Streetwise Hebrew

It's so hot in Tel Aviv, you cannot believe it. Ham! But if you want to say, "I am hot", don't translate directly from English to Hebrew. Listen to this episode first. Without your kids. You'll understand in a minute. Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: Ham – Hot, angry, horny – חם Haya ham – It was hot – היה חם Yihye ham – It will be hot – יהיה חם Ham! – It's hot – חם! Ha-bos sheli ham alay – My boss is angry at me – הבוס שלי חם עליי Hu ham esh, Hi hama esh – He's horny, she's horny – הוא חם אש, היא חמה אש Haya li ham – I was hot – היה לי חם Ham li – I am hot – חם לי Ani ham – I am horny – אני חם Haya li ham – I was hot – היה לי חם Gal hom – Heatwave – גל חום Hom – Heat, fever – חום Yesh lo hom gavoha – He's got high fever – יש לו חום גבוה Mehamem eize marak kufsaot – I am heating up canned soup – מחמם איזה מרק קופסאות Lehamem – To warm, heat up, to stir up, to inflame – לחמם Tehamem ta'shnitzel – Heat up the schnitzel – תחמם ת'שניצל Ma at/a mehamem/et? – Why are you stirring things up? – מה אתה מחמם? מה את מחממת? Himum – Heating, Warming – חימום Himum koli – Vocal warmup – חימום קולי Lehithamem – To get hot / to become angry – להתחמם Ma ata mit'hamem – Why are you getting so angry? – מה אתה מתחמם? Ham, ham, mithamem – Warm, warm, getting warmer – חם, חם, מתחמם Hamam (Arabic) – Bathroom – חמאם, حمام Music: Yuval Banai – Makat Shemesh (lyrics) Danny Litani – Yahas Ham (lyrics) Gary Eckstein – Haya Li Tov (lyrics) Shlomo Artzi – Hom Yuli August (lyrics) Ehud Banai – Mahari Na (lyrics) Gidi Gov – Erev Avud (lyrics) Shiran Yosef – himum koli (vocal warm-up) Israeli Ministry of Health – Heatwave campaign Zehava Ben – Ahava Asura (lyrics) Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

A teenager in central Tel Aviv said something to his friend on the phone that made Guy think: How do we say 'whiner' and 'to whine' in Hebrew? Today's episode is about the word 'bachyan' and its variations. Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: Hu bacha – He cried – הוא בכה Livkot – To cry – לבכות Bachiti – I cried – בכיתי Eineni tinok bachyan – I am not a whining baby – אינני תינוק בכיין Bachyan – Whiner – בכיין Bachyanut – Whining (noun) – בכיין Hu stam mitbachyen – He's just whining – הוא סתם מתבכיין Lehitbachyen – To whine, to complain while feeling sorry for oneself – להתבכיין Mitbachyen – Whining – מתבכיין Dai, ya mitbachyen – Enough already, you whiner – די, יא מתבכיין Hitbachyenut – Whining – התבכיינות Music: Aviv Geffen – Livkot Lecha (lyrics) Dudu Tassa – Bachiti Ahuva Tsadok – Dani Gibor (lyrics) Teapacks – Hora Nadlanim (lyrics) The Knesset TV Channel MK Shelly Yachimovich – TV2 interview Idan Raichel's Project – Min'i Kolech Mi-bechi Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

How do you tell someone not to do something in Hebrew? Use 'al' (that's A-L), which means 'don't.' On this episode, Guy explains how to use this little word, and how to say 'just don't.' Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: Al tid'agu li – Don't worry about me – אל תדאגו לי Rak al tagid li – Just don't tell me – רק אל תגיד לי Ata al tagid li ma laasot – You (m.) don't tell me what to do – אתה אל תגיד לי מה לעשות At al tagidi li ma laasot – You (f.) don't tell me what to do – את אל תגידי לי מה לעשות Al tivke – Don't cry – אל תבכה Al na tivki argentina – Please don't cry Argentina – אל נא תבכי ארגנטינה Al na tomar li shalom – Don't say to me "shalom", say just "lehitraot" – אל נא תאמר לי שלום, אמור רק להתראות Lo, al tevatri – No, don't give up – לא, אל תוותרי Al tishkechi – Don't forget (f.) – אל תשכחי Al tishkach – Don't forget (m.) – אל תשכח Al tishkechu – Don't forget (pl.) – אל תשכחו Al tbalbel ta'moach – Don't drive me crazy / Don't waste my time – אל תבלבל ת'מוח Al teshage'a oti – Don't drive me crazy – אל תשגע אותי Al taase / taasi tovot – Don't do me any favors – אל תעשה / תעשי טובות Al taase shtuyot – Don't do anything foolish – אל תעשה שטויות Al taase mi-ze inyan – Don't make such a big deal out of it – אל תעשה מזה עניין Al tagzim, al tagzimi – Don't get carried away – אל תגזים / תגזימי Pashut al! / Az al! – Just don't! – פשוט אל / אז אל Music: Ehud Banai – Kmo Tsipor Ve-shara (lyrics) Incognito – Don't You Worry About a Thing Maya Buskila – Rak Al Tagid Li (lyrics) Gali Atari – Mekits el Halom (lyrics) Omer Adam – Al Tivki (lyrics) Arik Einstein – Al Tivki Yalda (lyrics) Riki Gal – Al Na Tivki Argentina Yaffa Yarkoni – Al Na Tomar Li Shalom (lyrics) Eyal Golan – Tslil Meitar (lyrics) Yizhar Ashdot – Yesh Lach Oti (lyrics) Sarit Hadad – Al Tohav Oti (lyrics) Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

'Nehmad' means 'nice' or 'lovely', but often 'nice' is just not enough for what we want to say. How do we give it a boost to emphasize what we really mean? We can also say 'nehmad,' but in fact mean the opposite! And what do we say about a waiter who is 'too nice'? Guy gives us the nuances of 'nehmad' in this week's episode. Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: Nehmad – Nice, lovely – נחמד Lahmod – To covet – לחמוד Haya mamash nehmad – It was really nice – היה ממש נחמד Hikarti mishehu mamash nehmad – I met someone really nice – הכרתי מישהו ממש נחמד Ata nir'e nehmad – You look nice – אתה נראה נחמד Ma ha-kavana shela? – What's her intention? – מה הכוונה שלה? Ach be-kupat holim nisa lehathil iti o she-hu stam haya nehmad? – Was a male nurse in the clinic trying to hit on me, or was he just being nice? – אח בקופת חולים ניסה להתחיל איתי או שהוא סתם היה נחמד? Eich ladaat im hu stam nehmad o ba-keta? – How can I know if he's just nice, or into me? – איך לדעת אם הוא סתם נחמד או בקטע? Sviva nehmada – Nice surroundings, nice neighborhood – סביבה נחמדה El mi hayinu nehmadim? Rak le-dodim ule-dodot – To whom were we nice (kids)? Only to uncles and aunts – אל מי היינו נחמדים? רק לדודים ולדודות Lihyot nehmad el – To be nice to someone – להיות נחמד אל Hu lo nehmad eleha – He's not nice to her – הוא לא נחמד אליה Lama ata lo nehmad elav? – Why aren't you nice to him? – למה אתה לא נחמד אליו? Haveri ha-yakar – My dear friend – חברי היקר Hem einam bahurim nehmadim – They are not nice guys – הם אינם בחורים נחמדים Hem lo nehmadim – They are not nice – הם לא נחמדים Ha-panterim ha-sh-horim – The black panthers – הפנתרים השחורים Parpar nehmad – Lovely butterfly – פרפר נחמד Nehmadut – Niceness – נחמדוּת Hu amar et ze be-nehmadut – He said it in a nice way – הוא אמר את זה בנחמדות Shalahti hoda'a be-nehmadut la-ex sheli – I sent a nice message to my ex – שלחתי הודעה בנחמדות לאקס שלי Lehitnahmed – To be artificially nice – להתנחמד Mitnahmedet – Trying to be nice, too nice – מתנחמדת Music: Kaveret – Nehmad (lyrics) Ha-halonot Ha-gvohim – Etsli Ha-kol Beseder (lyrics) Yizhar Cohen – Abanibi (lyrics) Golda Me'ir – Hem Lo Nehmadim Ilanit – Parpar Nehmad (lyrics) Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

The Hebrew word חמוד, which means 'cute' or 'sweet,' could be used in several ways, depending on the context and intonation. But just like in English, calling someone 'sweetie' in Hebrew isn't always a good thing! Listen to Guy's explanation on how 'hamud' can be either endearing or angry. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hamood – Cute, sweet – חמוד Lahmod – To covet – לחמוד Alhamdullila – Praise be to God – אלחמדולילה "She-yihyu lecha male yeladim hamudim" – May you have a lot of cute kids – שיהיו לך מלא ילדים חמודים Hamuuud, todah! – Sweet, thanks! – חמוד, תודה Ma kara lach, hamuda? – What happened to you, sweetie? – מה קרה לך, חמודה "Al tikre'I li hamuda" – Don't call me 'darling' – אל תקראי לי חמודה "Hamudi, bo hena" – Sweetie, come here – חמודי, בוא הנה "Omrim li she-ani hamud" – Everybody tells me I am cute – אומרים לי שאני חמוד Yeled hamud ba-kita – Cute boy in the class – ילד חמוד בכיתה Eize hamud – How cute – איזה חמוד Playlist and Clips: Opick feat. Amanda – Alhamdulillah Efrat Gosh – She-yihye Lecha Tov (lyrics) Rami Kleinstein – Tapuhim u-tmarim (lyrics) Majid Al Muhandas – Hamudi

The word 'lidfok' in Hebrew is to knock or hit. As you might imagine, it means some more explicit things too. In this episode, Guy explains why words like 'dafuk' and 'dfika' are difficult to use but important to understand. And how some words just shouldn't be used at all. Warning: This episode is not child friendly! Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: Dafak – He knocked – דפק Ha-geshem dofek – The rain is banging – הגשם דופק Dfok dfok dfok al daltei marom – Knock, knock, knocking on heavens door – דפוק דפוק דפוק על דלתי מרום Dofek ba-delet – Knocking on the door – דופק בדלת Dafku lanu od knas – They slammed us with another fine – דפקו לנו עוד קנס Dafku li doch / tluna – They slammed me with a police report / complaint – דפקו לי דו"ח / תלונה Dafku lo makot – They beat him up – דפקו לו מכות Dafak et someone – Had sex with someone (hardcore slang ) – דפק את מישהו / מישהי Dafku oti – They took advantage of me – דפקו אותי Lidfok et mishehu – To take advantage of someone – לדפוק את מישהו Hi dafka oti, az ani edfok ota behazara – She "destroyed" me, I'll get back at her – היא דפקה אותי, אז אני אדפוק אותה בחזרה She-lo yidfeku otanu – So that they won't rip us off – שלא ידפקו אותנו Nidfakti – I was taken advantage by someone – נדפקתי Dafak ta'rosh – He became stoned/drunk/crazy – דפק ת'ראש Lo dafak heshbon le-mishehu – He didn't give a damn – לא דפק חשבון למישהו Ata margish et dfikot ha-lev – You feel the heart beats – אתה מרגיש את דפיקות הלב Dfika, dfikot – Sexual intercourse/s – דפיקה, דפיקות Dafuk – "Knocked", miserable, not right in the head, crazy, ruined, terrible, oppressed – דפוק Ha-dafuk ha-ze ose lach tov – This 'not right in the head' guy is doing you good – הדפוק הזה עושה לך טוב Ya dafuk, lama lo amarta li? – You silly, why didn't you tell me? – ?יא דפוק, למה לא אמרת לי Ani ma-ze dafuk – I am so stupid – אני מה-זה דפוק Sipart she-miyaldut at kvar dfuka – You told me you were "dfuka" since your childhood – סיפרת שמילדות את כבר דפוקה Etmol dafakti shney hamburgerim ve-lazanya – Yesterday I pounded two hamburgers and a lasagna – אתמול דפקתי שני המבורגרים ולזניה Hu dafak sham ne'um – He gave there a helluva speech – הוא דפק שם נאום Dafakti avoda – I succeeded to do some work, I cranked out some work – דפקתי עבודה Dafaknu avoda huh? – We got some work done, hey? – ?דפקנו עבודה, אה Music: Ruti Navon – Geshem Be-ito (lyrics) Me'ir Ariel – Tuk Tuk Tuk al Daltei Marom (lyrics) Eli Luzon – Eizo Medina (lyrics) Pe'er Tassi – Dfikot Ha-lev (lyrics) Yirmi Kaplan – Hadafuk Ha-ze (lyrics) Dani Litani – Mashber Emun (lyrics) Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

Litpos in formal Hebrew and litfos more colloquially both mean 'to catch', but the word has a whirlwind of other meanings, like to comprehend, take up space, or think highly of someone. Guy nearly gets lost in the possibilities, and he even finds a Yiddish connection. But don't take his word for it! Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: Af ahat lo tafsa et ha-makom sheli ba-lev shelcha – Nobody took my place in your heart – אף אחת לא תפסה את המקום שלי בלב שלך Af ahat lo titpos et ha-makom sheli ba-lev shelcha – No one will catch my place in your heart – אף אחת לא תתפוס את המקום שלי בלב שלך Titpos (form.), titfos (Coll.) – She will catch – תתפוס Shum ahava lo titfos et mekoma – No love will catch her place – שום אהבה לא תתפוס את מקומה Titfos li makom leyadcha – Save me a spot next to you – תתפוס לי מקום לידך At yechola litfos li makom leyadech? – Can you save a spot next to you? – ?את יכולה לתפוס לי מקום לידך Al titfos oti ba-mila – Don't take my word for it – אל תתפוס אותי במילה Ma, od lo tafasta? – What, you still didn't get it? – ?מה, עוד לא תפסת Tafasti rosh al ha-bar – I was having a great time at the bar – תפסתי ראש על הבר Tafasti merhak – I moved away – תפסתי מרחק Tafasti otcha – Gotcha! (Tag, you're it!) – !תפסתי אותך Tafasti oto al ham – I caught him red-handed – תפסתי אותו על חם Tafasti atsabim – I got angry – תפסתי עצבים Tafasti ometz – I mustered the courage – תפסתי אומץ Ze lakach la ktsat zman litpos et ha-inyan – It took her some time to get it – זה לקח לה קצת זמן לתפוס את העניין Tafas tahat – He thinks he's someone big – תפס תחת Hu tofes alai tahat – He's acting like my boss – הוא תופס עליי תחת Tafas lo fraier / tafsa la fraier – He got himself a sucker / She got herself a sucker – הוא תפס לו פראייר /היא תפסה לה פראייר Ha-shulhan tofes hatzi heder – The table takes up half the room – השולחן תופס חצי חדר Lo hitzlachti litfos oto – I wasn't able to catch a hold of him – לא הצלחתי לתפוס אותו Tafasti monit – I got a taxi – תפסתי מונית Ze lo tafas – It didn't catch – זה לא תפס Podkastim ze lo mashehu she-mamash tafas ba-aretz – Podcasts haven't really caught on in Israel – פודקסטים זה לא משהו שממש תפס בארץ Hi tofeset me-atsma – She thinks highly of herself – היא תופסת מעצמה Ani ma-ze tofes mimena (Ani mahzik mimena) – I think really highly of her – אני מה-זה תופס ממנה, אני מחזיק ממנה Hu ma-ze tofes me-atzmo – He really thinks highly of himself – הוא מה-זה תופס מעצמו Yeladim mesahkim tofeset – Kids are playing "tag" – ילדים משחקים תופסת Tafus – Occupied, taken, busy – תפוס Slicha, ze tafus? – Is this (seat) taken? – ?סליחה, זה תפוס Hitkasharti aval tafus kol ha-zman – I called but it's busy all the time – התקשרתי אבל תפוס כל הזמן Ze lo nitpas –Inconceivable – זה לא נתפס Tfusa – Capacity, occupancy – תפוסה Ahuzei tfusa – Occupancy rates – אחוזי תפוסה Music: Miri Massika – Af Ahat (lyrics) Dudu Tassa – Ani Shar (lyrics) Beit Ha-bubot – Shuv Ha-hiyuch (lyrics) Shalom Hanoch – Tafasti Rosh al Ha-bar (lyrics) Dana Berger – Lomedet La'uf (lyrics) Eti Ankri – Milionim (lyrics) Shai Haim – Tofeset Me-atsma (lyrics) Kensiyat Ha-sechel – Tagidi She-tov (lyrics) Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

We always talk about what's around the corner or why it's a bad idea to cut them, but never the corner itself. So on this episode, Guy gives corners, 'pinot' in Hebrew, the attention they deserve! Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: La-kova sheli shalosh pinot – My hat has three corners – לכובע שלי שלוש פינות Pina, pinot – Corner, corners – פינה, פינות Pinat lituf – Petting corner – פינת ליטוף Lelatef – To pet, caress – ללטף Me'ever la-pina - Beyond the corner – מעבר לפינה Pinot ha-ir – The corners of the city – פינות העיר Café pinati – Corner café – קפה פינתי Shulchan pinati – Corner table – שולחן פינתי "Pinati" – A name of a famous Jerusalem restaurant – פינתי Pinat/pinot ishun – A smoking corner/s – פינת/פינות עישון Le'agel pinot – To cut corners – לעגל פינות Hu me'agel pinot – He cuts corners – הוא מעגל פינות Litfos pina – To catch a corner, means to grab a chair and sit somewhere quiet to do something – לתפוס פינה Tfos pina, ve-tigmor lichtov – Grab a corner and finish writing – תפוס פינה ותגמור לכתוב Achshav le-pinat ha-mahshevim shelanu – And now to our segment on computers – עכשיו לפינת המחשבים שלנו Pina be-inyanei mashehu – A segment about something – פינה בענייני משהו Music: Uzi Hitman – La-kova Sheli (lyrics) Sarit Hadad – Ahava Me'ever La-pina (lyrics) Rivka Zohar – Al Kapav Yavi (lyrics) Rami Kleinstein – Adayin Kayemet (lyrics) Pinati restaurant Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

So you're shopping around for a short-sleeved shirt, and stop for an espresso. Or the boss says don't take shortcuts, but a friend's constant adventures stresses you out so much it practically shortens your life! For a lesson in all things 'katsar', short in Hebrew, listen to this episode. Looking to support the show? Learn how on Patreon. Words and expressions discussed: Katsar – Short – קצר Espresso katsar – Short espresso – אספרסו קצר Michnasayim ktsarim – Short pants – מכנסיים קצרים Ahava ktsara – Short love (story) – אהבה קצרה Seret katsar – Short film – סרטים קצרים Katsar, aval – But let's do it quickly – קצר אבל Yesh lach zman le-kafe? Ken, katsar aval – Do you (f.) have time for coffee? Yes, but for a quick one – יש לך זמן לקפה? כן, קצר אבל Katsarchik – Diminutive of katsar – קצרצ'יק Sirton katsarchik – Teeny weeny clip – סרטון קצרצ'יק Lekatser – To shorten – לקצר Lekatser drachim – To shorten ways – לקצר דרכים Mekatseret hatsa'it – She is shortening a skirt – מקצרת חצאית Lekatser hatsa'it / michnasayim – To shorten a skirt / pants – לקצר חצאית / מכנסיים Eich lekatser be-hetzi et zman bishul ha-pasta – How to cut in half the pasta cooking time – איך לקצר בחצי את זמן בישול הפסטה Ata mekatser li et ha-hayim – You shorten my life – אתה מקצר לי את החיים Tekatser / tekatsri / tekatsru – Make it shorter – תקצר / תקצרי / תקצרו Ha'im sichatacha nehutsa? – Is your call necessary? – האם שיחתך נחוצה? Bo/Bo'i nekatser – Let's cut it short – בוא/י נקצר Kitsur – Abbreviation, Shortening – קיצור Be-kitsur – In short, in a nutshell, to cut a long story short – בקיצור More versions: Ha-kitsur, ha-kitser, kitser, hakits, ha-kitskits – הקיצור, הקיצר, קיצר, הקיץ, הקיצקיץ Hakitskits, ba-sof hi lo ba'a – In short, she didn't make it at the end – הקיצקיץ, בסוף היא לא באה Kitsurim – Abbreviations – קיצורים Ha-hayalim medabrim be-kitsurim – The soldiers speak in abbreviations – החיילים מדברים בקיצורים Kitsur derech – Shortcut – קיצור דרך Ein etsli kitsurey derech – I don't do shortcuts – אין אצלי קיצורי דרך Mekutsar – Shortened, abbreviated – מקוצר Hitkatser li ha-hofesh – My holiday was cut short – התקצר לי החופש Ketser hashmali – Short circuit – קצר חשמלי "Ketser" – Misunderstanding, lack of communication – קצר Ptil katsar – Short fuse – פתיל קצר Yesh lo ptil katsar – He's got a short fuse – יש לו פתיל קצר Katsranut – Stenography, shorthand – קצרנות Music: Hava Alberstein – Espresso Katsar (lyrics) Arik Einstein – Yachol Lihyot She-ze Nigmar (lyrics) Meir Banai – Ahava Ktsara (lyrics) Shlomo Artzi – Be-matos Silon (lyrics) Ha-tarnegolim – Shir Ha-shchuna (lyrics) Pasta tip Arik Einstein – Shavir (lyrics) Ariel Schlichter, Sahar Amar, Uri For – Ke'ilu Ein Mahar Metropolin – Ptil Katsar Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram. Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.

One of your friends or colleagues is talking your ear off – blabbering, nagging, or over analyzing. In Hebrew, you would kindly ask that person to stop being a 'hafran,' or literally, 'digger.' Guy explains how and when to use this illustrative slang. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hofer, hoferet – Digging, excavating, talk a lot – חופר, חופרת Lahpor (lahfor) – To dig, to talk a lot – לחפור Lahpor bor – To dig a hole – לחפור בור "Hi lo mafsika lahfor li" – She wouldn't stop talking to me – היא לא מפסיקה לחפור לי "Tagidu la, giveret, at hoferet, kol ha-zman medaberet" – Tell her, mam, you keep talking all the time – תגידו לה, גברת, את חופרת, כל הזמן מדברת "Ma ata hofer?" – Why do you keep talking, overanalyzing? – מה אתה חופר Dai lahfor – Enough talking and talking – די לחפור Dai lahfor li – Stop blabbering – די לחפור לי Hafarti? – Did I talk too much? – חפרתי Hafira, hafirot – Excavation, excavations – חפירות Hafira Archi'ologit – An archaeological excavation – חפירה ארכיאולוגית Hafran, hafranit (hafrawi) – Someone who obsessively, never stops talking – חפרן, חפרנית Hafarperet – Mole, double agent – חפרפרת Playlist and Clips: E-Z – Kolboinikit (lyrics) Shai Yom Tov – At Hoferet Hafira Archi'ologit Hafran (monologue)