Problem
I am travelling down in a gondola at a resort in Romania and I ask a couple of ladies what language they are speaking. Hebrew. Alas, I struggle to red Hebrew, despite attempts to learn the alphabet (which is slightly similar to both Greek and Russian).
Answer
However, I have five minutes confined to a cage with them. If they are willing I can learn ten, twenty, even thirty words of common, everyday conversational useful Hebrew.
Story
I decided learning a few words was a great idea. It was too good an opportunity to miss.
Besides, it is much more interesting to engage one or both in a session about language, than for me to stay silent. I hate standing like an unwanted idiot whilst two strangers converse together in a language which I do not understand.
Here are my results at translating:
Hebrew - English
(ch is a harsh ch sound like Scottish loch, or clearing your throat.)
Arochat boker - breakfast
boker - morning
boker tov - good morning
litrahot - goodbye or see you soon
maher - hurry
layut-layut - slow down
kamer - how much?
Anglia - English
Ivrit - Hebrew
The Israeli girl told me: "The quickest way to learn a language is to be in the country and hear people speaking the language. If you want to learn Hebrew, volunteer to work on a kibbutz."
I'd heard of working in a kibbutz as a way of earning a free holiday, or learning about life on a kibbutz. Now there's a much better reason. To learn to speak Hebrew.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have written other posts on learning Hebrew, Greek, Romanian and RussianPlease read and share links to my other posts.
I am travelling down in a gondola at a resort in Romania and I ask a couple of ladies what language they are speaking. Hebrew. Alas, I struggle to red Hebrew, despite attempts to learn the alphabet (which is slightly similar to both Greek and Russian).
Answer
However, I have five minutes confined to a cage with them. If they are willing I can learn ten, twenty, even thirty words of common, everyday conversational useful Hebrew.
Story
I decided learning a few words was a great idea. It was too good an opportunity to miss.
Besides, it is much more interesting to engage one or both in a session about language, than for me to stay silent. I hate standing like an unwanted idiot whilst two strangers converse together in a language which I do not understand.
Here are my results at translating:
Hebrew - English
(ch is a harsh ch sound like Scottish loch, or clearing your throat.)
Arochat boker - breakfast
boker - morning
boker tov - good morning
litrahot - goodbye or see you soon
maher - hurry
layut-layut - slow down
kamer - how much?
Anglia - English
Ivrit - Hebrew
The Israeli girl told me: "The quickest way to learn a language is to be in the country and hear people speaking the language. If you want to learn Hebrew, volunteer to work on a kibbutz."
I'd heard of working in a kibbutz as a way of earning a free holiday, or learning about life on a kibbutz. Now there's a much better reason. To learn to speak Hebrew.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have written other posts on learning Hebrew, Greek, Romanian and RussianPlease read and share links to my other posts.
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