The letter “resh” (ืจ) is one of the most difficult ones to pronounce when you start learning Hebrew, and it can continue to plague you even when you become quite fluent. How did Israelis come to pronounceย the letter “r” like this, how do we produce the sound, and is it the “resh” our forefathers had in mind? Today host Guy Sharett answers all these questions and more, with tips, tongue-twisters and a touch of socio-linguistics!
New words & expressions:
Hamudim โ Cute (pl. masc.) โ ืืืืืื
Achshav โ Now โ ืขืืฉืื
Barur โ Clear โ ืืจืืจ
Baruch โ Blessed โ ืืจืื
Shney shoshanim โ Two roses โ ืฉื ื ืฉืืฉื ืื
Tsarich letsaltsel pa’amayim โ You need to ring twice โ ืฆืจืื ืืฆืืฆื ืคืขืืืื
Shma Israel (the “Shema” prayer) โ ืฉืืข ืืฉืจืื
“Resh” tongue twister: Parparim rabim pirperu pirpurei pirpurim me’ever le-harim ha-ramim โ ืคืจืคืจืื ืจืืื ืคืจืคืจื ืคืจืคืืจื ืคืจืคืืจืื ืืขืืจ ืืืจืื ืืจืืื
Nirga โ Calming down/calmed downย (masc.) โ ื ืจืืข
Say while “gargling”: Israel. Margish (“he feels”).
Robert rotse lir’ot chaverim be-yom revi’i โ Robert wants to see friends on Wednesday โ ืจืืืจื ืจืืฆื ืืจืืืช ืืืจืื ืืืื ืจืืืขื
Eich ata margish hayom? โ How are you feeling today? โ ?ืืื ืืชื ืืจืืืฉ ืืืื
Looking for the monologue text? It’s available to our patrons atย patreon.com/streetwisehebrew.
Playlist and clips:
Shoshana Damari โ Shney Shoshanim (lyrics)
Shoshana Damari โ Tsarich Letsalsel Pa’amayim (lyrics)
Shma Israel โ Moshe Hovav (Kol Israel Radio)
Gilgula Shel Ha-resh Ha-mitgalgelet (Short documentary about the Israeli “resh”)
Galey Tsahal IDF Radio news bulletin
Gali Atari โ Derech Aruka (lyrics)
Gali Atari & Sagiv Cohen โ Me-hamerchakim (lyrics)
Pe’er Tasi โ Derech Ha-shalom (lyrics)
Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov โ Scheherazade
Guy’s website โ Links & Tips
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.
Nice, but:
Not “all” Sephardi communities rolled the “r”.. All over Iraq and in some places up into southern Turkey, the resh was pronounced like a “gh” (Arabic ghayin), kind of like in French, and not so different from the Israeli resh.. This was also considered part of the “Jewish” accent in Arabic and Aramaic in Iraq and in many areas nearby.
Also, Sephardi communities in Greece have a kindof American “r”, just listen to songs by Yehuda Poliker..
how are mizrahim sephardim bro? : )
Hi Guy, would I be correct in guessing that the gluttoral resh is the influence of German Jews from the 1930s gradually sifting into society despite it being ‘wrong’.
I’m.guessing the German Jews would have been of hugh status, so, despite their gluttoral resh being incorrect may also have been passuvly accepted and then adopted?
Siรดn J.
Wales
It always sound ls very German to me the way Israelis pronounce ‘r’.
I think the European Reich is a culturalso abomination .Coming from Latin America I personally prefer the rrresh . Cheers.