Streetwise Hebrew

Sex Words in Modern Hebrew

The Hebrew language lay dormant for a very long while. When it reemerged from its slumber, we Israelis found ourselves without the right words for all things relating to sex. Just how serious is this problem? Quite serious. Guy explains.

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‘Be Well’ and Other Sign-Offs

Tihye bari means “be well”. When do we use it, and what are the other ways to sign off a message in Hebrew?

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Atsor!

Sometimes you need to ask a driver, or anyone really, “Could you stop here, please?” Today we’ll learn how to say it in Hebrew, and we’ll also find out what it has to do with bowel movements.

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What’s the ‘Biggest’ Word in Hebrew?

Gadol, ‘big,’ and its root, g.d.l, have made a huge career in written and spoken Hebrew. Let’s meet the family today; from mustaches and fast food chains, to towers and plastic surgery.

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Don’t Worry, I Have Connections

Having קשרים in Hebrew means knowing people (in the right places) who can help you get stuff done quickly and efficiently. The root קשר has many uses that you definitely need to know!

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Don’t Lose Your Head

Israelis are obsessed with their head, ראש, in Hebrew. There are so many words and expressions with ראש, and today we talk about a few of them. Have a listen and find out what ראש גדול and ראש קטן mean

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Sho’a (Holocaust)

The word Sho’a, holocaust, used to be a sacred word. Not anymore. Like many loaded words, we used and reused it. Now you can hear people using Sho’a in totally different contexts

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The Elixir of Life: Israel’s Cafe Culture

Coffee culture is everywhere in Israel. How do you ask for a cappuccino to go, the Tel-Avivi way? And what’s הפוך דל? Here’s your short Hebrew language manual for all you coffeeholics

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Why? What Happened?

The Hebrew phrase, למה מה קרה, can be literally translated as, “why, what happened.” What do we mean by this expression and how do you use it?

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