Streetwise Hebrew

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

Ta'aseh li yeled – Give me a child – תעשה לי ילד

Hi yalda – She gave birth – היא ילדה

Hi yalda ben/bat – She gave birth to a boy/girl – היא ילדה בן/בת

"Eich shir nolad?" – How is a song born? – איך שיר נולד

Hu nolad – He was born – הוא נולד

"Ma nolad?" – What was born (a boy or a girl)? – מה נולד

Nolad lo ben – He had a boy – נולד לו בן

Nolda lahem bat – They have a little girl – נולדה להם בת

"Ani noladti la-shalom" – I was born to peace – אני נולדתי לשלום

"Rak etmol nolda" – She was just born yesterday – רק אתמול נולדה

Hi nolda – She was born – היא נולדה

Hu yiled – He delivered a baby – הוא יילד

Hi yilda – She delivered a baby – היא יילדה

Meyaledet – Midwife – מיילדת

Leyaled – To deliver (baby) – ליילד

Lehityaled – To speak or behave childishly – להתיילד

Hu holid – He fathered – הוא הוליד

"Zeh holid be'ayot chadashot" – It brought new problems – זה הוליד בעיות חדשות

Yaldoot – Childhood – ילדות

Yalduti – Infantile – ילדותי

Yaldutiyoot – Childishness / immaturity – ילדותיות

Huledet – Birth – הולדת

Yom huledet, yomuledet – Birthday – יום הולדת, יומולדת

Leida – Delivery (Of a baby) – לידה

Ta'arich leida – Date of birth – תאריך לידה

Yeluda – Birth rate – ילודה

Yaldon, yaldonet – Kiddo – ילדון, ילדונת

Playlist and Clips:

Arik Einstein – Yeladim shel Ha-chayim (lyrics)

Tslil Mechoovan – Yaldey hayare'ach (lyrics)

Shlomo Artzi – Nirkod Nishkach (lyrics)

Ha-keves ha-shisha-asar – Eich Shir Nolad (lyrics)

Sexta – Noladti La-shalom (lyrics)

Aris San – Rak Etmol Nolda (lyrics)

Mati Caspi – Yalduti Hashniya (lyrics)

Uzi Fuchs – Yaldonet (lyrics)

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 - enough with it already – מספיק עם זה ודי

Maspik le-mishehu – Enough for someone – מספיק למישהו

Ze maspik lach? - Is it enough for you? - ?מספיק לך

Maspik chacham – Clever enough – מספיק חכם

Ve-zo siba maspik tova – And this is a good enough reason – וזו סיבה מספיק טובה

Ha-anashim she-amru li she-ani lo shava maspik – Those people who told me I was not good enough - האנשים שאמרו לי שאני לא שווה מספיק

Maspik she-shlosha arbaa mikrim yikru – It’s enough that three or four cases will happen – מספיק ששלושה ארבעה מקרים יקרו

Kol ha-medina tedaber aleyhem – The whole country will talk about them – כל המדינה תדבר עליהם

Lo maspik she… – It’s not enough that… – ...לא מספיק ש

Maspik ledaber achshav – Enough with the talking now – מספיק לדבר עכשיו

Ani chayav lehaspik – I must do it on time – אני חייב להספיק

Lehaspik – To succeed in doing something on time – להספיק

Maspik, maspika, maspikim, maspikot – מספיק, מספיקה, מספיקים, מספיקות

Ani lo maspik/aspik le’hagia hayom – I won’t make it today – אני לא מספיק/אספיק להגיע היום

Ha-ochel ha-ze tsarich lehaspik le-shlosha yamim – This food should suffice for three days – האוכל הזה צריך להספיק לשלושה ימים

Sapak internet – Internet provider – ספק אינטרנט

Sipuk – satisfaction – סיפוק

Aspaka – provision – אספקה

Shataknu maspik – We were silent enough – שתקנו מספיק

Maspik le-hayom – That’s enough for today – מספיק להיום

Playlist and clips used

Ha-dag nachash – Lo Maspik (Lyrics)

Religious tolerance in Israel – TV10

Jacky Mekayten – Ha-me’antezet (Lyrics)

Monika Sex – Maspik Benadam (Lyrics)

Yitzhak Klepter – Tslil Mechuvan (Lyrics)

TV2 – Behavior in the Knesset

Dudu Tassa – Ani Ratz (Lyrics)

"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 else? – עוד משהו

Ma od, ata rotseh gam café? – What else, do you want a cup of coffee as well? – מה עוד, אתה רוצה גם קפה

Mi od ba? – Who else is coming? – מי עוד בא

Tagidi li od paam – Tell me one more time – תגידי לי עוד פעם

"Od ha-paam" – One more time – עוד הפעם

"Ata od tegaleh et ha-olam" – You'll still discover the world – אתה עוד תגלה את העולם

Yesh adayin zman, yesh od zman – There's still time – יש עוד זמן, יש עדיין זמן

Daber iti be-od yomayim – Talk to me in two days – דבר איתי בעוד יומיים

Od me'at – In a bit – עוד מעט

Kol od – As long as – כל עוד

"Kol od oleh ha-boker" – As long as the sun is rising – כל עוד עולה הבוקר

Kol od hu medaber kacha, ani lo adaber ito – As long as he talks like this, I won't talk to him – כל עוד הוא מדבר ככה, אני לא אדבר איתו

"Od lo tamu kol pla'ayich" – Your wonders are not over yet – עוד לא תמו כל פלאייך

Od lo achalti – I haven't eaten yet – עוד לא אכלתי

"Eich eda ve-odeni yeled" – How will I know, when I am still a child? – איך אדע ועודני ילד

Playlist and Clips:

Erik Berman – Ma Od Bikasht? (lyrics)

Pablo Rosenberg – Tagidi Li Od Pa'am (lyrics)

Gidi Gov – Inyan shel Zman (lyrics)

Yoni Rechter & Eli Mohar – Kol Od (lyrics)

Rami Kleinstein – Od Lo Tamu Kol Pla'ayich (lyrics)

Ha-kol Over Habibi – Odeni yeled (lyrics)

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 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, newspapers, websites, inflight magazines.

Morfix online dictionary

El Al inflight magazine – Eng./Heb.

10 tips for opening our linguistic chakras

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…

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and 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 – Summoned/cash – מזומן

Leshalem bi-mzuman – To pay in cash – לשלם במזומן

Lehizdamen – To arrive by chance, to happen to come – להזדמן

Hizdamen li la'asot et ze – It happened to me to do it – הזדמן לי לעשות את זה

Hizdamnut – Opportunity – הזדמנות

Lehazmin – To invite, book, reserve, order – להזמין

Lehazmin tisa – To book a flight – להזמין טיסה

Lehazmin chaver le'aruchat erev – To invite a friend to dinner – להזמין חבר לארוחת ערב

Lehazmin shulchan be-misa'ada – To reserve a table in a restaurant – להזמין שולחן במסעדה

Hizmantem kvar? – Have you guys ordered yet? – הזמנתם כבר

Muzman – Invited/booked/reserved – מוזמן

Hashulchan ha-ze muzman – This table is reserved – השולחן הזה מוזמן

Nimtsa avoda zmanit – We'll find a temporary job – נמצא עבודה זמנית

Tachana zmanit – A temporary bus stop – תחנה זמנית

Bo-zmani – Simultaneous – בו-זמני

Zmaniyut – Temporariness – זמניוּת

Omanut bat-zmanenu – Contemporary art – אמנות בת-זמננו

Ten li daka – Give me a minute – תן לי דקה

Rak shniya – Just a sec – רק שנייה

Rak rega – Just a moment – רק רגע

Chikiti eize sha'a – I waited for like an hour – חיכיתי איזה שעה

Playlist and Clips:

Chalav u-dvash – Galgal Anak; חלב ודבש – גלגל ענק (Lyrics)

Rinat Bar – Higia Hazman; רינת בר – הגיע הזמן (Lyrics)

Yehudit Ravitz – Lakachta Et Yadi Be-yadcha; יהודית רביץ – לקחת את ידי בידך (Lyrics)

Yossi Banai – Ani Ve-Simon U-Moise Ha-katan; יוסי בנאי – אני וסימון ומואיז הקטן (Lyrics)

Ya Al-Midan – Cairokee & Aida Al-Ayoubi; كايروكي وعايدة الأيوبي – يا الميدان

Shlomi Shabbat – Aba; שלומי שבת – אבא (Lyrics)

Monica Sex – Maka Afora; מוניקה סקס – מכה אפורה (Lyrics)

How do we give something to someone in Hebrew? To give is לתת, but in some structures it could mean something else entirely. And what is לתת בראש – 'to give in the head'? Guy explains.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Natati la chayay – I gave her my life – נתתי לה חיי

Past: Natati, natata, natat, natan, natna, natanu, natatem, natnu – נתתי, נתתָ, נתתְ, נתן, נתנה, נתַנו, נתתם, נתְנו

Present: Noten, notenet, notnim, notnot – נותן, נותנת, נותנים, נותנות

Imperative: Ten, tni, tnu – תן, תני, תנו

Ten li daka, tni li daka – Give me a sec – תן לי דקה, תני לי דקה

Ten li et mispar teudat ha-zehut shelcha – Give me your ID no. – תן לי את מספר תעודת הזהות שלך

Tavi li – Give me (slang) – תביא לי

Tni li le'ehov otach – Let me love you – תני לי לאהוב אותך

Ten li rega lir'ot – Let me see for a sec. – תן לי רגע לראות

Hi natna li lehavin she… – She let me understand that… – היא נתנה לי להבין ש…

Slicha, mi natan lachem lehikanes le-po? – Excuse me, who let you in here? – סליחה, מי נתן לכם להיכנס לפה?

Infinitive: Latet – To give – לתת

Latet et ha-neshama ve-et halev – To give your soul and heart – לתת את הנשמה ואת הלב

Latet ba-rosh – To do something well/intensively – לתת בראש

Ha-rolling stones natnu ba-rosh – The Rolling Stones gave a helluva show – הרולינג סטונז נתנו בראש

Ha-poel holchim latet ba-rosh hayom – Ha'poel football team are going to score today – הפועל הולך לתת בראש היום

Natata ba-rosh etmol? – Did you do it all night yesterday? (sexual) – נתת בראש אתמול?

Netina – giving – נתינה

Lavo mi-makom shel netina – To come from a place of giving – לבוא ממקום של נתינה

Natun – given – נתון

Natun she-X shave chamesh – It's given that X is five – נתון שאיקס הוא חמש

Netunim – Data – נתונים

Nitan lehasig – It's possible to get – ניתן להשיג

Lo hayiti noten lecha shloshim – I wouldn't give you thirty – I would never think you're thirty – לא הייתי נותן לך שלושים

Playlist and Clips:

Kaveret – Natati La Chayay (lyrics)

Roni Dalumi – Ten (lyrics)

Eti Ankri – Ad Matai (lyrics)

Eyal Golan – Tni Li Le'ehov Otach (lyrics)

Mike Brant – Laisse-moi T'aimer

Boaz Sharabi – Latet (lyrics)

Ep. 78 about yad

Ep. 342 about New Age – (English) (Hebrew)

Israelis love tips and recommendations, so it’s no surprise that the word 'kedai' - 'it’s worth it' - has a successful career here.

Israelis love tips and recommendations in order to speed up their decision making. So it's no surprise that the word כדאי – 'it's worth it' – is so popular in everyday use.

How do we tell our friends they should totally check out a certain bar? And how do we make sure they don't go and see the new superhero movie? Guy Sharett introduces us to the Israeli dichotomy of כדאי/לא כדאי.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Kedai – Worthwhile, worth doing – כדאי

Ze lo kedai – It's not worthwhile – זה לא כדאי

Kedai lachem – It's worthwhile for you – כדאי לכם

Tagid, kedai li liknot nayad chadash – Tell me, is it worth it for me to buy a new mobile? – תגיד, כדאי לי לקנות נייד חדש

Baroor, kedai lecha/lach – Of course, it's worth it for you – ברור, כדאי לך

Mamash lo kedai lecha – It's really not worth it for you – ממש לא כדאי לך

"Bli shum davar asher kedai lamut lemaano" – Without anything it's worth dying for – בלי שום דבר אשר כדאי למות למענו

Kedai lir'ot et ha-seret haze?- Is it worth it to watch this movie? – כדאי לראות את הסרט הזה

Kedai lihyot nechmad -It's worthwhile to be nice – כדאי להיות נחמד

"Kedai lachem lichyot" – It's worthwhile for you to be alive – כדאי לכם לחיות

Kedey – In order to – כדי

Kedai she-tishtok – It's better for you to shut up – כדאי שתשתוק

Kedai she-teda – You should know – כדאי שתדע

Kedai meod she-teraga – You'd better chill – כדאי מאוד שתירגע

Lo kedai she-tavo – You'd better not come – לא כדאי שתבוא

Efo kedai lishon be-roma – Where is it worth spending the night in Rome – איפה כדאי לישון ברומא

Lama kedai laasot bituach – Why is it worth it to do a travel insurance – למה כדאי לעשות ביטוח

Le'an kedai lalechet – Where is it recommended to go – לאן כדאי ללכת

Ma kedai li lakachat? – What should I take?- מה כדאי לי לקחת

Kedaiyoot – Worthwhileness, profitability – כדאיות

Ha-kediyoot shel ha-proyekt – The project profitability – הכדאיוּת של הפרוייקט

Tsarich livdok im ze kedai/Tsarich livdok et ha-kedaiyoot – We need to check whether it's worth it – צריך לבדוק אם זה כדאי / צריך לבדוק את הכדאיוּת

Playlist and Clips:

Shalom Hanoch – Haya Kedai (lyrics)

Chava Alberstein – Kedai Lachem Lavo La-chagiga Shelanu (lyrics)

Ariel Zilber – Ani Shochev Li Al Ha-gav (lyrics)

Shlomo Gronich – Shirim Pshutim (lyrics)

Lahakat Ha-nachal – Mitriya Bi-shnayim (lyrics)

Hava Alberstein – Hiyuchim (lyrics)

What do Israelis mean when they say "ma pit'om"? What about just "pit'om," all by itself? We hear it all the time in spoken Hebrew, and Guy will explain it all.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Pit'om -Suddenly – פתאום

"Pit'om kam adam ba-boker" – A person suddenly wakes up in the morning – פתאום קם אדם בבוקר

Pit'om giliti bor anak she-nif'ar – Suddenly I found a huge pit – פתאום גיליתי בור ענק שנפער

"Ahava, pit'om hi mitparetset kmo lehava" – Love, it's suddenly erupting like a flame – אהבה, פתאום היא מתפרצת כמו להבה

Chazarta pit'om – You suddenly came back – חזרת פתאום

"Yeled, ma pit'om ata yoshev" – Hey boy, how come you're sitting – ילד, מה פתאום אתה יושב

Ma pit'om? – It's not true, no way, get out of here – מה פתאום

Pit'omi – Sudden – פתאומי

Geshem pit'omi – Sudden rain – גשם פתאומי

Ze haya mavet pit'omi – It was a sudden death – זה היה מוות פתאומי

Pit'omiyut – Suddenness – פתאומיות

Be-fit'omiyut – Suddenly – בפתאומיות

Be-ofen pit'omi – Suddenly (in a sudden manner) – באופן פתאומי

Playlist and Clips:

Shlomo Artzi – Shir Ba-boker ba-boker (lyrics)

MK Shelly Yechimovitch

Daniel Salomon – Ahava (lyrics)

Chava Alberstein & Arik Sinai – Shuv (lyrics)

Chasidischkeit 21 – Interview with Yaakov Shweiki

Arik Einstein – Gveret Im Salim (lyrics)

Gali Atari – Stav Israeli (lyrics)

Uzi Chitman & Ha-popolim – Ha-metsi'ot ba'ot be-ofen pit'omi