Language/Hebrew/Vocabulary/Idioms

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Hebrew Vocabulary → Hebrew Expressions → Idioms

As you dive deeper into the Hebrew language, you'll quickly realize that it's more than just memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules. Hebrew is deeply rooted in Jewish history, religion, and culture, and learning Hebrew expressions and idioms is an essential part of mastering the language. In this lesson, you'll learn some common Hebrew idioms, their meanings, and how to use them in context.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: How to say Good Bye? & Countries meḏeynot מדינות.

What Are Idioms?

An idiom is a phrase or expression that doesn't necessarily mean what the individual words suggest. Instead, idioms generally have a non-literal meaning that's derived from cultural or social context. For example, the English expression "break a leg" means "good luck," but someone who's never heard the phrase before might think it's a strange thing to say to someone before a performance.

Similarly, Hebrew has many idiomatic expressions that can be tricky to understand for non-native speakers. In this section, we'll look at some common Hebrew idioms and what they mean.

Hebrew Idioms

Idiom 1: יש ברשותך

Hebrew: יש ברשותך Pronunciation: "Yesh B'rishutech" Translation: "You have the power"

This idiom is used to describe someone who has the ability to make a decision or take action. For example, if someone is planning a surprise party, they might tell a friend, "You have the power to invite whoever you want!"

Idiom 2: אפשר לצאת מהמים

Hebrew: אפשר לצאת מהמים Pronunciation: "Efshar Lats'et Mehah-Maim" Translation: "It's possible to get out of the water"

This idiom is used to describe a difficult situation from which someone can still recover. For example, if someone is struggling in school, they might say, "It's possible to get out of the water if I work hard enough."

Idiom 3: על הפנים

Hebrew: על הפנים Pronunciation: "Al Hapanim" Translation: "On the face"

This idiom is used to describe something that's not going well. For example, if someone tries to cook a new recipe for the first time and it doesn't turn out well, they might say, "The dish came out on the face."

Idiom 4: לא לשום דבר

Hebrew: לא לשום דבר Pronunciation: "Lo L'shum Davar" Translation: "For no reason"

This idiom is used to describe something that's done without a clear or obvious motivation. For example, if someone decides to quit their job suddenly, their boss might ask, "Why are you quitting? Did we do something wrong?" The employee might respond, "No, I'm quitting for no reason."

Idiom 5: חיים חדשים

Hebrew: חיים חדשים Pronunciation: "Chayim Chadashim" Translation: "New life"

This idiom is used to describe a fresh start or a new beginning. For example, if someone moves to a new city and starts a new job, they might describe their experience as "new life."

Conclusion

Learning Hebrew idioms is an important part of understanding the language and the culture that surrounds it. These idioms are just a small sampling of what you could encounter in everyday Hebrew conversations, so keep practicing and expanding your knowledge!

Sources

Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Computers & Landmarks.

Table of Contents - Hebrew Course - 0 to A1

Course Presentation

Introduction to Hebrew Alphabet

Everyday Hebrew Vocabulary

Hebrew Grammar

Israeli Culture

Hebrew Expressions

Hebrew Numbers

Hebrew Geography and Landmarks

Hebrew Literature and Language

Grammar Review

Videos

Cafe Oleh: Hebrew Idioms and Expressions - YouTube

Other Lessons

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