How does the Hebrew language integrate foreign words into its vocabulary? And how do we Israelis manipulate English words, like coupons and cupcakes, in order to make them sound natural alongside native Hebrew words? Guy explains.

Shabbat (שבת) in Hebrew means Sabbath. In a religious context, it’s the time span between Friday afternoon and Saturday evening. In secular terms, it’s Saturday, the day of the week. So how do we tell them apart? Guy explains.

Lehipared (להיפרד) means ‘to break up’ but can also be used to say goodbye. The root פרד is your foundation for the words you’ll need to request the salad dressing on the side or to explain that you and a friend are paying separately.

Lachtoch (לחתוך) means ‘to cut,’ like when we cut onions. But in slang, this word and its root ח.ת.כ can be used in many ways to mean many different things. From ‘breaking up’ to ‘you clean up nice,’ or ‘a hunk‘ and ‘a hottie.’

What’s the difference between “lilmod” and “lelamed”? What’s the difference between “limud” and “limudim”? And how could we possibly have missed the Hebrew root ל.מ.ד on a podcast meant to teach Hebrew?!

“Eize bushot” (איזה בושות) is what we Israelis say when we witness an embarrassing event. Remember the time your mother commented on a Facebook photo of you? איזה בושות!

The word פשוט (pashut) means “simple” in Hebrew. Knowing that, how would you attempt to say “simplify”, “simplicity,” or “simpleton”? Guy explains all the complexities behind the seemingly simple root פשט.

What can we learn from the music-listening habits of Israelis in 2018? Spotify published the most popular music listened to by Israelis this year. We revisit our archives to remind ourselves when and why we used these songs in previous episodes.

Dropped your phone? Did the screen crack? It needs fixing! The Hebrew word you’ll need to know is Tikun, from the root תקנ. Tikunim (plural of tikun) also means corrections, amendments, alterations. Not familiar with the תקנ root and its related words? We can fix that!

Gather = lerakez. Center = merkaz. Concentrated = merukaz. Coordinator = merakez. All these words share a common Hebrew root: רכז. Put aside all possible distractions because today’s episode is laser-focused on the root RKZ.