Streetwise Hebrew

We are going through some yamim meshugaim - "crazy days" - in Israel at the moment, so let's talk about how we drive someone crazy in Hebrew (something we cook to perfection!). We promise a special sanity episode once things get back to normal. New words & expressions: Yamim meshugaim – Crazy days – ימים משוגעים Meshuga – Crazy – משוגע Pgu'a nefesh – Mentally ill – פגוע נפש Leshage'a – To drive someone crazy – לשגע Ze ha-erev ha-ze ha-meshge'a – It's this terrific evening – זה הערב הזה המשגע Meshgea – Wonderful, terrific, smashing – משגע Hu meshage'a et kulan – He drives everybody (f. pl.) crazy – הוא משגע את כולן Al teshag'i oti – Don't drive me crazy – אל תשגעי אותי Shige'a – He drove crazy – שיגע Ha-bachura shelcha, hi rak shig'ah otcha – Your girl, she only drove you crazy – הבחורה שלך, היא רק שיגעה אותך Ba'al ha-bayit hishtag'ea – The owner lost his mind – בעל הבית השתגע Yesh tipot shel shiga'on beinenu – There are drops of insanity between us – יש טיפות של שיגעון בינינו Shiga'on – Craziness/groovy –

How do we sleep in Hebrew? What about snoozes and power naps? Host Guy Sharett talks about our sacred shnatz, and introduces us to some very sleepy words. New words & expressions: Hu yashen – He’s asleep/sleeping – הוא ישן Yashen, ra’ev, ayef, same’ach – Sleeping, hungry, tired, happy – ישן, רעב, עייף, שמח Yeshena, yeshenim, yeshenot – Sleeping (f., sing.), sleeping (m., pl.), sleeping (f., pl.) – ישנה, ישנים, ישנות Lishon – To sleep – לישון Shoel "gam at yashant?" – I am asking "were you (f.) sleeping as well?" – "שואל "גם את ישנת Yashnuni – Sleepy – ישנוני Sheina – Sleep (noun) – שינה Shnatz, shnat tsohorayim – Afternoon nap – שנ"צ, שנת צהריים Ha-amuta le-kidum tarbut ha-shnatz be-israel – The association for promoting the culture of the shnatz in Israel – העמותה לקידום תרבות השנ"צ בישראל Nedudei sheina – Insomnia – נדודי שינה Nedudim – Wandering, travels – נדודים Ha-koshi leheradem – The difficulty of falling asleep – הקושי להירדם Arba lifnot boker lo nirdemet – 4am, I am not falling asleep – ארבע לפנו

This is our 100th podcast episode, and it’s time to say, "toda raba," thanks so much for your support. This is a good opportunity to learn how to thank someone profusely and cynically in Hebrew. New words & expressions: Toda al ha-osher – Thanks for the happiness – תודה על האושר Toda la-el – Thank god – תודה לאל Toda le-X al Y – Thank someone for something – תודה למישהו על משהו Be’emet toda raba – Thank you so much – באמת תודה רבה Toda raba be’emet/ toda raba lecha be’emet – Thanks for nothing – תודה רבה (לך) באמת Mamash/Hamon/Ma-ze toda – Thank you so much – ממש/המון/מה-זה תודה Rav todot – Much obliged – רב תודות Be-toda – With thanks – בתודה (Be)toda me-rosh – Thanks in advance – ב)תודה מראש) Asir toda – Grateful – אסיר תודה Mode Ani – I thank – מודה אני Ein anachnu maspikim lehodot lecha – We cannot thank you enough – אין אנחנו מספיקים להודות לך 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

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. New words & expressions: Hayita bone li kirot – You’d build me walls – היית בונה לי קירות Hayita matkin menorot – You’d install lamps – היית מתקין מנורות She-yihie li or – So that I’d have light – שיהיה לי אור Three options for haya + present: 1. He would. 2. He would have. 3. He used to. Lu hayiti shnei alim ba-stav – If I were two leaves in the fall – לו הייתי שני עלים בסתיו Hayiti nosheret alecha achshav – I’d fall on you right now – הייתי נושרת עליך עכשיו Ma Atem Hayitem Osim? – What would you do? – מה אתם הייתם עושים? Ani zocher be-leilot shel yare’ach male, hayit ba’a elay, lo be-mikre – I remember in full moon nights, you used to come to me, not at random – אני זוכר בלילות של ירח מלא, היית באה אליי, לא במקרה Hayit sholachat yad ve-okeret et ha-pach

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 ozer is an "assistant," but could also mean "he’s helping" - a verb in the present tense. How are you supposed to know which one it is? Host Guy Sharett 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. New words & expressions: Azar – He helped – עזר Shalom, efshar laazor – Hello, may I help? – ?שלום, אפשר לעזור Efshar laazor lecha? – May I help you? – ?אפשר לעזור לך La’azor, laavod, laanot – To help, to work, to answer – לעזור, לעבוד, לענות Ata yachol laazor li bevakasha? At yechola laazor li bevakasha? – Could you help me please? – ?אתה יכול לעזור לי בבקשה? את יכולה לעזור לי בבקשה Ulay at yechola la’azor li – Maybe you can help me – אולי את יכולה לעזור לי Eich ani yachol/yechola laazor lecha? – How can I help you? – איך אני יכול/יכולה לעזור לך? Ze mamash azar li – This really helped me –זה ממש עזר לי Ze lo azar – It didn’t help – זה לא עזר Hayiti be-20 tipulim, shum davar lo azar – I went to 20 sessions, nothing h

Omed, "stands," and omed le-, "is about to," are two different things. Host Guy Sharett 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. New words & expressions: Hu amad – He stood – עמד La’amod – To stand – לעמוד Ha-kol omed ba-makom – Everything stands still – הכל עומד במקום Hu omed – He is standing – הוא עומד Omedet, omdim, omdot – עומדת, עומדים, עומדות Hu omed lalechet – He’s about to go – הוא עומד ללכת Omed + infinitive – About to – עומד +שם פועל 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 at the end – אבל בסוף היא לא נסעה Ani rotse lada’at eifo ani omed ba-avoda – I want to know my 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 – הלב שלי לא עומד בזה י

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...   New words & 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 party – שתהיה אחלה מסיבה She-tihye achla

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. New words & expressions Ma kara la-yeled – What happened to the kid – מה קרה לילד? Ma kara, ma kara? – What on earth is going on? – מה קרה, מה קרה? Ma kore achi – What’s going on dude? – מה קורה אחי? Az ma od kore itach – So what else is happening with you?  – אָז מָה עוֹד קוֹרֶה אִיתָךְ Ma kore im – What’s happening with – מָה קוֹרֶה עִם Ma kara im – What happened to – מָה קָרָה עִם Tagidi ma kore itach? – Tell me, what’s going on with you? – תגידי מה קורה איתך? Ma le’azazel kore itcha? – What on earth is going on with you? – מה לעזאזאל קורה איתך? Ze ma she-kara – This is what happened – זה מה שקרה Ze lo kore li – This is not happening to me – זה לא קורה לי Ze lo yikre shuv – This won’t happen again – זה לא יקרה שוב Nu, ve-kara mashehu? –

How many times have you called a company or a bank and had to deal with ma’ane koli, or an automated answering service? Today we’ll learn words and terms you’ll be hearing while waiting online, plus a tip how to quickly reach a real live customer service representative. New words & expressions: Ma’ane koli – Automated Answering Service – מענה קולי Kol, koli – Voice, vocal – קולי Hu ana – He answered –הוא ענה La’anot – To answer –לענות Le-ivrit na lehakish 1 – For Hebrew press 1 –לעברית נא להקיש 1 Ana, Na – Kindly –אנא, נא Na hakesh, Na lehakish –נא הקש, נא להקיש Lesherut lakochot – For customer service –לשירות לקוחות Le-siyum hakishu sulamit – To end press star –לסיום הקישו סולמית Le-Siyum – To end – לסיום Sulam – Ladder –סולם Sulamit – Hash key – סולמית Le-sherut lakochot – For customer service – לשירות לקוחות Meyda – Information –מידע Ul-meyda (Ve-le-meyda) – And for information – ולמידע Lintsig sherut hakesh – For a customer service agent press –לנציג שירות הקש Li-tmicha technit – For technical support

TLV1 Radio, the home of our podcast, has a few more shows for you to check out. They all focus on Israel in one way or another. For those of you interested in some straight talk about Israeli politics, culture, society, economy, and all the rest, have a listen to The Promised Podcast. You can find the podcast at tlv1.fm/promisedpodcast or search for it on your favorite podcast app.   Teomim are twins, from the root תאמ which is used in Hebrew for anything to do with matching, suiting, fitting, coordinating and more. Let’s learn how to use this family of words in our everyday life. Mat’im lachem? New words & expressions: Teom, te’omim – Twin, twins – תאום, תאומים Zug te’omot siamyot – A pair of Siamese twins – זוג תאומות סיאמיות Migdalei ha-teomim – The twin towers – מגדלי התאומים Ze lo ta’am et ha-tsipiyot – It didn’t 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 Leta’em – To coordinate – לתאם Eich efshar letaem pgisha mer

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 can we learn from this root. Hope you’re happy with our sherut! New words & 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 – Computer server; janitor – שרת Mal’achey h

How come some mistakes in a foreign language sound worse than others? It’s unfair, but some things Hebrew learners say sound more grating 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!   New words & expressions: Kshe – When – כש Ka’asher – When (archaic) – כאשר Kshe-bati ha-bayita matsati et ha-maftechot – When I came home I found the keys – כשבאתי הביתה מצאתי את המפתחות Kshe-halev boche – 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 wish I’d be your king – הייתי רוצה להיות מלך שלך Hayiti rotsa, hayiti rotse – I would like – הייתי רוצה Ani rotsa cappuccino (be-vakasha) – (אני רוצה קפוצ'ינו (בבקשה Efshar kise – Could I please have a chair? –

Betach or batu’ach - "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 Sharett does some excavation work so we can see where this root, "bet.tet.chet," comes from.   New words & expressions: Israel betach be-elohim – People of Israel have faith in God – ישראל בטח באלוהים Livto’ach be-mishehu – To trust someone – לבטוח במישהו Batu’ach – Safe, secure – בטוח Ani margish batu’ach – I feel safe – אני מרגיש בטוח Batuach, Betach – For sure, sure thing – בטוח, בטח Betach she-avo – Sure I’ll come – בטח שאבוא Bitu’ach –  Insurance – ביטוח Polisat bitu’ach – Insurance policy – פוליסת ביטוח Bitu’ach leumi – National Insurance – ביטוח לאומי Ha-mosad le-bitu’ach leumi – The National Insurance Institute – המוסד לביטוח לאומי Bi-mdinat Israel kol talmid mevutach be-polisa she-nikret polisat talmidim – In the state of Israel every student is insured with a policy called student policy – במדינת ישראל כל תלמיד מבוטח בפוליסה שנקראת פוליסת תלמידים Hivtachtem

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.   New words & expressions: Hofesh – Holiday –חופשHa-hofesh ha-gadol – The summer holiday –החופש הגדולHofesh ha-dibur – Freedom of speech –חופש הדיבורHufsha – Vacation –חופשהHufsha mishpachtit – family vacation –חופשה משפחתיתHofshi ze legamrei levad – To be free means to be completely on your own –חופשי זה לגמרי לבדLakachat hofesh – to take days off –לקחת חופשAni be-hofesh – I am on holiday –אני בחופשLatus, tisa – To fly, flight –לטוס, טיסהTisa haloch va-shov – A Round trip flight –טיסה הלוך וָשובHazmana – 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 הרגישה אצל הנוסע הישראלי, החלום להשתדרג למחלקת עסקים.S

‘Yeled’ – ‘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. New words & expressions: Yeled – Child, kid, boy – ילד (Arabic ولد, walad) Kulanu yeladim shel ha-chayim – We are all children of the life – כולנו ילדים של החיים Yeled, yeladim – ילד, ילדים Yaldey Ha-yare’ach – Children of the moon – ילדי הירח Hu yaase lach yeled – he’ll make you a child – הוא יעשה לך ילד Ta’ase li yeled – Make me a child, you’re awesome – תעשה לי ילד Yalad – He gave birth – הוא ילד Hi yalda – She gave birth – היא ילדה Yalda – Girl – ילדה Hi yalda bat – She gave birth to a girl – היא ילדה בת Hi yalda ben – She gave birth to a boy – היא ילדה בן Eich shir nolad – How is a song born? – איך שיר נולד? Hu nolad – He was born – הוא נולד Nichtav; niylad>nawlad>nolad Ma nolad? – What was born? – ?מה נולד Nolad lo ben – A son was

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...   New words & expressions Od? - Some more? - ?עוד Ken, od tipa/ktsat – Yes, just a tiny bit more – כן, עוד טיפה/קצת Efshar od chalav? - May I have more milk? - ?אפשר עוד חלב Efshar od ktsat kafe? - May I have a bit more coffee? - ?אפשר עוד קצת קפה Ma od? - What else? - ?מה עוד Ma od bikasht? - What else did you ask for? - ?מה עוד ביקשת Ma od vaksha? - What else be-vakasha? - ?מה עוד בבקשה Od mashehu? - Something else? - ?עוד משהו Od mashehu motek/mami/gever/ achi? - Anything else darling/mate/dude? - ?עוד משהו מותק/ממי/גבר/אחי Ma od, ata rotse gam café? - What else, do you want a cup of coffee as well? - ?מה עוד, אתה רוצה גם קפה Mi od? - Who else? - ?מי עוד Mi od ba? - Who else is coming? - ?מי עוד בא Tagidi li od paam – Tell me (fem.) once more – תגידי לי עוד פעם Od pa’am – One more time, once more - עוד פעם Od ha-paam (sla

Host Guy Sharett 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. Playlists on my website 3. Radio: Israeli National Radio in 14 languages 4. Flash cards all over your home 5. Saying new words out loud. Talk to the Google Translate App. 6. Tandem with a Hebrew speaker. Post your location on our Facebook page if you’re not sure if there’s a Hebrew speaker around you. 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, newspaper, websites, inflight magazines. Morfix online dictionary El Al inflight magazine – Eng./Heb.   Playlist and clips used: All Chakras - Meditation, Balancing and Tuning  

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…   New words & 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 – He was summoned – זומַן Mezuman – Summo