{"id":2009,"date":"2017-08-21T08:00:05","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/?p=2009"},"modified":"2017-11-04T14:39:48","modified_gmt":"2017-11-04T18:39:48","slug":"5-hebrew-mistakes-that-even-native-speakers-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/5-hebrew-mistakes-that-even-native-speakers-do\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Hebrew Mistakes that Even Native Speakers Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_2010\" style=\"width: 644px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"http:\/\/https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/zapthedingbat\/3591108120\/in\/photolist-6tknkf-81Rc1J-7SpXkV-CMamE7-GoMaM-6cFVrD-p7CDKu-7HJx1Z-8rsXxx-WpBoJ3-RwBS7z-4xeK6e-eg9g95-6cvz6R-co8nXm-6cKZLw-oSrSkH-7gM5Fy-rn74T-oQbchx-5aqWYT-aLzfEV-8qQZBz-4MuUxW-cv6ZR-dR1S35-d5CknA-qCHyRC-7hWobu-84rDvg-Hod7ZY-6xUMDe-2qqrc-oErs-7RoM6f-9b6H6q-5JbkjW-5UjJNW-o2rN9-mWcTo-6byfxg-7hVXpN-ATb57-5KaKw2-aQHtja-dFpDGt-7hRZ8r-7i1omC-ae5713-63Rzo5\" aria-label=\"Sam Greenhalgh 350x233\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2010\" class=\" wp-image-2010\"  alt=\"\" width=\"634\" height=\"422\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2017\/07\/Sam-Greenhalgh-350x233.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2017\/07\/Sam-Greenhalgh-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2017\/07\/Sam-Greenhalgh.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 634px) 100vw, 634px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2010\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reading by Sam Greenhalgh from Flickr.com\u00a0is licensed under\u00a0<span class=\"cc-license-identifier\">CC BY 2.0<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hebrew is an old language with long history and lots of rules and exceptions. For example, the language distinguishes plural from single and masculine from feminine. Hebrew also conjugates verbs and adjectives according to the pronoun, the gender and the tense. And all this according to scriptures from more than two thousand years ago. No wonder even native speakers slip their tongue every now and then. Below are 5 common mistakes just to reassure you that even native speakers don&#8217;t always speak perfectly in Hebrew.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u05e6\u05b9\u05d5\u05de\u05b6\u05ea<\/strong><strong>: is <\/strong>\u201c<strong>intersection<\/strong>\u201d<strong> masculine or feminine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most of the feminine Hebrew nouns end with the letter \u05ea or \u05d4, as we&#8217;ve already <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/hebrew-nouns-gender-how-to-distinguish-feminine-from-masculine\/\">learned<\/a>. But there are some exceptions, and \u05e6\u05b9\u05d5\u05de\u05b6\u05ea is one of them. \u05e6\u05b9\u05d5\u05de\u05b6\u05ea means \u201cintersection\u201d, and it appears for the first time in Jewish texts from the second century as masculine. Although it ends with the letter \u05ea, it&#8217;s defined as masculine. Yet many Hebrew speakers mix it up. The confusion about its gender started already in the first millennium. Some Jewish scholars referred in their texts to \u05e6\u05b9\u05d5\u05de\u05b6\u05ea as masculine, some as feminine. But all of the Hebrew dictionaries, without exception, define it as masculine, corresponding to its pattern. Words in the same pattern, like \u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e4\u05b6\u05ea, \u05db\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e4\u05b6\u05ea, appear in the Jewish scriptures as masculine as well. And yet many Israelis still attribute feminine adjectives to \u05e6\u05b9\u05d5\u05de\u05b6\u05ea. So, next time correct them \u2013 one should say:<\/p>\n<p>\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b6\u05ea \u05d2\u05bc\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc = big junction<\/p>\n<p>\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b6\u05ea \u05de\u05b6\u05e8\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05d6\u05c5\u05d9 = central intersection<\/p>\n<p>\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b6\u05ea \u05e1\u05d5\u05b9\u05d0\u05b5\u05df = tumultuous junction<\/p>\n<p>One shouldn&#8217;t say: \u05e6\u05d5\u05de\u05ea \u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4, \u05e6\u05d5\u05de\u05ea \u05de\u05e8\u05db\u05d6\u05d9\u05ea, \u05e6\u05d5\u05de\u05ea \u05e1\u05d5\u05d0\u05e0\u05ea.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05df<\/strong><strong>: the correct spelling of the word <\/strong>\u201c<strong>mattress<\/strong>\u201d<strong> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This issue has already been an advertisement theme; a big Israeli store for beds and mattresses called \u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05c5\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df (Po-li-ron) made a TV commercial out of it. \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05c5\u05d9\u05dd \u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05df \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df?, asks the announcer. (Should we say miz-ran or miz-ron?).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u05de\u05d6\u05e8\u05df \u05d0\u05d5 \u05de\u05d6\u05e8\u05d5\u05df?\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/evOFdKh05Q4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>They are not the only one engaged in this debate. During the Rio Olympic Games of 2016, Yarden Gerbi, the Israeli judoka, and the correct spelling of the word mattress became a famous meme. Unlike the TV commercial above, the meme is actually answers the big question. While Gerbi holds\u00a0her opponent down against the mat, she yells: \u00a0You see this? This is mizran! Not mizron! miz-ran!<\/p>\n<p>The correct Hebrew word for mattress is \u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05df. It appears for the first time in Jewish texts from the second century. The incorrect form of it &#8211; \u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df &#8211; derived from the Ashkenazi Hebrew that was prevailed among Ashkenazi Jews in Europe. The author S.Y. Agnon, for example (whom we&#8217;ve already <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/israels-first-nobel-prize-winner-shmuel-yosef-agnon\/\">learned<\/a> about), use the word \u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df in his letters to his wife. Agnon is a respectable persona, but the Academy of the Hebrew Language asserted: one should say \u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05df, not \u05de\u05c5\u05d6\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05b9\u05df.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u25cc\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9:<strong> the appropriate suffix for professionals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are quite a few suffixes in Hebrew, some of which are pretty similar to one another. For example: the ending \u25cc\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 (ai) and the ending \u25cc\u05b8\u05d0\u05c5\u05d9 (a-yi). Although very close in pronunciation, they are different in meaning. The first one &#8211; \u25cc\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 &#8211; is an ending indicates a professional. For example:<\/p>\n<p>\u05d7\u05b7\u05e7\u05b0\u05dc\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 = farmer<\/p>\n<p>\u05e2\u05b4\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 = journalist<\/p>\n<p>\u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05e1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05d8\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 = screenwriter<\/p>\n<p>\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05e7\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 = banker<\/p>\n<p>\u05e4\u05bc\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05e1\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 = publicist<\/p>\n<p>\u05de\u05b8\u05ea\u05b6\u05de\u05b8\u05d8\u05b4\u05d9\u05e7\u05b7\u05d0\u05d9 = mathematician<\/p>\n<p>The second suffix &#8211; \u25cc\u05b8\u05d0\u05c5\u05d9 &#8211; indicates an adjective related to this profession. For example:<\/p>\n<p>\u05d7\u05b7\u05e7\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9\u00a0= agricultural<\/p>\n<p>\u05e2\u05b4\u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9 = journalistic<\/p>\n<p>\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05e7\u05b8\u05d0\u05b4\u05d9 = related to banking<\/p>\n<p>Note: not every professional has a matching adjective.<\/p>\n<p>Be aware not to mix up those two suffixes like some Israelis do.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u05e0\u05c5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4: the correct pronunciation of the word <\/strong>\u201c<strong>seems<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the same root, the same verb, the same letters, the same meaning. Only two things are different: the last vowel and the tense. \u05e0\u05c5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4 (nir-ah) means \u201cseemed\u201d. \u05e0\u05c5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4 (nir-eh) means \u201cseems, is seeming, will seem\u201d. No wonder Israelis are confused. Most of them consistently use the first form &#8211; \u05e0\u05c5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4 &#8211; no matter which tense is referred to. But the correct form for the present and the future tenses is \u05e0\u05c5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4. An easy way to remember it is by the phrases:<\/p>\n<p>\u05db\u05bc\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05c5\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4 = apparently<\/p>\n<p>\u05db\u05bc\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4 = probably<\/p>\n<p>\u05db\u05bc\u05b0\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05d4 = in all likelihood<\/p>\n<p>Those phrases are used in the present tense only, and just like our present tense verb they end with an eh sound.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Numeral distinction between masculine and feminine<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Usually in Hebrew, the suffix \u25cc\u05b8\u05d4 indicates a feminine noun, as we&#8217;ve already <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/hebrew-nouns-gender-how-to-distinguish-feminine-from-masculine\/\">learned<\/a>. With numerals, though, this ending indicates a masculine noun is been counted. When the noun in question is masculine, the numeral gets the feminine ending. When the noun in question is feminine, the numeral ends in consonant (like a masculine noun does). For example, the word \u201bgirl\u2019 is feminine \u2013 \u05d9\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 (ends with \u05d4). But when counting three girls the numeral ends with a consonant: \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d9\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea. The opposite will occur when counting the masculine noun \u201bboy\u2019 \u2013 \u05d9\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05d3 (ends with a consonant). When referring to three boys, the numeral receives the suffix \u25cc\u05b8\u05d4 for feminine nouns: \u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d3\u05c5\u05d9\u05dd.<\/p>\n<p>All the Semitic languages share this reversal distinction, and in Hebrew it causes a lot of mistakes. I&#8217;m a native Hebrew and I&#8217;m still get confused frequently, which drives my mom crazy. So don&#8217;t give up! \u05e2\u05c5\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05c5\u05d9\u05ea \u05e9\u05c2\u05b8\u05e4\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e7\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d4 (Hebrew is a difficult language), even to native speakers. A mistake here or there won&#8217;t do any harm. Just keep practicing and don&#8217;t be afraid to speak up.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">Keep Calm and Speak Hebrew<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<hr \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"233\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2017\/07\/Sam-Greenhalgh-350x233.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2017\/07\/Sam-Greenhalgh-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2017\/07\/Sam-Greenhalgh.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>Hebrew is an old language with long history and lots of rules and exceptions. For example, the language distinguishes plural from single and masculine from feminine. Hebrew also conjugates verbs and adjectives according to the pronoun, the gender and the tense. And all this according to scriptures from more than two thousand years ago. No&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/5-hebrew-mistakes-that-even-native-speakers-do\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":135,"featured_media":2010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2009","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grammar"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2009"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2066,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009\/revisions\/2066"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/hebrew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}