Streetwise Hebrew

Yes, you can learn Hebrew from pop culture. This time we decided to check out reality show Hebrew: We took one episode of The X Factor Israel and wrote down all the adjectives used there. Which ones made it to the top?

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Watch the entire X Factor episode

Ze tov, ze tov, by Shokolad, Menta, Mastik

New Words and Expressions:

 Tov – Good – טוב

Metoraf – Crazy – מטורף

“Yesh la yecholot metorafot” – She has crazy abilities – יש לה יכולות מטורפות

“Ze she-higati ad kan ze metoraf bishvilii” – The fact I made it up to here is crazy for me – זה שהגעתי עד כאן זה מטורף בשבילי

“Asiti po tahalich metoraf” – I went through a crazy process here – עשיתי פה תהליך מטורף

“Ani meusheret be-ramot metorafot” – I am happy at crazy levels – אני מאושרת ברמות מטורפות

Teruf – Craziness – טירוף

“Ze teruf latstet me-ha-bayit be-kor kaze – It’s insane to leave home in this cold – זה טירוף לצאת מהבית בקור כזה

Gadol – Big, awesome – גדול

Kashe – Hard, difficult – קשה

Madhim – Amazing – מדהים

Me’ule – Excellent – מעולה

Lahats – Stress, pressure – לחץ

Lahuts, lehutsa – Stressed – לחוץ, לחוצה

“Hayiti kol kach lechutsa etmol” – I was so stressed yesterday – הייתי כל כך לחוצה אתמול

“Ani lechutsa esh” – I am so stressed – אני לחוצה אש

Ta’im esh – It’s tasty as hell – טעים אש

Playlist and Clips:

Shokolad, menta, mastic – Ze Tov, Ze Tov (lyrics)

The X Factor Israel ep. 14

Ep. no. 102 about different synonyms for crazy

Ep. no. 228 about lachats, stress HEB

Ep. no. 349 about good HEB

The Hebrew word גדול, ‘big,’ and its root, g.d.l, have made a huge career in written and spoken Hebrew. Let’s meet the family today; from mustaches and fast food chains, to towers and plastic surgery.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Kshe-eheye gadol – When I’ll grow up – כשאהיה גדול

Gadol! – Amazing, awesome – גדול

Haya gadol – It was great – היה גדול

“Ani yoda’at elohim, ata Gadol me-ha-chayim” – I know God, you are larger than life – אני יודעת אלוהים, אתה גדול מהחיים

Gdolim – Big, pl., m – גדולים

“Ha-tsara itcha she-yesh lecha einayim gdolot” – The problem with you is that you’ve got ‘big eyes’, you bite more than you can chew – הצרה איתך שיש לך עיניים גדולות

“Yesh anashim she-bonim migdalim” – There are people who build towers – יש אנשים שבונים מגדלים

Migdal Pisa – The Pisa Tower – מגדל פיזה

Gadalti be-shana – I am a year older – גדלתי בשנה

Legadel – To grow – לגדל

Legadel yeladim, klavim, hashish, zakan, safam – To grow kids, dogs, pot, beard, moustache – לגדל ילדים, כלבים, חשיש, זקן, שפם

Lehagdil – To enlarge, to expand –  להגדיל

Ata rotse lehagdil? At rotsa lehagdil? – Do you want to supersize for extra? – אתה, את, רוצה להגדיל

Hagdala – Enlargement – הגדלה

Nitu’ach hagdalat shadayim – Breast augmentation operation – ניתוח הגדלת שדיים

Playlist and Clips:

Ha-keves ha-shisha asar – Kshe-eheye Gadol (lyrics) 

Sarit Hadad – Rak she-teda et ha-emet (lyrics)

Rita – Hayinu Gdolim (lyrics)

Arik Einstein – Einayim Gdolot (lyrics)

Arik Einstein – Ohev Lihyot Ba-bayit (lyrics)

Gadalti be-shana (lyrics)

Nitu’ach le-hagdalat shadayim – Breast Augmentation Operation

Ep. no. 38 about rosh, head EN HEB

Ep. no. 320 about katan, small EN HEB

The Hebrew word עין means eye. How do we say it in plural? What is עין הרע? And how do we say ‘The apple of my eye’ in Hebrew?

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Ayin – Eye – עין

Einayim – Eyes – עיניים

“Al tich’asi einayim sheli” – Don’t be mad, darling – אל תכעסי, עיניים שלי 

Ooyoon, ayoon – Eyes (Arabic) – عيون – עויון, עיון

Ayooni – My darling (Arabic) – عيوني – עיוני

Einayim, einayim sheli – Darling – עיניים, עיניים שלי

Einai – My eyes – עיניי

Be-einai – In my eyes, in my opinion – בעיניי 

Be-einecha – In your eyes (m.) – בעיניך

Be-einayich – In your eyes (f.) – בעינייך

Be-eineha – In her eyes – בעיניה

Ze motse hen be-einai – I like it – זה מוצא חן בעיניי

Ze lo motse hen be-einai – I don’t like it – זה לא מוצא חן בעיני 

Ayin ha-ra – The evil eye – עין הרע

Eina bisha – The evil eye (Aramaic) – עינא בישא

Bli ayin ha-ra – Touch wood – בלי עין הרע

Playlist and Clips:

Yehuda Poliker – Einayim sheli (lyrics) 

George Dalaras – Mi Mou Thimonis Matia Mou  

Fairouz – El Bosta

Ha-israelim – Ayooni 

Noa – Be-eineha (lyrics) 

Ben Snof – Hamsa (lyrics)

Ep. no. 22 HEB about darling

We love using ראשי תיבות - acronyms - in modern Hebrew. We take the initials and between the last two letters we add inverted commas (two apostrophes) to show that it's an acronym rather than an ordinary word. Guy explains that the transformation from word to acronym is so extreme that some words even end up changing their gender!

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Rashey teivot – Acronyms – ראשי תיבות

Drishat shalom chama – Warm regards – דרישת שלום חמה

Timsor drishat shalom la-mishpacha – Say hi to your family – תמסור דרישת שלום למשפחה

Hu moser dash – He sends his regards – הוא מוסר ד”ש

Ani moser dash la-chaverim – I am sending my regards to my friends – אני מוסר ד”ש לחברים

“Timsor le-Haim dash” – Say hi to Haim – תמסור לחיים ד”ש

Dash ham – Warm regards – ד”ש חם

“Halevaן ve-ha-sofash ha-ze lo yigamer af paam” – May this weekend never end – הלוואי והסופ”ש הזה לא ייגמר אף פעם

Sofash (Sof shavoo’a) – Weekend – סופ”ש

Sof ha-shavooa / Ha-sofash – The weekend – סוף השבוע / הסופ”ש

Sofash na’im – Have a nice weekend – סופ”ש נעים

She-yihye achla sofash – Have a great weekend – שיהיה אחלה סופ”ש

Tsahal (Tsva Hagana Le-israel) – Israel Defence Forces (IDF) – צה”ל, צבא הגנה לישראל

Galey tsahal – Israeli Army Radio – גלי צה”ל / גל”צ

Mankal, Menahel klali – General manager, CEO – מנכ”ל / מנהל כללי

Samancal, Sgan mancal – Vice president – סמנכ”ל / סגן מנהל כללי

Samancal ha-chevra – The VP of the company – סמנכ”ל החברה

Be-hool (Be-hoots la-arets) – Abroad – בחו”ל

“Az histovavta lecha be-hool” – So you wandered around abroad – אז הסתובבת לך בחו”ל

“Rosh ha-memshala Binyamin netanyahu amar shehu ba la-oom kedey lehagid et ha’emet” – PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that he came to the UN in order to tell the truth – רה”מ בנימין נתניהו אמר שהוא בא לאו”ם כדי להגיד את האמת

Ha-Oom, ha-oomot ha-me’oochadot – The UN, The United Nations – האו”ם, האומות המאוחדות

Be-derch klal – Usually – בדרך כלל, בד”כ

Tel-Aviv – Tel Aviv – תל-אביב, ת”א

Playlist and Clips:

Yardena Arazi & Lahakat Ha-nachal – Drishat Shalom (lyrics)

Moser dash

Boaz Sharabi & Matti Caspi – Shalom Aleichem (lyrics)

Ha-ultras – Sof Shavu’a (lyrics)

Commercial – Hool (Abroad)

News report – Oom (UN)

Ep. no. 96 about different wishes HEB

Ep. no. 166 about hool, abroad 

Ep. 208 about timsor, pass on HEB

Ep. no. 299 about darash HEB

Sometimes you need to ask a driver, or anyone really, “Could you stop here, please?” Today we’ll learn how to say it in Hebrew, and we’ll also find out what it has to do with bowel movements.

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Lo otser be-adom – He doesn’t stop in red light – לא עוצר באדום

“Tagid li eich la’atsor et ha-dma’ot – Tell me how to stop the tears – תגיד לי איך לעצור את הדמעות

La’atsor, la’avod, la’azor – לעצור, לעבוד, לעזור – To stop, to work, to help

Ata yachol la’atsor po be-vakasha? – Could you stop here please? – אתה יכול לעצור פה בבקשה

Ta’atsor li po vaksha – Stop here for me, please – תעצור לי פה (ב)בקשה

“Hizaher, yesh atsor ba-knisa” – Attention, there is a stop sign at the entrance – היזהר, יש עצור בכניסה

Atsira ba-derech – A stop on the way – עצירה בדרך

Atsirat gshamim – Drought – עצירת גשמים

Atsiroot kasha – Severe constipation – עצירוּת קשה

Otser – Curfew – עוצר

Otser – He is stopping – עוצר

Ma’atsar – Detention – מעצר

Ma’atsor – Obstacle, mental block – מעצור

Ani menase lehamshich ve-nitkal be-ma’atsor – I try to continue and bump into an obstacle – אני מנסה להמשיך ונתקל במעצור

Playlist and Clips:

Shalom Hanoch – Lo Otser Be-adom (lyrics)

Ofra Haza – Le-orech Ha-yam (lyrics)

Oshik Levy – Zichron Ya’akov (lyrics)

Atsirat Gshamim

Atsiroot kasha

Bar Tsabari – Shuv (lyrics)

Ep. 10 about bevakasha and politeness in Hebrew

Ep. 183 about hafsakat pipi

Ep. 351 about Pull over

Lizrok means ‘to throw’ in Hebrew, but how is it used in relationship lingo? Oh, and who is the most famous ‘Varda’ in Israel?

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

“Ve-chamesh shanim itach zarakti la-pach” – And five years with you, I threw in the garbage – וחמש שנים איתך זרקתי לפח

“Ulai tafsik lizrok aleyha kesef?” – Maybe you’ll stop throwing money on her? – אולי תפסיק לזרוק עליה כסף

Lizrok la-zevel – To throw something in the garbage – לזרוק לזבל

Lizrok mishehu la-klavim – To throw someone to the dogs – לזרוק מישהו לכלבים

Tizreki oto – Dump him – תזרקי אותו

Ulai tizrok et ha-nayad – Why won’t you throw away the cellphone? – אולי תזרוק את הנייד

Tizrok, zrok – Throw (imp.) – תזרוק, זרוק

“Rak zrok mila” – Just throw a word – רק זרוק מילה

Zrok lo eize mila – Throw in a word when you talk to him – זרוק לו איזה מילה

Zaruk – Thrown, dumped – זרוק

Dafuk ve-zaruk be-paris u-ve-london – Down and out in Paris and London – דפוק וזרוק בפריס ובלונדון

Nizrak – It was thrown, he was dumped – נזרק

Kacha nizrakti ba’olam – This is how I got thrown out in the world – ככה נזרקתי בעולם

Lehizarek al sapa – To lie on the sofa – להיזרק על הספה 

Zrika – Throwing, injection – זריקה

Zrikat adrenaline – Adrenaline shot – זריקת אדרנלין

Mizraka – Fountain – מזרקה

Zark’or – Projector – זרקור

Playlist and Clips:

Oren Adam – Mami Ze Nigmar (lyrics)

Avihu Shabbat & Michal Amdursky – Yalla (lyrics)

Ivri Lider – Kartisei Ashrai (lyrics)

Climax – Zrok Mila (lyrics)

Ep. 172 about dafuk

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?

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

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 בשבילך

Hafta'at ha-me'ah – The surprise of the century – הפתעת המאה

Ha-hafta'ah shel ha-shana – The surprise of the year – ההפתעה של השנה

Beitsat hafta'ah, Beitsat Kinder – Kinder's surprise, Kinder egg – ביצת הפתעה, ביצת קינדר

Yesh haftaot bahayim – There are surprises in life – יש הפתעות בחיים

Lehafti'ah mishehu im prahim/shokolad – To surprise someone with flowers, chocolate – להפתיע מישהו עם פרחים/שוקולד

Ze mafti'a she- – It's surprising that – זה מפתיע ש

"Maftiah kama she-ze taim" – It's surprising how tasty it is – מפתיע כמה שזה טעים

Mafti'a, Mafti'ah – Surprising – מפתיע, מפתיעה

Be-mafti'a – Surprisingly, by surprise – במפתיע

Hu ba be-maftia – He came by surprise – הוא בא במפתיע

Kshe-geshem ba be-maftiah – When rain comes surprisingly – כשגשם בא במפתיע

Ze ba li be-haftaah – It came to me as a surprise – זה בא לי בהפתעה

Ze ma-ze ba li be-haftaah – I really didn't see it coming – זה מה-זה בא לי בהפתעה

Mufta-muftaat-muftaim-muftaot – Surprised – מופתע, מופתעת, מופתעים, מופתעות

Huftati lishmoa she- – I was surprised to hear that – הופתעתי לשמוע ש

Tufta, tufte'i, tufte'oo – You'd be surprised – תופתע, תופתעי, תופתעו

Ulai tufte'oo lishmo'a – You might be surprised to hear – אולי תופתעו לשמוע

Le-hafta'ati ha-raba – To my big surprise – להפתעתי הרבה

Playlist and Clips:

Beitsat hafta'ah

Dana Berger – 2007 (lyrics)

Tnuva commercial

Matti Caspi & Ha-parvarim – Be-lev Kaved (lyrics)

Pirsomet: Gam atem tufte'oo

In Hebrew, the default form is the masculine form. But what happens when a navigation application speaks to women as if they were guys?

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Maslul – Route – מסלול

Ya’ad – Destination – יעד

Pni – Turn (Imp., fem.) – פני

Pneh – Turn (Imp., m.) – פנה

Hayim, hayot – Live (present tense, pl. m, pl. f.) – חיים וחיות

Anachnu hayavot ve-hayavim – We must (f.) and must (m.) – אנחנו חייבות וחייבים

Anachnu lo yecholot ve-yecholim – We cannot (f.) and cannot (m.) – אנחנו לא יכולות ויכולים

Hakesh – Dial (Imp., m.) – הקש

Na lehakish – Please dial (Inf.) – נא להקיש

Playlist and Clips:

MK Merav Michaeli inauguration speech

Rita – Ani chaya li mi-yom le-yom (lyrics)

The Hebrew phrase, למה מה קרה, can be literally translated as, “why, what happened.” What do we mean by this expression and how do you use it?

Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon

New Words and Expressions:

Ze koreh – It’s happening – זה קורה

Ma koreh? – How are you? – מה קורה

Lo nora, koreh – That’s ok, these things happen – לא נורא, קורה

“Sha’alti ma kara” – I asked “what happened?” – שאלתי מה קרה

Ha-kol yachol likrot – Everything can happen – הכל יכול לקרות

Infinitives of roots that end with hei in Pa’al: Likrot, liknot, lir’ot, laasot – לקרות, לקנות, לראות, לעשות

“Lama ma kara”- Who do you think you are? Who does he think he is? – למה מה קרה

“Lama ma kara, milchama?” – Is there a war outside, that allowed you to behave like this? – מה קרה, מלחמה

“Lo yoda’at ma koreh li” – I don’t know what’s happening to me – לא יודעת מה קורה לי

Ma kara lach – What happened to you / are you out of your mind – מה קרה לך

Playlist and Clips:

Arik Lavi – Ze koreh (lyrics)

Shlomo Artzi – Sha’alti Ma Kara (lyrics)

Ninet Tayeb – Ha-kol Yachol Likrot (lyrics)

Moshe Cohen – Lama Ma Kara (lyrics)

Noy Alooshe Remix

Teapacks & Sarit Hadad – Kshe-ani Itcha Ani Kmo Dag (lyrics)

Shotei Ha-nevu’ah – Az Ma Kara Lach (lyrics)

Ep. no. 54 about how are you

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)