Streetwise Hebrew

The word לשבת means to sit, and there’s a plethora of uses for this verb in Hebrew. We’ll be talking about jails and cafes, dog trainers, Ottoman Jews, and restaurant hosts, all in the same episode!

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New Words and Expressions:

Yoshev – Sitting – יושב

Yoshev al ha-gader – Sitting on the fence – יושב על הגדר

Yoshev alai bool – It fits me perfectly – יושב עליי בול

Ze yoshev aleicha/alayich bool – It fits you perfectly – יושב עליך/עלייך בול

Eich ze yoshev alai? – How does it look? – איך זה יושב עליי

Lo yodea, ze lo yoshev alai tov – I don’t know, it doesn’t fit – לא יודע, זה לא יושב עליי טוב

Efo atem yoshvim? – Where are you located? – איפה אתם יושבים

Yoshvim shiva’h – Sitting shiv’ah – יושבים שבעה

Efo atem yoshvim? – Where are you sitting? – איפה אתם יושבים

Hu yoshev ba-kele – He sits in jail – הוא יושב בכלא

Al ma hu yoshev? Al ma hi yoshevet? – What is he/she sitting for? – על מה הוא יושב/היא יושבת

Yoshev/yoshevet rosh – Chairperson – יושב/יושבת ראש, יו”ר

Yoshev rosh ha-opozitsya – The head of the opposition in the Knesset – יושב ראש האופוזיציה

Ha-boss sh’li yoshev li al ha-rosh ligmor mashehu – My boss is pressuring me to finish something – הבוס שלי יושב לי על הראש לגמור משהו

Ha-horim sheli yoshvim li al ha-rosh ba-byit – My parents are breathing down my neck at home – ההורים שלי יושבים לי על הראש בבית

Ha-horim sheli yoshvim li al ha-vrid – My parents are breathing down my neck – ההורים שלי יושבים לי על הווריד

Yeshiva – Jewish religious school (see more here) – ישיבה

Hit’amloot be-Yeshiva al kise – Doing exercise while sitting on a chair – התעמלות בישיבה על כיסא

Lashevet be-batei kafe – To sit in cafes – לשבת בבתי קפה

Bo neshev al kafe, nedaber – Let’s sit over coffee, we’ll talk – בוא נשב על קפה, נדבר 

Lashevet o lakachat? – Sit down or take away? – לשבת או לקחת

Shev/shvi! – Sit! – שב/שבי

Shev/shvi/shvoo bevakasha – Sit down please – שב/שבי/שבו בבקשה

Shev shev – Sit down, sit down – שב, שב

Lama ata lo yoshev? Shev! – Why aren’t you sitting down, sit! – למה אתה לא יושב? שב

Le’an ata rats? Bo shev daka – Where are you running? Sit down for a sec. – לאן אתה רץ? בוא שב דקה

Yishuv – Village – ישוב

Ha-yishuvim ba-tsafon – The places in the north of Israel – הישובים בצפון

“Ha-yishuv” – Jews in Israel before 1948 (see more here) – הישוב 

Moshav – Village (see more here) – מושב

Moshava – Colony (see more here) – מושבה

Moshav ba-matos – Seat on a plane – מושב במטוס

Playlist and Clips:

Arik Einstein – Yoshev Al Ha-gader (lyrics)

Shazamat – Yoshev Alai Bool (lyrics)

Yoshev Rosh – Chairperson

Shababnikim 

Qigong be-yeshiva

Ivri Lider – Batei Cafe (lyrics)

Shev!

Ha-yishuv

Moshavim ba-matos – Seats on the plane

Teapacks – Yoshvim be-beit cafe (lyrics)

Moshav in Wikipedia 

Moshava in Wikipedia

Ha-yishuv in Wikipedia