Streetwise Hebrew
Education & Explainer
About
A bite-size podcast showcasing modern Hebrew and its slang. Host Guy Sharett explains what we can learn about Israeli psyche, society, and culture through the Hebrew language.
Episodes
- #111 It's All in the Game
This episode of Streetwise Hebrew explores the Hebrew root שֹחק (sch-ch-k), focusing on the word משחק which can mean game, toy, or acting. It covers various expressions and related terms like actor and liar.
- #106 Learning Hebrew? Kol Ha-Kavod!
This episode of Streetwise Hebrew focuses on the Hebrew word "Kavod," meaning honor or respect. It covers its diverse applications, including formal titles like "Kvod Rosh memshelet Israel" (Prime Minister) and everyday phrases such as "Ko…
- #104 Streetwise Support: Ease the Heavy Burden of Learning Hebrew
This episode of Streetwise Hebrew focuses on the Hebrew word for support, "tmicha," and its common applications, particularly in technical contexts. It explores various related phrases and expressions, noting a special message from the hos…
- #448 You the Landlord or the Tenant?
This episode of Streetwise Hebrew clarifies the distinction between the Hebrew words משכיר (maskir - to rent out) and שוכר (socher - to rent), essential for understanding landlord and tenant terminology in Israel. It provides new vocabular…
- #447 They're Exploiting the Situation
This episode of Streetwise Hebrew focuses on the Hebrew word נצלן, meaning exploiter. It breaks down the word and its root נצל, providing various examples and related expressions such as ניצול (exploitation) and how to talk about taking ad…
- #446 Early Retirement
The Hebrew word פרישה means retirement, and these days פרישה המוקדמת is on everyone's mind. Guy explains פרישה and other words from its root פרש. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Prisha me-ha-avoda – Retiri…
- #445 It's a Serious Leak
From leaking documents to a leaky faucet at home, the root דלפ is an interesting one, and from which we get the Hebrew word for whistleblower. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ha-mazgan dolef – The air cond…
- #444 Sorry, It Slipped My Mind
The Hebrew word לברוח means to escape, but the same root has other interesting meanings in other verb formats. Guy also explains the meaning of חדר בריחה. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Livro'ach – To esc…
- #443 Missing You, Missing Me
Today we'll talk about the word חסר, missing, and its root. You don't want to miss it! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Haser – Missing, lacking, deficient – חסר "Ha-shir Ha-haser" – The missing song – השיר…
- #442 Got It!
The verbs of the Hebrew root kbl are everywhere: To get, to receive, to be hired, plus things which are just not done and are considered unacceptable. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Lekabel – To receive –…
- #441 Expel Your Demons
The Hebrew word גירוש means expulsion and deportation, but the most commonly used word we get from this root is entirely different. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Legaresh – To expel, to dep…
- #440 I Got Receipts to Prove It
The Hebrew word קבלה has many meanings and uses, from receipts to acceptance. Guy explains how to use קבלה in its many forms and its plural. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Kabala – Receiving – קבלה Sh'ot…
- #439 It Ain't Cheap
The word זול means cheap and is used in spoken Hebrew in all kinds of interesting ways. For example, what's זיל הזול? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Zol – Cheap – זול Periferia – Periphery,…
- #438 Want to Hear About Our Special Deals?
When and how do you properly use the Hebrew root בצע? And where might we hear the phrase, רוצה לשמוע על המבצעים שלנו? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Mivtsa – Military operation – מבצע Mivtsa be-hanuyot –…
- #437 Trembling From Fear
The word רועד means shivering, shaking, and in this episode Guy explains its meaning and usage. Along the way we learn to say earthquake, and vibrato. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Roed – Trembling, shiv…
- #436 Poison
The Hebrew word רעל means poison. Its root provides us with interesting words related to the military and to bosses, some of whom make our work environments toxic. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Ra'al – P…
- #435 I'm Getting Into the Game
The Hebrew word אירוע means an event, most often a happy event, like a wedding or bar/bat mitzvah. But its usage has changed lately. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Eru'ah yeri – Shooting – א…
- #434 U-Turns and Public Inquiries
The Hebrew word פרסס is what you'd use in a sentence to ask a driver to make a U-turn. But what does it mean in slang? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Pniya, pniyot – Turn, turns – פנייה, פני…
- #433 Do Not Contact Me
The Hebrew word לפנות means to turn, like to turn right or left. But we use לפנות for other things as well, like when we need to contact our municipality or to tell someone to stop texting us. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Wor…
- #432 Surprise!
The Hebrew word הפתעה means "surprise." Don't be surprised if by the end of this episode you'll know several uses of הפתעה to impress your Israeli friends. Oh, and everybody knows what a ביצת הפתעה is, right? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on…
- #431 Antique Cars and Stamp Collections
From antique cars to very slow, local buses, Guy picks up where we left off in the last episode and explains additional בניינים from the root אספ. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Asfanoot – Collecting (a c…
- #430 Doll Collector
The Hebrew word לאסוף is to collect, to gather. We use this verb in supermarkets, airports, and when we talk about people with unique collections. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Esof – Collect, gather (Im…
- #429 Are You All Packed?
What's the right way to pack a suitcase and what should you say to airport security when asked about your packed bags? From the root ארז we get the Hebrew words for packaging, gift boxes and more. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode…
- #428 A Strange Series of Events
How do you watch your favorite television series? And what genre do you like most? Guy explains all things TV series in Hebrew, and what verbs go along with them. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Sidra – Se…
- #427 Take Some Initiative!
The Hebrew word יוזמה means initiative. We also use יוזמה when talking about new educational or social projects. Using the verb ליזום, we Israelis often give unsolicited advice to family, friends, and even passersby, telling them to take s…
- #426 The Olympics Are Here!
The Paris 2024 Olympics are here! What Hebrew words and phrases must we know in order to understand the broadcasts and fully enjoy the games? The hardest of them might just be טניס שולחן. Stam! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Wo…
- #425 Are You a Real Estate Agent?
The Hebrew word מתווך means a real estate agent. Some people really really dislike מתווכים. Let's learn why. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Metavech (dirot) – Real estate agent – מתווך Metavech – Mediator…
- #424 Can I Pet Your Dog?
Imagine this: You are walking your dog in the 'Viv and, out of nowhere, someone comes up to you, clearly wanting to speak about something important. Their lips are moving. They are saying something. What are they likely to say to a dog own…
- #423 Weighing Your Options
You're eyeing the cheddar cheese at a Tel Avivi deli. Now comes the big question: How do you ask the seller to give you 100 grams of it in Hebrew? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Lishkol – To weigh – לשקול…
- #422 Net Weight
The Hebrew word משקל means both weight and the device we use to measure weight, a scale. Whoa! That complicates things. How do we utilize this word in all its possible uses? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words an…
- #421 Oh, With Pleasure!
How do we respond when someone thanks us in Hebrew? What are the equivalents of, 'you're welcome', 'don't mention it' and 'it's nothing'? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Al lo davar – You're…
- #420 Stink Bomb
The words stinky, smelly, and stench , exist in all languages. But in Hebrew these words can also be used as slurs. And while you absolutely should not use them in such manner, you do need to know their use. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on…
- #419 I Can Identify With That
From face and voice recognition, to identifying with a character from a book, for these and others linguistic uses we utilize the Hebrew root זהה. And how do we say, "Shazam, can you recognize this song?" Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew…
- #418 Is Someone Stealing Your Identity?
The Hebrew word זהות means identity. It's a word we Israelis use many times throughout the day, like any time we call customer service in Israel. Any guesses as to why? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Zehu…
- #417 Procrastinating in Hebrew
It happens to all of us: we have a task to accomplish and we promise ourselves to do it right after this one last thing. So how did an entire week pass by so quickly and yet we're staring at an even longer to-do list? Let's talk about proc…
- #416 I'm Finally Settling In
The Hebrew words להתיישב and לשבת are both translated as 'to sit down', but they are not used in the same manner. And how are these words related to the West Bank? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressi…
- #415 What Are You Sitting On?
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! Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon N…
- #414 Are You in the Country?
The Hebrew word ארץ means land/country. But it changes when we add prepositions to it. It's also an important word if you are training your dog to lie on the floor. Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Express…
- #413 Hello, Your Honor
So you've learned some Hebrew verbs and nouns, but now you're not sure how to properly address your 80 year old neighbor. Ma'am? גברתי? Mrs. Cohen? גברת כהן? Or is it fine to just use her first name? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon…
- #412 Lost in Translation
The Hebrew word לתרגם, to translate, is a handy verb, especially if you live in Israel and go to the cinema. Why? Because you want to make sure the Israeli film you're about to watch has been translated and has English subtitles. How do yo…
- #411 Overcoming Depression
The Israeli song לצאת מדיכאון is perhaps the song that best describes how an entire nation is feeling at this moment. It's an appropriate time to talk about דיכאון, depression, and its root. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words…
- #410 Release Me
The Hebrew word לשחרר means to release, to free. It is used often when speaking about the hostage crisis in Gaza. How else do we use לשחרר, and how do we say it in the passive? Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressio…
- #409 When Will They Be Released?
"When will the hostages be released?", מתי הם ישתחררו, is what everyone in Israel is asking themselves. This week we saw the release of some of the hostages taken on October 7th. Guy explains how we talk about it in Hebrew. Hear the All-He…
- #408 Keep On Smiling
Especially these days, it's important to keep on smiling and to try and stay optimistic. Guy explains how to smile in Hebrew. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Hiuyooch male shinayim – A smile full of teeth…
- #407 Words of Encouragement
In time of war, we need to cheer one another up. How do we cheer on and provide words of encouragement to those around us in Hebrew? Guy explains. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Idood – Encouragement – עי…
- #406 Words of War
Israel is at war. There are a few words that we hear on the news all the time — words you should absolutely know. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Retsu'at aza – The Gaza Strip – רצועת עזה Retsua la-kelev –…
- #405 You're in Our Thoughts
What can you write to your family and friends in Israel during these difficult days of war? What's appropriate at this moment? Guy has some ideas. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Letaksher im haverim ve-kr…
- #404 War
Israel is at war. Guy explains the word מלחמה and others from the same root, לחמ, that we hear on Israeli news coverage. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Milchama – War – מלחמה Milchama ve-shalom – War and…
- #403 I Need Some Self-Discipline
There are quite a few words in Hebrew, like משמעות (meaning) and משמעת (discipline), that are connected to the root שמע (to hear) even though it might not seem like it at first sight. Let's go over some of these words together. Hear the Al…
- #402 Animal Sounds in Hebrew
If you didn't grow up as a child in Israel, chances are you don't know the sounds animals make in Hebrew, nor the verbs we use to describe them. Guy to the rescue. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon New Words and Expressions: Miao – Me…