Reflecting on the recent decision in Israel to go to elections again only months after the last, US President Trump said that Israeli politics are messed up and that the country needs to “get its act together.”

One Hebrew translation of Trump’s quote read: “hem tsrichim lehit’apes al atsmam” (הם צריכים להתאפס על עצמם), which is extremely slangy and highly appropriate for the moment.

So on today’s episode Guy talks about the verb להתאפס.

Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode

New Words and Expressions:

She-yit’apsu sham – They should get their act together, there – שיתאפסו שם

Hem tsrichim lehit’apes al atsmam – They need to get their act together – הם צריכים להתאפס על עצמם

Lehit’apes – To get one’s act together – להתאפס

Efes – Zero – אפס

Ani efes – I am a nobody – אני אפס

Le’apes – To calibrate, to reset – לאפס

Le’apes stopper – To reset a stopwatch – לאפס סטופר

Le’apes et ha-neshek – To adjust or calibrate a rifle – לאפס את הנשק

Ipus neshek – weapon recalibration – איפוס נשק

Hu me’apes et ha-hayalim – He disciplines the soldiers – הוא מאפס את החיילים

Hem me’upasim – They are disciplined – הם מאופסים

Mishehu tsarich le’apes otam – Someone needs to discipline them – מישהו צריך לאפס אותם

Ha-neshek me’upas – The weapon is adjusted – הנשק מאופס

Ani lo me’upas, Ani lo meupeset – I can’t think straight – אני לא מאופס/ת

Lehit’apes = Le’apes et asmecha, to reset yourself, to recover or get back to your previous state – להתאפס, לאפס את עצמך

Ten li shniya lehit’apes – Give me a second to get back to my senses – תן לי שנייה להתאפס

“She-yit’apsu sham” – They should get back to their senses there – שיתאפסו שם

Hem tsrichim lehit’apes al atsmam – They need to get their act together – הם צריכים להתאפס על עצמם

Hu hit’apes al atsmo, hi hit’apsa al atsma – He/She got back to their senses – הוא התאפס על עצמו / היא התאפסה על עצמה

Tit’apes al atsmecha, tit’apsi al atsmech – Get your act together – תתאפס על עצמך, תתאפסי על עצמך

Israel tsricha lakachat et atsma ba-yadayim – Israel needs to pull itself together – ישראל צריכה לקחת את עצמה בידיים

Od lo hit’apasti me-az she-hazarti mi-hul – I still haven’t gotten back to my senses since returning from abroad – עוד לא התאפסתי מאז שחזרתי מחו”ל

Shoef le-efes – Approaching zero – שואף לאפס

Et’apes – I’ll get back to my senses – אתאפס

Etafes – I will be caught – איתפס

Playlist and Clips:

Ben Artsi – Efes (lyrics)

Alma Zohar – Shir Ahava Indiani (lyrics)

Meir Ariel – Shoef Le-efes (lyrics)

Previous Episodes

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