Streetwise Hebrew
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Top 10 Streetwise Hebrew Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Streetwise Hebrew episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Streetwise Hebrew for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Streetwise Hebrew episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
#305 “Ve,” “Va” or “Oo”
Streetwise Hebrew
08/25/20 • 11 min
Vé- (and in Hebrew) is sometimes pronounced Va- or Oo-, depending on the usage. So when is the letter ו at the beginning of a word pronounced Vé, Va or Oo? And should Hebrew learners invest their time to learn these elaborate rules?
Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of This Episode
New Words and Expressions:
Ve – And – ו (letter vav)
“Al safsal ba-gan yoshevet, u-frachim bi-se’ara” – “She’s sitting on a bench, with flowers in her hair” – על ספסל בגן יושבת, ופרחים בשערה
Vav + בומ”פ letters = U
U-fra-chim – And flowers (archaic) – ופרחים
“U-shku’a ba-halomot” – “And submerged in her dreams” – ושקועה בחלומות
“Va-ani tsipor” – “And I am a bird” – ואני ציפור
Masa-u-matan – Negotiations – משא ומתן
Basar va-dam – Flesh and blood – בשר ודם
“Mita va-hetsi” – “A bed and a half” – מיטה וחצי
Hamesh va-hetsi – Half past five – חמש וחצי
Shesh va-reva – Quarter past six o’clock – שש ורבע
Yomam va-laila – Day and night – יומם ולילה
“Esrim ve-arba sheva” – 24-7 – עשרים וארבע שבע
Ze mamash yom va-laila eich she’hu hishtana – It’s amazing how this person changed – זה ממש יום ולילה איך שהוא השתנה
Playlist and Clips:
Gali Atari – Yesh Lecha Shemesh (lyrics)
Gali Atari – Derech Aruka (lyrics)
Ayala Ingedashet – Basar va-dam (lyrics)
Mita va-hetsi – A bed and a half
Shtayim – Shesh Va-reva (lyrics)
1 Listener
#15 Holocaust (Rerun)
Streetwise Hebrew
02/11/25 • 6 min
The word שואה, holocaust, used to be a sacred word. Not anymore. Like many loaded words, we used and reused it. Now you can hear people using Sho’a in totally different contexts.
Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
New Words and Expressions:
Shoah – Holocaust – שואה
Amud ha-esh – Pillar of fire – עמוד האש
Yom Hazikaron La-shoah ve-la-gvura (Yom Ha-shoah) – The Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day – יום הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה, יום השואה
Germania ha-natsit – Nazi Germany – גרמניה הנאצית
“Ani ba-tor ba-bank, shoah po” – “I am waiting in line in the bank, it’s shoah here” – אני בתור בבנק, שואה פה
Shoati – Holocaust-esque, shoah-like – שואתי
“Al tihye shoa’ti” – Don’t be sho’ati – אל תהיה שואתי
Playlist and Clips:
Amud ha-esh soundtrack by Shem Tov Levy
Amud Ha-esh – narration: Yossi banai
TV2 interview with animal activist Gary Yourofsky
Ep. 97 about the word Amud
1 Listener
#57 I’m Fed Up With Hebrew… ‘Staaam’! (Rerun)
Streetwise Hebrew
08/03/21 • 7 min
The word סתם can mean many things in Hebrew: ‘for no particular reason,’ ‘just kidding,’ and it also has many more linguistic uses. Today we’ll learn the most common uses of סתם by ‘enlightened’ Israelis, and hear an advert where Rivka from Jerusalem calls China to ask how long she should boil her rice.
Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
New Words and Expressions:
Stam – Just like that, for no particular reason – סתם
“Stam, hiyuch le-lo siba” – Just like that, a smile for no obvious reason – סתם, חיוך ללא סיבה
“Stam ki ba li ledaber” – Just cause I feel like talking – סתם כי בא לי לדבר
“Ani kan, ata sham, stam shney anashim” – I am here, you’re there, just two strangers – אני כאן, אתה שם, סתם שני אנשים
“Chodesh me-hayom nihye kmo chadashim” – A month from today we’ll be as good as new – חודש מהיום נהיה כמו חדשים
“Ani kan, ata sham, stam shney anashim” – I am here, you’re there, just two strangers – אני כאן, אתה שם, סתם שני אנשים
“Stam, ratsiti lomar lach shoov” – For no reason, I wanted to tell you again – סתם, רציתי לומר לך שוב
“Stam, ba li” – Just like that, I felt like it – סתם, בא לי
“Stam masehu katan” – Just a small thing, nothing much – סתם משהו קטן
At stam blondinit – You’re just another blond – את סתם בלונדינית
”Stam, ze lo nachon, anachnu lo bamizrach hatichon” – Just kidding, it’s not true, we are not in the Middle East – סתם, זה לא נכון, אנחנו לא במזרח התיכון
Staaam – Just kidding – סתאאאאם
Stam yatsati me-ha-baiyt – I left home in vain – סתם יצאתי מהבית
“Achshav hakol nire nora stami” – Now everything seems so meaningless – עכשיו הכל נראה נורא סתמי
”Mi-kulam kibalti tshuva shlilit o kol miney tshuvot stamiyot” – I got a negative answer or vague answers from everybody – מכולם קיבלתי תשובה שלילית או כל מיני תשובות סתמיות
Stamiyoot – Vagueness, randomness – סתמיות
Be-stamiyoot – Without a clear intention – בסתמיות
Hu amar et ze be-stamiyoot – He said it without a clear intention – הוא אמר את זה בסתמיות
Stam echad – Just another guy – סתם אחד
Lo stam echad – That’s a special person – לא סתם אחד
Ze lo kara stam – It didn’t happen just like that, it happened for a reason – זה לא קרה סתם
Min ha-stam – Probably – מן הסתם
Playlist and Clips:
Achinoam Nini – Ha-hayim Yafim (lyrics)
Stam Ki Ba Li Ledaber – Commercial
Roni Dalumi – Stam Shnei Anashim (lyrics)
Lior Farhi – Stam Blondinit (lyrics)
#438 Want to Hear About Our Special Deals?
Streetwise Hebrew
05/13/25 • 7 min
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 – Sale – מבצע בחנויות
Ha-mivtsa shel ha-medina – The best sale in the country – המבצע של המדינה
Rotse lishmo’a al ha-mivtsaim shelanu?’ – Do you want to hear about our special sales? – רוצה לשמוע על המבצעים שלנו
Bitsoo’a – Implementation, execution, carrying out; performance – ביצוע
Yesh od bitsoo’a la-shir ha-ze – There is another version of this song sung by another singer – יש עוד ביצוע לשיר הזה
Ha-shir tov, ha-bitsoo’a pachot – The song is good, the execution, the performance, is less so – השיר טוב, הביצוע פחות
Ha-bitsoo’im shel ha-oved / ha-ovedet – Worker’s performance – הביצועים של העובד/ת
Levats’ea et ha-aavara – To conduct the money transfer – לבצע את ההעברה
Hi holechet levatse’a achshav targil mesubach – She is now going to perform a difficult routine, a difficult exercise – היא הולכת לבצע עכשיו תרגיל מסובך
Mevatse’a, mevatsaat, mevats’im – Performers – מבצע, מבצעת, מבצעים
Be-vitsoo’a ha-tizmoret haphilharomnit shel vina – Performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra – בביצוע התזמורת הפילהרמונית של וינה
Bootsa – done – בוצע
Lehitbatsea – To be carried out, to be conducted – להתבצע
Bo ani asbir lecha, bo’i ani asbir lach, eich ze yitbatse’a – Let me explain to you how it will be performed – בוא/בואי אני אסביר לך איך זה יתבצע
Playlist and Clips:
Yankale Rotblit – Mivtsa HaNesher
#257 The City That Never Stops (Rerun)
Streetwise Hebrew
08/16/22 • 7 min
Guy noticed that even his most advanced students have problems with the Hebrew words for city, town, and municipality, so he decided to dedicate this episode to these words, once and for all.
Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode
New Words and Expressions:
Ir gdola - Big city - עיר גדולה
Ir hachama - Smart city - עיר חכמה
Arim gdolot - Big cities - ערים גדולות
Arim yafot - Beautiful cities - ערים יפות
Arim hachamot - Smart cities - ערים חכמות
Arim te’omot - Twin cities - ערים תאומות
Ayara, ayarot - Town, towns - עיירה, עיירות
Ayarot pitu’ach - “Development towns” - עיירות פיתוח
Iriya - Municipality - עירייה
Iriyat Tel Aviv - Municipality of Tel Aviv - עיריית תל אביב
Rosh ha-ir/ha-iriya - Mayor (m.) - ראש העיר/העירייה
Roshat ha-ir/ha-iriya - Mayor (f.) - ראשת העיר/העירייה
Ironi - Of the city, urban - עירוני, אורבני
Sifriya ironit - Municipal library - ספרייה עירונית
Moked ironi, ha-moked ha-ironi, moked 106 - City hotline - מוקד עירוני, המוקד העירוני, מוקד 106
Hitchadshut ironit - Urban renewal - התחדשות עירונית
Iyur - Urbanization - עיור
Ir le-lo hafsaka - A city that never stops (The ‘Viv) - עיר ללא הפסקה
Playlist and Clips:
Oshik Levy - Yonatan, Sa Ha-baita (lyrics)
Arik Sinai - Im ata ba-sviva (lyrics)
#193 Bored to Death (Rerun)
Streetwise Hebrew
12/28/21 • 9 min
We were all kids once, and at least in Israel, during the summer holiday, we used to tell our parents, mesha’amem li, I am bored. Answers varied, as you can imagine, but let’s talk for a sec about boredom-bored-boring in Hebrew.
Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
New Words and Expressions:
Mesha’amem – Boring – משעמם
Mesha’mem li – I am bored – משעמם לי
Mesha’amem la’allah / me-sha’amem ticho / ma-ze mesha’amem – It’s so boring – משעמם לאללה / משעמם טיכו / מה-זה משעמם
Meshu’amam – Bored – משועמם
Shiamum – Boredom – שעמום
Shi’amum amiti – A real boredom – שעמום אמיתי
Ani met mi-shiamum – I am dying of boredom – אני מת משעמום
Eize shi’amum – How boring – איזה שעמום
Shi’amumon – A really boring thing – שעמומון
Mishta’amem – Getting bored – משתעמם
Matsati et atsmi levad mishta’amem li – I found myself alone getting bored – מצאתי את עצמי לבד משתעמם לי
Mechamem – Slang for ‘mesha’amem’ – מצ’עמם
Lehishta’amem – To get bored – להשתעמם
Shnuya be-mahloket – Controversial – שנויה במחלוקת
Al gvul ha-giz’anut – On the verge of racism – על גבול הגזענות
Hafla – Party (Arabic) – חפלה
“Haflizatsia” – Turning something into a party – “חפליזציה”
Playlist and Clips:
Ha-tarnegolim – Mesha’amem (lyrics)
Micha Shitrit – Mesha’amem (lyrics)
Arkadi Duchin & Meir Shitrit – Beit Kafe shel Dinozaurim (lyrics)
Assaf Amdurski – Ahava Hadasha (lyrics)
Arnon Tsadok interview – Hinuchit TV
Bar Mitzva (Erez Nehederet parody show)
#34 Elohim (Rerun)
Streetwise Hebrew
03/29/22 • 6 min
Elohim means God in Hebrew. Why does it have a plural suffix at the end? Is it really plural in Modern Hebrew? How do we use elohim in Israeli slang, and what did we borrow from Arabic?
Listen to the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
New Words and Expressions:
Elohim – God – אלוהים
El, Ela – God, Goddess – אל, אלה
Elohim adirim – God Almighty – אלוהים אדירים
“Elohim natan lecha be-matana” – God gave you, as a present… – אלוהים נתן לך במתנה
Elohim gadol – Nobody knows – אלוהים גדול
Elohim yodea – Only God knows – אלוהים יודע
Yow, elohim – Oh God – יואו אלוהים
Ein lecha/lach elohim – You don’t care, huh? – אין לך אלוהים
Ani nishba be’elohim – I swear to God – אני נשבע באלוהים
Be-elohim – I swear to God – באלוהים
Be’elohim, ani lo yodea – I swear, I don’t know – באלוהים, אני לא יודע
Ze me-elohim – It’s a godsend – זה מאלוהים
Min allah – From allah – מאלוהים
La-allah – Very – לאללה
Ani ayef la’allah – I am really tired – אני עייף לאללה
Haya kef la’allah – It was really fun – היה כיף לאללה
Elohi – Divine – אלוהי
Elohut – Divinity – אלוהוּת
“Elohai ad mati” – My god, until when? – אלוהיי, עד מתי
Playlist and Clips:
Oshik Levy – Ze Mikvar (Lyrics)
Eitan Massuri – Elohim Natan Lecha Be-matana (Lyrics)
Rockfor – Ein Lecha Elohim (Lyrics)
Yuval Perry – Isha Satan (Lyrics)
#38 Don't Lose Your Head (Rerun)
Streetwise Hebrew
06/07/22 • 7 min
Israelis are obsessed with their head, rosh, in Hebrew. There are so many words and expressions with rosh, and today we talk about a few of them. Have a listen and find out what ‘rosh gadol’ and ‘rosh katan’ mean.
Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
New Words and Expressions:
“Al tefached lihyot rosh gadol” – Don’t be afraid to be “rosh gadol” – אל תפחד להיות ראש גדול
“Rosh gadol ze davar she-matzil chayim, rosh katan ze davar she-mesaken chaim”. – Rosh gadol is something that saves lives, rosh katan is something that risks lives – ראש גדול זה דבר שמציל חיים, ראש קטן זה דבר שמְסכן חיים
Lesaken – To risk, endanger – לסכן
Lehagdil rosh – To be rosh gadol – להגדיל ראש
Lehaktin rosh – To be rosh katan – להקטין ראש
Rosh ha-shana – Jewish New Year – ראש השנה
Rashi – Main – ראשי
Rehov rashi – Main street – רחוב ראשי
Reshit – Beginning – ראשית
Be-reshit – In the beginning – בראשית
Be-reshit bara elohim et ha-shamayim ve et ha-aretz – And in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth – בראשית ברא אלוהים את השמיים ואת הארץ
Rishon – First – ראשון
Rishoni – Initial, basic – ראשוני
Rosh ha-memshala – Prime minister (M.) – ראש הממשלה
Roshat ha-memshala – Prime minister (F.) – רֹאשת הממשלה
Rosh/Roshat ha-ir – Mayor – ראש/ראשת העיר
Lo ba-rosh sheli – I don’t feel like doing it – לא בראש שלי
Ba-rosh’kha lir’ot seret? – Do you feel like watching a movie? – בראש’ך לראות סרט
Ein li rosh le-ze achshav – I don’t feel like doing it right now – אין לי ראש לזה עכשיו
Yesh lo rosh – He’s smart – יש לו ראש
Yesh la rosh – She’s smart – יש לה ראש
Indo ras (Ar.) – He’s smart – ענדו ראס, عنده راس
Ind’ha ras (Ar.) – She’s smart – ענדהא ראס, عندها راس
Playlist and Clips:
#199 Dream a Little Dream of Me
Streetwise Hebrew
01/23/18 • 10 min
Halom is a dream in Hebrew, plural, Halomot. There’s lots of songs about halomot. But how is it related to Guy’s grandpa?
Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon
New words and expressions:
Halom, halomot - Dream - חלום Halomot be-aspamya - Unrealistic dreams - חלומות באספמיה He-hayit o halamti halom - Did you (f.) exist or was I just dreaming? - ההיית או חלמתי חלום? Rachel ha-meshoreret - Rachel the poet - רחל המשוררת Kvutsa - Group - קבוצה Kibbutz - Kibbutz - קיבוץ Ha-halomot she-anahnu holmim - The dreams which we dream - החלומות שאנחנו חולמים Holmim be-hakits - Daydreaming - חולמים בהקיץ Halomot be-hakits - Daydreams - חלומות בהקיץ Lahlom - To dream - לחלום Halomot paz - Sweet dreams - חלומות פז Be-halom ha-laila - In your dreams - בחלום הלילה Tamshich/i lahlom - Keep dreaming - תמשיך/תמשיכי לחלום Lif’amim halomot mitgashmim - Sometimes dreams come true - לפעמים חלומות מתגשמים Halom ratuv - A wet dream - חלום רטוב
Playlist & clips:
Ester Ofarim - Ve-ulai (lyrics)
Eifo Ha-yeled - Olam lelo Halomot (lyrics)
Harel Skaat, Harel Moyal & Adi Cohen - Lif’amim Halomot Mitgashmim (lyrics)
#48 How to Talk ‘Ceasefire’ in Hebrew
Streetwise Hebrew
07/28/14 • 6 min
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:
Boaz Sharabi -Kshe-at Nogaat Bi (lyrics)
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FAQ
How many episodes does Streetwise Hebrew have?
Streetwise Hebrew currently has 554 episodes available.
What topics does Streetwise Hebrew cover?
The podcast is about Language, Religion & Spirituality, Hebrew, Language Learning, Podcasts, Education, Judaism and Israel.
What is the most popular episode on Streetwise Hebrew?
The episode title '#305 “Ve,” “Va” or “Oo”' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Streetwise Hebrew?
The average episode length on Streetwise Hebrew is 9 minutes.
How often are episodes of Streetwise Hebrew released?
Episodes of Streetwise Hebrew are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Streetwise Hebrew?
The first episode of Streetwise Hebrew was released on Aug 20, 2013.
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