Streetwise Hebrew

We often hear the same errors made over and over again by those learning to speak Hebrew. Some sound worse than others. But once pointed out, they'll be easy to fix. On this episode, Guy explains some of these common mistakes — why they happen and how to correct them.

Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode

New Words and Expressions:

Toda al X - Thanks for X - תודה על משהו

Toda al ha-prachim - Thanks for the flowers - תודה על הפרחים

Toda al ha-shi’ur - Thanks for the lesson - תודה על השיעור

Toda al mi she-at - Thanks for being who you are - תודה על מי שאת

Toda le-itai shelem, al ha-hafaka - Thanks Itai shelem for the production - תודה לאיתי שלם על ההפקה

Toda le-Shai al ha-quiche - Thanks Shai for the quiche - תודה לשי על הקיש

Toda al something, toda le someone

Toda lach mami al ha-yom she-bo hiskamt lihyot ha-ima li-yeladai - Thank you darling for the day on which you agreed to

become the mother of my children - תודה לך מאמי על היום שבו הסכמת להיות האמא לילדיי

Toda al ha-cafe - Thanks for the coffee - תודה על הקפה

Toda she-shalachta - Thanks for sending - תודה ששלחת

Ra’iti be-youtube - I saw it on youtube - ראיתי ביוטיוב

Karati ba-iton - I read in the newspaper - קראתי בעיתון

Shamati ba-radio - I heard it on the radio - שמעתי ברדיו

Shamati ba-hadashot - I heard it on the news - שמעתי בחדשות

Ha-turkit sheli lo tova - My Turkish is not good - הטורקית שלי לא טובה

Aval ha-shir hamud - But the song is cute - אבל השיר חמוד

Ha-ivrit sheli lo tova - My Hebrew is not good - העברית שלי לא טובה

Ha-hindi sheli lo tova - My Hindi is not good - ההינדי שלי לא טובה

Ani lo medaber sinit tov - I don’t speak Chinese well - אני לא מדבר סינית טוב

Ha-turkit sheli lo tova - My Turkish is not good - הטורקית שלי לא טובה

Ahrei she-bati - After I came - אחרי שבאתי

Lifnei she-halacht - Before you went - לפני שהלכת

Lifnei ha-geshem - Before the rain - לפני הגשם

Ahrei ha-geshem - After the rain - אחרי הגשם

Playlist and Clips:

Kobi Peretz - Toda Lach Mami (lyrics on YouTube)

Shlomo Artzi - Erets Hadasha (lyrics)

Gülşen - Bangır Bangır (Turkish)

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - Shahrukh Khan, Kajol & Rani Mukerji (Hindi)

Natan Goshen - Lifnei she-ahava tipol (lyrics on YouTube)

Ronit Shachar - Ahrei she-at Tivki Yam (lyrics)

Guy’s links and tips page