Streetwise Hebrew

We were all kids once, and at least in Israel, during the summer holiday, we used to tell our parents, mesha’amem li, I am bored. Answers varied, as you can imagine, but let’s talk for a sec about boredom-bored-boring in Hebrew.

Words and expressions discussed:

Mesha'amem - Boring - משעמם
Mesha'mem li - I am bored - משעמם לי
Mesha’amem la’allah / me-sha’amem ticho / ma-ze mesha’amem - It’s so boring - משעמם לאללה / משעמם טיכו / מה-זה משעמם
Meshu'amam - Bored - משועמם
Shiamum - Boredom - שעמום
Shi'amum amiti - A real boredom - שעמום אמיתי
Ani met mi-shiamum - I am dying of boredom - אני מת משעמום
Eize shi’amum - How boring - איזה שעמום
Shi'amumon - A really boring thing - שעמומון
Mishta'amem - Getting bored - משתעמם
Matsati et atsmi levad mishta'amem li - I found myself alone getting bored - מצאתי את עצמי לבד משתעמם לי
Mechamem - Slang for ‘mesha’amem’ - מצ’עמם
Lehishta’amem - To get bored - להשתעמם
Shnuya be-mahloket - Controversial - שנויה במחלוקת
Al gvul ha-giz’anut - On the verge of racism - על גבול הגזענות
Hafla - Party (Arabic) - חפלה
“Haflizatsia” - Turning something into a party - “חפליזציה”

Playlist and clips:

Ha-tarnegolim – Mesha'amem (lyrics)

Micha Shitrit – Mesha’amem (lyrics)

Teapacks – Eize Olam (lyrics)

Arkadi Duchin & Meir Shitrit – Beit Kafe shel Dinozaurim (lyrics)

Benzin – Yom Shishi (lyrics)

Assaf Amdurski – Ahava Hadasha (lyrics)

Arnon Tsadok interview – Hinuchit TV

Omer Adam – Bucharest (lyrics)

Bar Mitzva (Erez Nehederet parody show)

Time Out Tel Aviv (Hebrew) about “Israeli Trash”

Gary Eckstein – Haya Li Tov (lyrics)

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