424 episodes

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.

Streetwise Hebrew TLV1 Studios

    • Education
    • 4.9 • 861 Ratings

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.

    When Will They Be Released?

    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-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
     
    New Words and Expressions:
    “Et hishtachrarti” – When I got released – עת השתחררתי
    Hu hishtachrer – He got released, he was liberated – הוא השתחרר
    Hem hishtachreru – They were released – הם השתחררו
    Hem mishtachrerim, hen mishtachrerot – They are being released – הם משתחררים, הן משתחררות
    Ha-im hem yishtachreroo ha-yom? – Will they be released today? – האם הם ישתחררו היום
    Matai ata mishtachrer/at mishtachreret/atem mishtachrerim- When will you be done with your military service? – מתי אתה משתחרר/את משתחררת/אתם משתחררים
    Ani rak rotse lehishtachrer – I just wants to go home – אני רק רוצה להשתחרר
    Lehishtachrer me-ha-tsava- To get out of the army service – להשתחרר מהצבא
    “Kol ha-anashim amru li, ‘ma be’emet, al ma hishtachrart?’ – Everybody told me, why were you released? – כל האנשים אמרו לי ‘מה באמת, על מה השתחררת’
    Amarti she-haita li harada me-ha-neshek – I said I had anxiety from the gun – אמרתי שהייתה לי חרדה מהנשק
    Ve-az hem kaze: be’emet o she-stam asit kedei lehishtachrer? – And they went, ‘was it real or did you say it in order to get out of the army?’ – ואז הם כזה באמת או שסתם עשית כדי להשתחרר
    “Tishtachrer, ha-avar lo meshane yoter” – Free yourself, the past doesn’t matter anymore – תשתחרר, העבר לא משנה יותר
    Hishtachreroot me-chanika – To free oneself from a strangle hold – השתחררות מֵחניקה
    Hishtachreroot me-ego – Letting go of your ego – השתחררות מהאגו
     
    Playlist and Clips:
    Meir Ariel – Terminal (lyrics)
    Itamar Har-Even – Noder
    Lehishtachrer mi-tsahal
    Rinat Gabai – Tishtachrer
    Amichai Yosef Ben Avraham – Ani Mishtachreret (lyrics)
     
    Ep. no 342

    • 9 min
    #48 How to Talk ‘Ceasefire’ in Hebrew (Rerun)

    #48 How to Talk ‘Ceasefire’ in Hebrew (Rerun)

    Everyone’s talking about הפסקת אש, ceasefire. Let’s get to know the word הפסקה (break) and other words in its family which come from the root פסק.
    Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
     
    New Words and Expressions:
    Hafsakat-esh – Ceasefire – הפסקת אש
    Hafsaka – Break, stop, halting – הפסקה
    “Maga’im intensiviyim lehafsakat esh, ach ha-esh lo poseket” – There are intensive talks for a ceasefire, but the fire won’t stop – מגעים אינטנסיביים להפסקת אש, אך האש לא פוסקת
    Hafsakat esh humanitarit – Humanitarian ceasefire – הפסקת אש הומניטרית
    Ha-hafsaka ha-gdola – “The big break” – ההפסקה הגדולה
    Hifsakti lenasot – I stopped trying – הפסקתי לנסות
    Hifsakti le’ashen lifeni shavua – I stopped smoking a week ago – הפסקתי לעשן לפני שבוע
    “Choshev lehasik le’ashen? Eize yofi” – Do you think of stopping smoking? That’s great – חושב להפסיק לעשן? איזה יופי
    “Kshe’at noga’at bi, ani mafsik lachshov” – When you touch me I stop thinking – כשאת נוגעת בי, אני מפסיק לחשוב
    Lo tafsiki lekavot – You will not stop hoping – לא תפסיקי לקוות
    Hufsak – Halted, stopped – הופסק
    Ha-sherut hufsak – The service was discontinued – השירות הופסק
    Piska – Paragraph – פסקה
    Psik – Comma – פסיק
    Pisuk – Punctuation – פיסוק
    Pisuk raglayim – Spreading the legs – פיסוק רגליים
    Pasuk – Biblical verse – פסוק
    Pesek zman – Time off / Name of a chocolate snack – פסק זמן
    Kach pesek zman – Take some time off – קח פסק זמן
     
    Playlist and Clips:
    Roy Tal – Hifsakti Lenasot
    Boaz Sharabi -Kshe-at Nogaat Bi (lyrics)
    Gali Atari – Ha-shir she-yavi lach Ahava (lyrics)
    Arik Einstein – Pesek Zman (lyrics)

    • 6 min
    Keep On Smiling

    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 – חיוך מלא שיניים
    Hiyoochim mezuyafim – Fake smiles – חיוכים מזוייפים
    Raper/it – Rapper – ראפר/ית
    “Toda, he’eleta hiyooch al panai” – You brought a smile to my face – העלית חיוך על פניי
    Lehaalot hiyooch al pnei mishehu – To bring a smile to someone’s face – להעלות חיוך על פני מישהו
    “Mefazeret hiyoochim” – She spreads smiles – מפזרת חיוכים
    Dofek hiyoochim – Flash smiles – דופק חיוכים
    “Hu amar et ze be-hiyooch” – He said it smilingly – הוא אמר את זה בחיוך
    Lehayech – To smile – לחייך
    Hiyachti el mishehu/mishehi – I smiled at someone – חייכתי אל מישהו/מישהי
    Hayech/techayech, haychi/techaychi, haychu/techaychu – Smile (imp.) – חייך/תחייך, חייכי/תחייכי, חייכו/תחייכו
    “Hu yatsa mechuyach me-ha-pgisha” – He came out smiling from the meeting – הוא יצא מחוייך מהפגישה
    Haychan – Someone who smiles a lot – חייכן
    Yeled haychan / yalda haychanit – A smiley child – ילד חייכן, ילדה חייכנית
     
    Playlist and Clips:
    Eden Hasson – Eich At Ohevet
    Adi Agai & Maor Ashkenazi – Hiyuchim Mezuyafim 
    Nasrin Kadri – Afa Alav
    Yitzhak Klepter – Yoshev Al Ha-gader (lyrics)
     
    Ep. no. 53 about how to say smiley
    Ep. no. 172 about dofek, knocks
    Ep. no. 183 about pipi
    Ep. no. 285 about hilarious
    Ep. no. 322 about laughter 
    Ep. no. 323 about to laugh
     
    How to link your Spotify and Patreon accounts

    • 9 min
    Words of Encouragement

    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 – עידוד
    Shir idood – An encouragement song – שיר עידוד
    Milot idood – Words of encouragement – מילות עידוד
    Ha-keren le-idood yozmot hinoochiyot – The fund for promotion of educational initiatives – הקרן לעידוד יוזמות חינוכיות
    Ha-keren le-idood + noun – The fund for promotion of X – הקרן לעידוד + ש.ע
    Anachnu rotsim le’oded et ha-morim ve-hatalmidim – We want to encourage the teachers and students – אנחנו רוצים לעודד את המורים והתלמידים
    Lachshov mi-huts la-tavniyot – To think outside the box – לחשוב מחוץ לתבניות
    Le’oded (like lesovev, lefotsets, le’otet) – To encourage – לעודד, כמו לסובב, לפוצץ, לאותת
    Me’odedot – Cheerleaders – מעודדות
    Me’oodad – Cheered up, encouraged – מעוּדָד
    Ha-chayalim me’oodadim – The soldiers are in good spirits – החיילים מעוּדדים
    Ani me’oded haver atsoov – I am cheering up a sad friend of mine – אני מעודֵד חבר עצוב
    Yatsati me’oodad me-ha-rofe – I left the doctor feeling hopeful – יצאתי מעודָד מהרופא
    Yatsati me’oodedet me-hasicha im orech ha-din – I came out of my meeting with the lawyer feeling encouraged – יצאתי מעוּדדת מהשיחה עם עורך הדין
    Tit’oded, tit’odedi, tit’odedoo – Cheer up – תתעודד, תתעודדי, תתעודדו
    “Dai, lo nora, tit’oded” – Come on, it’s not the end of the world, cheer up – די, לא נורא, תתעודד
    Tit’oded, ha-helek ha-kashe kvar me-achoreicha – Cheer up, the tough part is behind you – תתעודד, החלק הקשה כבר מאחוריך
    Hit’odadeti ktsat im shokolad belgi – I cheered myself up a bit with a Belgian chocolate – התעודדתי קצת עם שוקולד בלגי
     
    Playlist and Clips:
    Ha-bima – Shir Idood
    Ha-keren Le-idood yozmot hinoochiyot
    Omri 69 Segal & Roy Machluf – Tit’oded (lyrics)
     
    Ep. no. 108 about bassa
    Ep. no. 310 about hizook

    • 8 min
    #65 Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing! (Rerun)

    #65 Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing! (Rerun)

    When an Israeli tells you “al tid’ag,” or “don’t worry,” that’s when you should probably start to worry.
    Guy Sharett teaches us how to talk about worrying – or making sure people don’t – and what else this root, דאג, has up its sleeve.
    Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
     
    New Words and Expressions:
    Al tid’agi, al tid’ag, al tid’agoo – Don’t worry – אל תדאג, אל תדאגי, אל תדאגו
    Al tid’ag – Don’t worry – אל תדאג
    Al tidagi li, ima – Don’t worry about me, mom – אל תדאגי לי, אמא
    “Al tid’agoo li, aba, ani osa chayim” – Don’t worry about me, Dad, I am having fun – אל תדאגו לי, אבא, אני עושה חיים
    Ein lach ma lid’og – You have nothing to worry about (f.) – אין לך מה לדאוג
    “Mishehu do’eg li sham lemala” – Someone takes care of me up there – מישהו דואג לי שם למעלה
    Mi Doeg lebirot – Who is taking care of the beer – מי דואג לבירות
    De’aga – Concern, worry – דאגה
    Al deaga – No worries – אל דאגה
    “Ze seker mad’ig” – It’s a distressing poll – זה סקר מדאיג
    Lehad’ig mishehu – To worry someone – להדאיג מישהו
    “Ani lo mood’ag me-hafalastinim, ani moodag mehaisraelim” – I am not concerned about the Palestinians, I am worried about the Israelis – אני לא מודאג מהפלסטינים, אני מודאג מהישראלים
    Mood’ag mi- – Worried about something (m.) – מודאג מ
    Mood’eget mi- – Worried (f.) – מודאגת מ
    Da’agan, da’aganit – Someone who is worried all the time – דאגן, דאגנית
    Da’aganoot – Anxiety, worrying – דאגנוּת
    Da’aganoot yeter – Over worrying – דאגנוּת יתר
     
    Playlist and Clips:
    Incognito – Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing
    Aviv Geffen – Al tid’ag (Lyrics)
    Pablo Rozenberg – Al Tid’agi Li Ima (Lyrics)
    Ehud Banai – Kmo Tsipor Ve-sharah (Lyrics)
    Ein lach ma lid’og – Uzi Fuchs (Lyrics)
    Mishehu – Yehudit Ravitz (Lyrics)
    Shelly Yachimovich – interview TV10
    Amnon Dankner – interview TV2
    Ha-haverim shel Natasha – Shnei Sipurey Ahava Ktsarim (Lyrics)

    • 7 min
    Words of War

    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 – Leash for a dog – רצועה לכלב
    Otef aza (Ha-otef) – The area bordering with the Gaza Strip – עוטף עזה, העוטף
    Yeshuvey otef aza – Villages near the Gaza Strip, inside Israel – ישובי עוטף עזה
    Matach kaved shel raketot – Heavy barrage of rockets – מטח כבד של רקטות
    Az’aka, az’akot – Sirens – אזעקה, אזעקות
    Mamad (merchav mugan dirati) – Protected space within the apartment – מרחב מוגן דירתי
    Miklat, miklatim – Bomb shelters – מקלט
    Pikud ha-oref – Home Front Command – פיקוד העורף
    Harugim – The killed – הרוגים
    Ptsoo’im – The injured – פצועים
    Hatufim – Kidnapped – חטופים
    Bnei aruba – Hostages – בני ערובה
    Mehablim – Terrorists – מחבלים
    Ne’edar, ne’edarim – Missing – נעדר, נעדרים
    Hamal – Tactical Operations Center, War room – חדר מלחמה, חמ”ל
    Tarchish – Scenario – תרחיש
    Ha-tarchish ha-garua be-yoter – The worst possible scenario – התרחיש הגרוע ביותר
     
    Playlist and Clips:
    Otef aza
    Matach shel raketot
    Mamad
    Hatufim
    Rachel from Ofakim
    Hamal ne’edarim
    Daniela Spector – Ha-kochav Ha-ze Met (lyrics)
     
    Ep. #277 about ptsatsa, bomb
    Can We Talk? the podcast of the Jewish Women’s Archive

    • 8 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
861 Ratings

861 Ratings

Rosco Chicago ,

A Wonderful and Helpful Show!

I listen to Streetwise Hebrew+ to improve my Hebrew and challenge me to learn new words and phrases. I lived in Israel for two years and have certainly plateaued. This podcast and its resources are helping a great deal.

dafna z ,

Gadol!

I absolutely adore Streetwise Hebrew! It’s not just a podcast, it’s an experience. Guy does a brilliant job keeping listeners engaged with grammar, music, expressions and wisdom! Thank you, Streetwise Hebrew.

AXK1213 ,

Great podcast

Guy is one of the greats. Fantastic podcast.

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