Hebrew (עִבְרִית) is the official language of Israel. However, in most cities, local residents speak Russian and English. Hebrew is written and read from right to left.
Thank you very much | Toda slave |
Please | Bevakasa |
Sorry | |
Hello | |
Goodbye | Leitraot |
I don't understand | Ani lo mavin/a (men/women) |
What is your name? | Eykh korim lah? (female) Eykh korim lekha? (husband.) |
How are you? | Ma nishma? |
What is the price? | Kama ze ole? |
How much to pay before... | Kama ze ole le... |
Bon appetit! | Bethavon! |
I do not speak Hebrew | Ani lo medaber beivrit |
Only in Russian | Cancer Russite |
Bus stop | Tahanat otobus |
Hotel | Beit malon |
Cash | Mezumanim |
What is the price? | Kama ole? |
I will buy it | Eni ikne et ze |
Too expensive | |
I'm lost | Ani alahti leibud |
I live in a hotel... | Ani gar be malon... |
Ambulance | Ambulance |
Hospital | Beit Cholim |
Beit Mirkahat |
|
Beit tafrit |
|
Check please (bill) | Hashbonit, bevakasha |
Language of Israel
What is the language in Israel
Hebrew is spoken in the Israeli state. It is the official language of Israel, revived in the 20th century. Around the world, more than 8 million people speak Hebrew. During the period from 113 to 7 centuries BC, it strengthened as an independent Semitic language.
One of the features that the Israeli language has is the use of a conjugate construction to form new nouns: beit sefer (school) comes from the words bayit (house) and sefer (book).
The Israeli alphabet is presented in square script (alef-bet) and has 22 letters. The writing also uses Aramaic and Yiddish.
Although the official language of Israel is Hebrew, 20% of the population speaks Russian. These are mainly immigrants from the countries of the USSR and modern Russia. It is worth saying that when moving to this country under the repatriation program, people first of all begin to learn the language of Israel.
A series of articles with colloquial phrases in different languages is gradually expanding. For now, I am writing about those that I myself am actively studying: English, Italian, Swedish, French. Today it’s the turn of basic Hebrew expressions.
Greeting someone in Hebrew is very easy. At any time of the day, regardless of who you are talking to, the phrase שלום (shalom). The word "hello" is also used - הַיי (hai).
Word טוב (tov) in Hebrew means "good", "good" and is used in greetings at various times of the day. For example, good morning - בוקר טוב (boker tov), good evening - ערב טוב (erev tov). Good night wishes - לילה טוב (layla tov).
You can ask how a person is doing with the phrase מה שלומך (mah shlomkha? - if you are addressing a man / mah shlomekh? - if you are addressing a woman). In response you can say הכל בסדר (ha kol beseder) - Okay, thank you. ואתה (ve atah) - How are you?
To find out if there is any news, ask a question מה חדש (mah khadash). There is also a phrase - an analogue of the English What "s up? - What's new? What do you hear? In Hebrew - מה נשמע (ma nishma), which is pronounced after a greeting and does not imply a response.
To get acquainted, a set of the following phrases will be useful:
קוראים לי
(Kor-im li.) - My name is...
שמי
(shmi) - My name...
איך קוראים לך
(eikh kor-im lekha - if you are addressing a man / eikh kor-im lakh - a question to a woman) - What is your name?
נעים מאוד
(naim meod). - Nice to meet you.
איפה אתה גר
(eifo atah gar? - question to the man) - Where do you live?
איפה את גרה
(eifo at garah? - question to a woman) - Where do you live?
אני מ
(ani me) - I'm from...
איפה
(eifo) - Where is...?
כן
(ken) - yes
לא
(lo) - no
To thank a person or respond to gratitude, learn the following phrases:
תודה
(todah) - Thank you.
תודה על העזרה
(todah al ezrah) - Thank you for your help.
תודה רבה
(toda rabah) - Thank you very much.
In response to "thank you" it is customary to respond בבקשה (bevakasha). The same phrase is suitable as an equivalent to the words “here”, “please” when transferring something, for example, a gift or money for payment for goods.
To apologize, if necessary, say סליחה (slikha). A stronger apology - אני מצטער (ani mitstaer) if the speaker is a man, and also - אני מצטערת (ani mitstaeret) if a woman speaks. You can answer like this: אין דבר (ein davar) or לא נורא (lo nora). That is, “it’s okay,” “it happens,” “it happens.”
In Hebrew, verbs are conjugated by persons and numbers, just like in Russian. Therefore, the phrase sounds different depending on who is speaking and who is being addressed.
Here are some examples:
לא הבנתי
(lo hevanti) - I didn’t understand.
אני לא מבין
(ani lo mevin) - I don’t understand (m.rod).
אני לא מבינה
(ani lo mevina) - I don’t understand (feminine gender).
אני לא יודע
(ani lo yodeah) - I don’t know (m.rod)
אני לא יודעת
(ani lo yodaat) - I don’t know (female gender)
אתה מדבר רוסית
(atah medaber rusit) - Do you speak Russian? (if addressing a man)
את מדברת רוסית
(at medaberet rusit) - Do you speak Russian? (if addressing a woman)
אתה יכול לדבר לאט
(atah yakhol ledaber leat) - Can you speak more slowly? (if addressing a man)
את יכולה לדבר לאט
(at yakholah ledaber leat) - Can you speak more slowly? (if addressing a woman)
You can say goodbye in English - ביי (bai.) or phrase - להתראות (le hitra"ot).
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Like any other language, there are many different ways to greet each other in Hebrew. And just like most other languages, greetings in Hebrew go back a very long time. They reflect the history of cultural contacts of the people, their psychological type and characteristics of thinking.
Speaking about Jewish greetings, we must not forget about borrowings (direct or indirect) from “Jewish languages of the Diaspora,” for example, Yiddish.
Features of secular and religious speech etiquette
Modern Hebrew is the language of everyday communication in Israel, and it reflects the peculiarities of today's life in the country. Therefore, we can say that there are two linguistic structures in Israel. One of them is more consistent with the secular population of Israel, and the second with the traditional, religious population.
Hebrew greetings illustrate this division. Of course, one cannot say that these “sets do not intersect at all.” However, secular and religious types of speech etiquette differ from each other.
Some expressions characteristic of the speech of religious people are included in secular speech etiquette. Sometimes they are used deliberately to give the statement an ironic tone with a “taste” of the archaic - “antique.” As if, for example, in Russian speech, you turned to a friend: “Be healthy, boyar!” or greeted their guests: “Welcome, dear guests!” at a friendly party.
The difference between greetings in Russian and Hebrew
In Russian, when meeting, people usually wish them health by saying “Hello!” (that is, literally: “Be healthy!” But hearing a wish for health in Hebrew - לבריות le-vriYut — your Israeli interlocutor will most likely say in surprise: “I didn’t sneeze” or “I guess we didn’t raise our glasses.” Wishing health as a greeting is not customary in Hebrew.
Expression
תהיה בריאquiet bars, which can be translated as “Hello!”, will be, rather, an informal form of farewell - “Be healthy!” (as in Russian).
Common greetings in Hebrew
The basic Jewish greeting is שלום shalom ( literally , "world"). People used this word to greet each other back in Biblical times. Interestingly, in Jewish tradition it also sometimes replaces the name of God. Meaning of the word shalom in the language it is much broader than just “the absence of war”, and in the greeting it is not just a wish for “peaceful skies above your head”.
Word שלום shalom- cognate with adjective שלם shawl- “whole, filled.” Greetings " shalom“means, therefore, not only a wish for peace, but also for inner integrity and harmony with oneself.
“Shalom” can be said both when meeting and when parting.
Expressions שלום לך Shalom LechA(with or without addressing a person by name) (“peace be upon you”) and לום אליכם shalom aleikhem(MM) (“peace be upon you”) refer to a higher style. It is customary to answer the latter ואליכם שלום ve-aleikhem shalom. This is a literal translation (tracing) from Arabic Hello. This answer also suggests high style, and in some cases, a certain amount of irony. You can answer more simply, without a conjunction ve,אליכם שלום AleikhEm shalom.
In a conversation with a religious person in response to a greeting שלום can often be heard שלום וברכה shalom at vrakha- “peace and blessings.” Or he may continue your greeting שלום shalom in words - וברכה u-vrahA. This is also acceptable in small talk, although it is too elegant.
In the mornings in Israel, people exchange greetings טוב בוקר boker tov! ("Good morning!"). Sometimes in response to this you can hear: בוקר אור boker or ("bright morning") or בוקר מצויין boxer metsuYan. ("great morning"). But they rarely say that.
As for the Russian expression “Good day!”, then when translated literally into Hebrew - יום טוב yom tov, it will turn out more like congratulations on the holiday (although more often in this case a different expression is used). The interlocutor may be surprised.
Instead they say צהוריים טובים TzohorAim ToVim(literally, “Good afternoon!”). But when we say goodbye, it’s quite possible to say יום טוב לך yom tov lecha. Here – precisely in the meaning of “Have a nice day!”
Expressions ערב טוב Erev tov“good evening” and לילה טוב Layla tov“Good night” in Hebrew is no different in usage from Russian. It is perhaps worth paying attention to the fact that the word “night” in Hebrew is masculine, therefore the adjective טוב “good, kind” will also be masculine.
Greetings from other languages
In addition to greetings that have Hebrew roots, greetings from other languages can often be heard in Israel.
At the beginning of the new era, the spoken language of Ancient Judea was not Hebrew, but Aramaic. Nowadays it is perceived as high style, the language of the Talmud, and is sometimes used to give words a touch of irony.
In modern colloquial Hebrew the expression צפרא טבא numeral tab- “good morning” in Aramaic. Sometimes it can be heard in response to the usual טוב בוקר boker tov.
In this case, your interlocutor will turn out to be either a religious person of advanced age, or someone who wants to demonstrate his education and give the morning greeting a touch of light irony.
You can, for example, compare this with the situation when, in response to a neutral “Good morning!” you will hear “Greetings!”
Young Israelis often use the English word “hai!” when meeting and saying goodbye. Perhaps it caught on because it sounds similar to the Hebrew word for “life” (remember the popular toast לחיים le-chaim- "for a life").
In spoken Hebrew you can also find greetings from Arabic: ahalan or, less commonly, marhaba(the second is more often pronounced with a joking tone).
Greetings and wishes on Shabbat and holidays
In most languages, greetings depend on the time of day, and in Jewish culture, also on the days of the week.
On Shabbat and holidays, special greetings are used in Hebrew.
On Friday evening and Saturday it is customary to greet each other with the words שבת שלום Shabbat Shalom. Saturday evening, after מו צאי שבת MotzaHey Shabbat(“the outcome of the Sabbath”) you can often hear the wish שבוע טוב ShavUa tov (“good week”). This applies to both religious and secular circles
Among older people or repatriates, instead of Shabbat shalom, you can hear greetings in Yiddish: gut Shabes(“good Saturday”), and at the end of Saturday - and gute wow(“good week”)
Just as in the case of Aramaic, the use of Yiddish in Israel in greetings has an informal, slightly humorous connotation.
Before the beginning of a new month (according to the Jewish calendar) and on its first day, the greeting is חודש טוב Khodesh tov - “Good month.”
"Holiday" in Hebrew is called חג hag, מועד mOed or טוב יום yom tov. However, to greet a holiday, only one of these words is most often used - חג שמח hag samEah! - “Happy holiday!” During the Jewish New Year, people wish each other “Have a good year!” – שנה טובה SHANA TOVA! The word shana (“year”) in Hebrew is feminine, and the adjective tovA will also be feminine.
Greetings in the form of questions
After greeting each other, wishing good morning or evening, people often ask: “How are you?” or “How are you?”
In Hebrew the expressions מה שלומך? ma shlomkha?(M) ( mA shlomEh? (F)) are similar to the Russian “How are you?” By the way, they are written the same way, and you can read them correctly only based on the context.
Literally, these phrases would mean something like: “How is your world doing?” We can say that each person has his own world, his own inner “shalom”. Naturally, in ordinary speech this expression is not taken literally, but serves as a neutral greeting formula.
In rare cases, you may be addressed in the third person: שלומו של כבודו? מה Ma shlomO shel kvodO?(or - ma shlom kvodO?) - “How are you doing, dear one?” This will mean either irony, or high style and emphasized respect (as in the Polish language the address “pan”).
In addition, such a refined address can be used in youth speech and slang as a reference to comedic dialogues from the “cult” Israeli film “ Hagiga ba-snooker" - "Billiards party."
One of the most common and style-neutral greetings in Hebrew is נשמה? מה ma nishma? (literally, “What do you hear?”).
The expressions מה קורה are used in a similar sense. Ma kore? – (literally, “What’s going on?”) and מה העניינים ma HainyangIm? ("How are you?"). Both of them are used in informal settings, in colloquial speech, in friendly conversation.
Even more simply, in the “that’s what they say on the street” style, it sounds אתך מה ma itkhA? (M) or (ma itAkh? (F) (literally, “What’s wrong with you?”). However, unlike Russian, this jargon does not correspond to the question: “What’s wrong with you?”, but simply means : “How are you?” However, in a certain situation it can actually be asked if the state of the interlocutor causes concern.
It is customary to answer all these polite questions in a secular environment בסדר הכל תודה TodA, Akol be-sEder or simply בסדר be-seder(literally, “thank you, everything is fine.” In religious circles, the generally accepted answer is השם ברוך barUh ours(“Glory be to God,” literally, “Blessed be the Lord”). This expression is often used in everyday communication of secular people, without giving the speech any special connotation.
Greeting the New Arrivals
Greetings can also include addressing “new arrivals.”
When people come or arrive somewhere, they are addressed with the words “Welcome!” In Russian, this phrase is usually used in formal speech.
Hebrew expressions הבא ברוך barUh habA(M), ברוכה הבאה bruhA habaA(F) or ברוכים הבאים BruhIm habaIm(MM and LJ) (literally, “blessed is the one who has arrived (the ones who arrived)”) are found in ordinary colloquial speech. This is how you can greet your guests, for example.
In general, in Hebrew, as in any other language, greetings are closely related to cultural and religious traditions. Differences in their use depend on the general style of the communication situation, as well as on the level of education and age of the speakers.