Yaffe means ‘beautiful,’ but the noun yofi – ‘beauty’ – is used in Modern Hebrew to mean ‘Great!’ You’ve probably heard your Hebrew teacher saying it when you get an answer right in class.

How do you say ‘beauty queen,’ for instance?

New Words and Expressions:

“Ha-ra’ita eize yofi?” – Did you see this beauty? – הרָאית איזה יופי

Yofi – Beauty – יופי

Yafé, yafa – Beautiful – יפה

Eize yofi – How nice – איזה יופי

Yofi gavri – Male beauty – יופי גברי

Yofi nashi – Female beauty – יופי נשי

“At hachi yafa ba’olam, malkat hayofi sheli” – You’re the prettiest in the world, my beauty queen – את הכי יפה בעולם, מלכת היופי שלי

Malkat hayofi shel Israel – The Israeli beauty queen – מלכת היופי של ישראל

Li-shnat 2014 – For the year of 2014 – לשנת 2014

Hi muamedet mispar 12 mor maran – …is candidate number 12 mor maran – היא מועמדת מספר 12 מור מורן

Yofi – Great! Well done! – יופי

Eize yoffie li – How great it is for me – איזה יופי לי

Yofi lahem! – Good for them! – יופי להם

Yofi lecha – Good for you – יופי לך

Mamash yofi – Really great – ממש יופי

Yofi shel yerakot – Great vegetables – יופי של ירקות

Yofi shel avoda – Good job! – יופי של עבודה

Mechon yoffie – Beauty salon – מכון יופי

Playlist and Clips:

Dorit Reuveni – Yesh Prachim (lyrics)

Eyal Golan – Malkat Ha-yofi Sheli (lyrics)

Nikuy Rosh – Tacharut Melech Ha-yofi

Julie Andrews – Wouldn’t it be loverly 

Rita – Yoffie Li (From Gvirti Ha-nava, My Fair Lady) (lyrics)

Yoffie shel yerakot

Mechon yoffie – Beauty Salon

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