Asking for the bill is one of the most important things to learn in any language. But “heshbon,” in Hebrew, is about much more than just settling the account.
On this episode, host Guy Sharett explains how Israelis do self-reflection, how they break even… and how they don’t give a damn.
New Words and Expressions:
Heshbon, heshbonot (m.) – Account, bill, arithmetic – חשבון, חשבונות
Heshbon bank – Bank account – חשבון בנק
Heshbon hotsa’ot – Expense account – חשבון הוצאות
Heshbon nefesh – Self-examination – חשבון נפש
Lehavi/Lakachat be-heshbon – To take into consideration – להביא/לקחת בחשבון
Kach/Kchi/Kchu be-heshbon she… – Take into consideration that…– …קח/קחי/קחו בחשבון ש
Lo ba be-heshbon – No way – לא בא בחשבון
Lo la’asot/lidfok heshbon – Not to give a damn – לא לעשות/לדפוק חשבון
Ma, ata dofek heshbon le-mishehu? – What, do you care? – ?מה, אתה דופק חשבון למישהו
Lisgor heshbon – To get even – לסגור חשבון
Hisul heshbonot – Settling accounts – חיסול חשבונות
Al heshbon shel – At one’s expense – על חשבון של
Ze al heshboncha? – Is it at your expense? – ?זה על חשבונך
Al heshbon ha-bayit – On the house – על חשבון הבית
Heshbon aroch – Long unfinished business – חשבון ארוך
Be-heshbon pashut – In simple arithmetic – בחשבון פשוט
Ro’e heshbon – Accountant – רואה חשבון
Heshbona’ut / reiyat heshbon – Accounting – חשבונאות/ראיית חשבון
Hanhalat heshbonot – Bookkeeping – הנהלת חשבונות
Menahel/Menahelet heshbonot – Bookkeeper – מנהל/מנהלת חשבונות
Tavi’i cheshbonit – Bring an invoice – תביאי חשבונית
Heshbonit mas – Tax invoice – חשבונית מס
Lehashben – To worry too much about what the others might say – לחשבן
Lehitchashben – To settle an account – להתחשבן
Bo nitchashben ba-sof – Let’s settle the account at the end – בוא נתחשבן בסוף
Hitchashbenut – Settling the account – התחשבנות
Playlist and Clips:
Ariel Zilber – Holech Batel (lyrics)
Ofra Haza – Shir Ha-frecha (lyrics)
Rami Kleinstein & Ha-moatsa – Ha-boker At Holechet (lyrics)
Tea Packs & Alma Zak – Perech Ha-shchunot (lyrics)
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Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.
