Streetwise Hebrew

Don’t Fear the Fashla: How to Mess Up in Hebrew, Perfectly

‘Fashla’ and ‘fadiha’ are originally Arabic words and we Israelis use them to talk about embarrassing or awkward moments.

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Meet the Patrons Part 1: My Big Fat Jewish Wedding

Over the next two weeks we’ll be airing pieces of the Skype chat host Guy Sharett had with some of our Patrons in August.

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WhatsApp With Your Hebrew!?

If you’re communicating with Israelis, the chances are at some point you’ll have to write in Hebrew in a WhatsApp group. Don’t panic!

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The Unusual Case of the Israeli “Resh”

How did Israelis come to pronounce the letter “r” like this, how do we produce the sound, and is it the “resh” our forefathers had in mind?

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“Kacha”: The Perfect Answer to Difficult Questions

When you keep on asking “lama?” – why?” – eventually you can expect the answer “kacha” – “just because.”

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Charge Up Your Hebrew Right Here

Today’s root – “ta’an” – means “loaded” or “charged,” like charging a phone. But it can also mean “claimed” or “complained.”

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Celebrating 3 Years of Streetwise Hebrew!

From basketball, to math, beer and music, learn some of the many uses of the number three in Hebrew. Plus we even get to hear some iconic Israeli poetry.

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Al Tagzim! Exaggerate? Moi?

In Israel you’ll come across plenty of people who get carried away, overreact to things, or go over the top. What should you say to these people in Hebrew?

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Streetwise Hebrew Gets Double Negative

After some Hebrew words like “klum” (“nothing”) or “af pa’am” (“never”) we also have to use “lo” (“no”). So, unlike in English, we use two negation words.

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