun burned me, but more likely, I was burned by the sun, in Hebrew one would say נִכְוֵתִי (neekh-VEH-tee) - I was burned (on my skin). The verb is of the נפעל variety: לְהִכָּוֹת (leh-hee-kah-VOHT) - to be burned.

A sunburn is thus a כְּוִיַּת שמש (keh-vee-YAHT SHEH-mesh).

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how to say "ready for action" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:03:00 PDT

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מוּכָן וּמְזֻמָּן

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The English phrase ready for action implies that a person is on alert, prepared to do what is necessary to achieve a goal.

by Keith Allison

The Hebrew expression מוּכָן וּמְזֻמָּן (moo-KHAHN oo-meh-zoo-MAHN), found in the literature of the Rabbis of the classical period as well as in today's Jewish daily prayers, means essentially the same thing: ready and on alert.

The word מזומן (meh-zoo-MAHN) itself comes from the root ז.מ.נ (z.m.n) meaning time. The word implies that a person who is on alert is bound by a time that will beckon.

For example:

רֹאשׁ הָעִיר הֶחָדָשׁ מוכן ומזומן לְכָל דָּבָר.

The new mayor is ready for anything that might come his way (literally, for every thing).
(rohsh hah-EER heh-khah-DAHSH moo-KHAHN oo-meh-zoo-MAHN leh-KHOL dah-VAHR)

An example in the feminine:

הִיא מוּכָנָה וּמְזֻמֶּנֶת לְכָל מַצָּב.

She is ready for any situation.

(hee moo-khah-NAH oo-meh-zoo-MEH-net leh-KHOHL mah-TSAHV)

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on the Hebrew word for "miracle"

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:41:00 PDT

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נֵס

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This one's for JJ.

Forty five years ago three major Arab powers in the Middle East threatened to destroy the Jewish State and bring upon a second Holocaust. The people of Israel began to dig graves in their backyards in preparation for the worst. Then, Israel launched a preemptive attack that not only spared its certain destruction, but regained territories inhabited by Jews in ancient times, including the political and spiritual center foreseen by the Biblical prophets to be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 55:7), Jerusalem. Today, Israel is at peace with two of the three aforementioned powers.

Such a dramatic turnabout has several precedents in Jewish history, including the Exodus and the story of Esther. Those who don't believe the Biblical stories have a contemporary example of this turnabout, celebrated this very day in Israel as יוֹם יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (yohm yeh-roo-shah-LAH-yeem) - Jerusalem Day.

We use the word נֵס (nes) today to mean miracle, but its meaning in Biblical Hebrew is a symbol of victory held high for all to see (also a banner or flag). Fraught with conflict, debate about their validity and existential threat in the most visceral sense, the existence Jewish Jerusalem and Israel are nevertheless נִסִּים (nee-SEEM) - plural of נס - that the world will become and is already becoming a better place.

The root of נס is נ.ס.ס (n.s.s).

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how to say "the rules" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:19:00 PDT

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הַכְּלָלִים

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The Torah portion(s) to be read tomorrow by Jews the world over (in Israel, בְּחֻקֹּתַי - beh-khoo-koh-TAH-ee, and abroad בְּהַר-בְּחֻקֹּתַי - beh-HAHR-beh-khoo-koh-TAH-ee) feature various rules given to the People of Israel to be kept as they enter their promised land, as well as the consequences that would come should they not follow the rules.

There are many words for a rule in Hebrew, just as there are in English: law, ordinance, decree, dictate, edict, legislation, etc.

by Mariano Kamp

But then there's the rules - those principles, often unspoken, by which people operate (or rebel against) in the various arenas of life.

In Hebrew, these rules are כְּלָלִים (keh-lah-LEEM), of the root כ.ל.ל (k.l.l) meaning all or completeness.

Examples of הכללים:

צָרִיךְ לְשַׂחֵק אֶת הַמִּשְׂחָק לְפִי הַכְּלָלִים
(one) needs to play the game by the rules
(tsah-REEKH leh-sah-KHEK et hah-mees-KHAHK leh-FEE hah-keh-lah-LEEM)

כְּלָלֵי מִשְׂחַק הַחַיִּים אֵינָם בְּרוּרִים לְכֻלָּם
the rules of the game of life are not clear to everyone
(keh-lah-LEH-ee mees-KHAHK hah-khah-YEEM eh-ee-NAHM beh-roo-REEM leh-khoo-LAHM)

Another application of the root כ.ל.ל is the word general. The synagogue where I like to pray Friday night is called בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת הַכְּלָלִי - the general synagogue (where all are welcome) - (BEH-eet hah-keh-NEH-set hah-keh-lah-LEE).

שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים לכולם!
Shabbat Shalom and a pleasant weekend to all!

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how to say "image" - part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:47:00 PDT

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תַּדְמִית

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In English, there's the image of something physical or that which is formed in the mind (a mental image using the imagination), and there's the psychological image that a person perceives of him/herself and projects to the world, as well as other definitions.

The Hebrew word for a psychological image or that image which is projected to the world, is תַּדְמִית (tahd-MEET).

Two examples will illustrate:

יֵשׁ לוֹ תַּדְמִית עַצְמִית חִיּוּבִית
he has a positive self image
(yesh loh tahd-MEET ahts-MEET khee-yoo-VEET)

הִיא מְשַׁדֶּרֶת לָעוֹלָם תַּדְמִית מִקְצוֹעִית
she projects (broadcasts) to the world a professional image
(hee meh-shah-DEH-ret lah-oh-LAHM tahd-MEET meek-tsoh-EET)

The root of תדמית is ד.מ.ה (d.m.h), meaning image or likeness. It's of the same verb-to-noun pattern as the words תַּבְנִית (tahv-NEET) and תַּפְנִית (tahf-NEET) meaning pattern and turnabout, respectively. The root of תבנית is ב.נ.ה (b.n.h), while the root of תפנית is פ.נ.ה (p.n.h). Note that the final root letter of all three words in the verb-to-noun pattern - תדמית, תבנית, תפנית - is ה (h).

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how to say "image" in Hebrew - part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:46:00 PDT

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תְּמוּנָה

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The word image has several meanings in English. There's the image of something physical or that which is formed in the mind (a mental image using the imagination), there's the psychological image that a person perceives of him/herself and projects to the world, as well as others.

Hebrew has different words for these various meanings.

In Biblical Hebrew, the content of a vision is a דְּמוּת (deh-MOOT), while a visual representation of something either physical or imagined is a תְּמוּנָה (teh-moo-NAH).

תְּמוּנָה יָפָה מֵאֵת פּוֹל בַּיקָה

(teh-moo-NAH yah-FAH meh-ET Paul Bica)

a pretty picture by Paul Bica

In today's spoken Hebrew, תמונה refers to a physical image or picture, including those images stored digitally on a computer (files ending in .jpg, .png, etc). דמות, on the other hand, today refers primarily to a character or figure in a story or public arena. For example, הַיֶּלֶד מֵחֵיפָה הוּא הַדְּמוּת הַמֶּרְכָּזִית בַּסִּפּוּר - the boy from Haifa is the main character in the story (hah-YEH-led meh-kheh-ee-FAH hoo hah-deh-MOOT hah-mehr-kah-ZEET bah-see-POOR).

The root of דמות is ד.מ.ה (d.m.h), meaning image or likeness. For another application of the root as well as another definition of image, you'll have to wait until tomorrow.

In the meantime, you can fill out this poll:

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

how to say "résumé" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:08:00 PDT

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קוֹרוֹת חַיִּים

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A résumé or a curriculum vitae (CV) is a document that details a person's professional and life accomplishments, usually for a prospective employer.

One might describe a résumé as a list of the deliberate happenings or events of life, which is exactly what the Hebrew expression for résumé means: קוֹרוֹת חַיִּים (koh-ROHT khah-YEEM). The root of קורות is ק.ר.ה (k.r.h) meaning happen or occur, while חיים means life.

In writing, קורות חיים is often abbreviated to קוֹ"ח (kohkh), as are many other Hebrew expressions.

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how to say "resident" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:28:00 PDT

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תּוֹשָׁב

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The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat in Israel and next Shabbat abroad presents the Biblical laws of real estate as well as the laws of citizenship.

A key term in civics is a resident - someone who lives in a particular place. In Hebrew, a resident is a תּוֹשָׁב (toh-SHAHV) for a male and a תּוֹשֶׁבֶת (toh-SHEH-vet) for a female.

For example, הֵם לֹא תּוֹשְׁבֵי הַמָּקוֹם, הֵם תַּיָּרִים - they are not locals (literally, residents of the place), they are tourists - (hem loh toh-sheh-VEH-ee hah-mah-KOHM, hem tah-yah-REEM).

The word תושב derives from the root י.ש.ב (y.sh.b) meaning sitting or dwelling. The letter י (y) switches with the letter ו (w), as it often does in application of roots.

Test your knowledge of this week's doses of Hebrew!

שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים לכולם!
Shabbat Shalom, and a pleasant weekend to all!

how to say "flame" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:42:00 PDT

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לֶהָבָה

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The common Hebrew word for fire is אֵשׁ (esh).

A flame, however, is a לְהָבָה (leh-hah-VAH).

by Capture Queen ™

Perhaps the most well-known Biblical example of this word can be found in the psalm recited in synagogues Friday night before the לְכָה דּוֹדִי (leh-KHAH doh-DEE) liturgical poem: קוֹל (הַשֵּׁם) חֹצֵב לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ - the voice of G-d (changed to preserve sanctity) hews flames of fire (kohl (hah-SHEM) khoh-TSEV lah-hah-VOHT esh).

The root of להבה is ל.ה.ב (l.h.b), which gives rise to the Modern-Hebrew word for enthusiasm, or the state of being "fired up" - הִתְלַהֲבוּת (heet-lah-hah-VOOT) - see our entry on that.

This is the third in a series of fire-related entries for this week, the week of לַ"ג בָּעֹמֶר (lahg bah-OH-mehr), which starts tonight.

The theme of fire also relates to a video clip we released earlier this week, which will help you learn some essentials for Hebrew letter-writing and parent-teacher diplomacy.

The words for bonfire can be found here.

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how to say "to boil" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:25:00 PDT

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לִרְתּוֹחַ, לְהַרְתִּיחַ

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The Hebrew word for hot is חָם (khahm), an adjective.

But the Hebrew word for boiling is רוֹתֵחַ (roh-TEH-ahkh), both an adjective and a verb.

For example, you could describe the water as boiling in the phrase, the boiling water - הַמַּיִם הָרוֹתְחִים (hah-MAH-yeem hah-roh-teh-KHEEM), where ה)רותחים) is an adjective.

But you could also declare that the water is boiling - הַמַּיִם רוֹתְחִים (hah-MAH-yeem roh-teh-KHEEM), where רותחים is a verb. The infinitive to boil is לִרְתּוֹחַ (leer-TOH-ahkh), an active-simple פעל verb.

by LearningToSee

לרתוח is also used to express that a person is very angry. For example, הוּא רָתַח כְּשֶׁהוּא שָׁמַע אֶת הַחֲדָשׁוֹת - he boiled when he heard the news (hoo rah-TAHKH keh-sheh-hoo shah-MAH et hah-khah-dah-SHOHT).

That's the water itself, boiling. But when a person boils water, s/he is actually causing the water to boil. That's לְהַרְתִּיחַ (leh-hahr-TEE-ahkh) in Hebrew, an active-causative הפעיל verb.

For example, כְּדֵי לְהָכִין תֶּה, קֹדֶם כֹּל צָרִיךְ לְהַרְתִּיחַ מַיִם - in order to prepare tea, first (one) needs to boil water.

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how to say "lighter" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:48:00 PDT

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מַצִּית

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Correction to last entry: Jews in Israel read the Torah portion אֱמֹר (eh-MOHR) this past week, but Jews in the rest of the world read a different portion.

Today's dose:

Smokers in English-speaking countries might ask a passerby, got a light? or do you have a lighter?

In Israel, people say, ?יֵשׁ לְךָ/לָךְ מַצִּית (yesh leh-KHAH/lahkh mah-TSEET?) - do you (m/f) have a lighter?

by viZZZual.com

To ignite, in Hebrew, is לְהַצִּית (leh-hah-TSEET). The root is י.צ.ת (y.ts.t). Use it only in the context of igniting a flame.

להצית is a synonym of לְהַדְלִיק (leh-hahd-LEEK), which means to light or to ignite, used more broadly. Its root is ד.ל.ק (d.l.k) - lighting material.

For an example, watch this video... and pass it on.

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how to say "cream" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:03:00 PDT

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מִשְׁחָה

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The Torah portion to be read tomorrow by Jews around the world mentions the high priest upon whose head the anointment oil has been poured - אֲשֶׁר יוּצַק עַל רֹאשׁוֹ שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה (ah-SHEHR yoo-TSAHK ahl roh-SHOH SHEH-men hah-meesh-KHAH).

by li-penny

The word משחה means anointment, cream which is smeared on the body, sometimes to soothe and other times to cleanse. Hebrew speakers also borrow the word קְרֶם (krem) from English.

Three practical usages of משחה are:

מִשְׁחָה לָעוֹר - cream for the skin - (meesh-KHAH lah-OHR)
מִשְׁחַת יָדַיִם - hand cream (literally, cream of hands) - (meesh-KHAHT yah-DAH-yeem)
מִשְׁחַת שִׁנַּיִם - toothpaste (literally, cream of teeth) - (meesh-KHAHT shee-NAH-yeem)

2. and 3. are examples of two (or more) words connected in an "of relationship" - the construct state or סְמִיכוּת (smee-KHOOT), which is why the ה (heh) from the word משחה becomes a ת (tav).

The root of משחה is מ.ש.ח (m.sh.kh), the same as that of the word מָשִׁיחַ (mah-SHEE-ahkh) - messiah or, literally, the anointed one.

שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים לכולם!
Shabbat Shalom, and a pleasant weekend to all!

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how to say "behavior pattern" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:36:00 PDT

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דְּפוּס הִתְנַהֲגוּת

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The other day, we saw that the Modern Hebrew word for printing is דְּפוּס (deh-FOOS), which also can mean pattern.

Yesterday, we saw that behavior, in Hebrew, is הִתְנַהֲגוּת (heet-nah-hah-GOOT).

by Roby Ferrari

A pattern of behavior is a דְּפוּס הִתְנַהֲגוּת (deh-FOOS heet-nah-hah-GOOT).

Since this phrase is comprised of two words connected in an "of relationship" - the construct state or סְמִיכוּת (smee-KHOOT) - the plural will appear in the first word, but not the last.

For example, behavior patterns are דְּפוּסֵי התנהגות (deh-foo-SEH-ee heet-nah-hah-GOOT), as in נִתַּן לְהַבְחִין דפוסי התנהגות בַּדּוֹלְפִיניִם - one can (it is given to) distinguish behavior patterns in the dolphins (nee-TAHN leh-hahv-KHEEN deh-foo-SEH-ee heet-nah-hah-GOOT bah-dohl-FEE-neem).

how to say "behavior" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:25:00 PDT

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הִתְנַהֲגוּת

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by mikebaird

To behave is to conduct oneself in a certain way. It is therefore not surprising that the Hebrew word for to behave comes from the Biblical root meaning conduct or drive - נ.ה.ג (n.h.g).

To behave is לְהִתְנַהֵג (leh-heet-nah-HEG), a reflexive-intensive התפעל verb. And following the verbal-noun pattern, behavior is הִתְנַהֲגוּת (heet-nah-hah-GOOT).

For example, הַהִתְנַהֲגוּת שֶׁל הַיָּלְדָה הִיא לֹא מְקֻבֶּלֶת - the girl's behavior is unacceptable - (hah-heet-nah-hah-GOOT shel hah-yahl-DAH hee loh meh-koo-BEH-let).

Some other words of the same root are מִנְהָג - custom or tradition (meen-HAHG), לִנְהוֹג - to drive (leen-HOHG) and לְהַנְהִיג - to lead (leh-hahn-HEEG).

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how to say "printing" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:48:00 PDT

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דְּפוּס

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Yesterday, we saw the Hebrew terms for population, which come from the Ancient Greek word for masses, όχλος (OHKH-lohs).

Today I'll introduce another Hebrew word that borrows from Greek.

Yesterday I visited two printing houses to pick up booklets for Ulpan La-Inyan, one in Raanana and the other in Tel Aviv. The Hebrew expression for printing house is בֵּית דְּפוּס (BEH-eet deh-FOOS).

by William Hook

דפוס comes from the Ancient Greek word τυπος (TOO-pohs) meaning a figure or type. דפוס - also the word for block-lettered writing - refers to the images printed on a piece of surface such as a piece of paper.

Likewise, לְהַדְפִּיס (leh-hahd-PEES) is to print, an active-causative הפעיל verb.

דפוס has other similar meanings, including template and pattern.

That Greek word, τυπος, is the source of other words in Hebrew, such as טֹפֶס - a form - (TOH-fes) and טִפּוּס - a type (of thing or person) or a personality or "character" - (tee-POOS).

how to say "population" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:08:00 PDT

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אֻכְלוּסִיָּה

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The word used in Modern-Hebrew to refer to a specifc population is the same as that used in Mishnaic times: אֻכְלוּסִיָּה (ookh-loo-see-YAH).

For example, גֹּדֶל אֻכְלוּסִיַּת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם מִתְקָרֶבֶת לִשְׁמוֹנֶה מְאוֹת אֶלֶף תּוֹשָׁבִים - the size of the population of Jerusalem is approaching eight hundred thousand residents (GOH-del ookh-loo-see-YAHT yeh-roo-shah-LAH-yeem meet-kah-REH-vet leesh-moh-NEH meh-OHT EH-lef toh-shah-VEEM).

To refer to population in general, you'd use the word אֻכְלוּסִין (ookh-loo-SEEN).

For example, הַרְבֶּה אֲנָשִׁים מֻדְאָגִים מֵהִתְפּוֹצְצוּת אוכלוסין - many people are concerned about population explosion (overpopulation) (hahr-BEH ah-nah-SHEEM mood-ah-GHEEM meh-heet-poh-tseh-TSOOT ookh-loo-SEEN).

This now-Hebrew word is actually borrowed from the Ancient Greek όχλος (OHKH-lohs), meaning masses.

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how to say "series" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:39:00 PDT

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סִדְרָה

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Today was Israel's יוֹם הָעַצְמָאוּת - Independence Day, literally, the day of independence (yohm hah-ahts-mah-OOT).

To give you a comical glimpse into Israeli culture, I'll refer you to a series put out by Ynet called "Pini": pini.ynet.co.il.

The Hebrew word for a series of any kind is סִדְרָה (seed-RAH), from the word סֵדֶר (SEH-dehr), meaning order (yes, like the Passover Seder). That's because a series is a group of things set in a particular order.

Likewise, the related English word serial is סִדְרָתִי (seed-rah-TEE) in Hebrew. So a serial killer is a רוֹצֵחַ סִדְרָתִי (roh-TSEH-ahkh seed-rah-TEE) - if it's a male.

סדרה is also one of the terms for weekly Torah portion, though it is pronounced by the European or English-speaking rabbis who use the term as SED-rah.

שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים לכולם!
Shabbat Shalom, and a pleasant weekend to all!

how to say "bereavement" in Hebrew

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:32:00 PDT

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שְׁכוֹל

War and bereavement have been, unfortunately, a part of life since the dawn of humanity. It is no wonder, then, that Biblical Hebrew has a salient word for bereavement - שְׁכוֹל (sheh-KHOHL).

A related word is שַׁכּוּל - bereaved (shah-KOOL). For example, בְּיוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן הָעָם עוֹמֵד בְּסוֹלִידָרִיּוּת עִם הַמִּשְׁפָּחוֹת הַשַּׁכּוּלוֹת - On Memorial Day, the nation stands in solidarity with the bereaved families (beh-YOHM hah-zee-kah-ROHN hah-AHM oh-MED beh-soh-lee-DAH-ree-yoot eem hah-meesh-pah-KHOHT hah-shah-koo-LOHT).

As do we at Ulpan La-Inyan.

how to say "endurance" and correction to last post

noreply@blogger.com (Ami Steinberger) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:21:00 PDT

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סִבֹּלֶת

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Correction to previous post:

In the previous post, I introduced the Hebrew term for dryer. I had written מְכוֹנַת יִבּוּשׁ (meh-khoh-NAHT yee-BOOSH) as the title, then changed my mind and adjusted the body of the post, but I forgot to update the title as מְיַבֵּשׁ (meh-yah-BESH). Here's the corrected post.

Today's dose:

Those who have spent at least six months in Israel almost certainly know the term for be patient! - סַבְלָנוּת (sahv-lah-NOOT) - literally, patience. The root, ס.ב.ל (s.b.l) means ability to take on burden. In the Modern word סוֹבְלָוּת (sohv-lah-NOOT), the root is used to mean tolerance for others.

by zharcos

Another Modern-Hebrew word that invokes the root ס.ב.ל is סִבֹּלֶת (see-BOH-let) - stamina or endurance. For example, לַשַּׂחְיָנִית הַזֹּאת יֵשׁ סיבולת גְּבוֹהָה - this (female) swimmer has high endurance (lah-sahkh-yah-NEET hah-ZOHT yesh see-BOH-let gheh-voh-HAH).

Do not confuse the word סיבולת with the word for a stalk of grain or an ear of corn - שִׁבֹּלֶת (shee-BOH-let). In Biblical times, this confusion apparently spawned a war (see Judges 12:6).

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