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Day 2 · Sunday, 19 July 2026

Greetings, grammar metalanguage, numbers

How people actually greet each other in the street, the vocabulary for talking about the language itself (letter, word, sentence, verb), the tens, the first infinitives with their po'al, and the identity questions in both genders.

VocabularyGreetings, opening questions

Fixed phrases, the same whoever you speak to.

HebrewReadingEnglish
מַה קוֹרֶה? ma kore? what's happening? what's up?
מַה נִּשְׁמָע? ma nishma? how's it going?
מָה הָעִנְיָינִים? ma ha'inyanim? how are things?

VocabularyAnswers

HebrewReadingEnglish
הַכֹּל בְּסֵדֶר! hakol beseder! everything's fine!
הַכֹּל טוֹב! hakol tov! all good!
סַבַּבָּה! sababa! cool!slang, very common
מְצוּיָּן! metsuyan! excellent!

VocabularyGender and number, the labels

The words the teacher uses to name the forms in the tables below.

HebrewReadingEnglish
זָכָר zachar masculine
נְקֵבָה nekeva feminine
יָחִיד yachid singular
רַבִּים rabim plural (m.)suffix ים-
רַבּוֹת rabot plural (f.)suffix ות-

FormsTalking about the language

The metalanguage of the class, each word with its gender and its plural.

Wordsgpl
letterf אוֹתotאוֹתִיּוֹתotiyot
wordfFeminine with a ים- plural: the ending does not settle the gender. מִילָּהmilaמִילִּיםmilim
sentencem מִשְׁפָּטmishpatמִשְׁפָּטִיםmishpatim
linef שׁוּרָהshuraשׁוּרוֹתshurot
dot, full stopf נְקוּדָּהnekudaנְקוּדּוֹתnekudot
commam פְּסִיקpsikפְּסִיקִיםpsikim
question markm סִימַן שְׁאֵלָהsiman she'elaסִימָנֵי שְׁאֵלָהsimanei she'ela
exclamation markm סִימַן קְרִיאָהsiman kri'aסִימָנֵי קְרִיאָהsimanei kri'a
paragraphf פִּסְקָה?piskaפִּסְקָאוֹת?piska'ot
adjectivem שֵׁם תּוֹאַר?shem to'arשְׁמוֹת תּוֹאַר?shmot to'ar
pronounm שֵׁם גּוּף?shem gufשְׁמוֹת גּוּף?shmot guf
verbmThe word for the verb column of every table on this site. פֹּעַלpo'alפְּעָלִיםpe'alim
numberm מִסְפָּרmisparמִסְפָּרִיםmisparim

FormsTwo adjectives that go with it

Wordm.sf.sm.plf.pl
correctלֹא נָכוֹן, incorrect. נָכוֹןnachonנְכוֹנָהnechonaנְכוֹנִיםnechonimנְכוֹנוֹתnechonot
excellentUsed on its own as an answer: מְצוּיָּן!, excellent! מְצוּיָּןmetsuyanמְצוּיֶּינֶתmetsuyenetמְצוּיָּנִיםmetsuyanimמְצוּיָּנוֹתmetsuyanot

VocabularyNumbers, the tens

Invariable.

HebrewReadingEnglish
עֶשֶׂר eser 10
עֶשְׂרִים esrim 20
שְׁלוֹשִׁים shloshim 30
אַרְבָּעִים arba'im 40
חֲמִישִּׁים chamishim 50
שִׁישִּׁים shishim 60
שִׁבְעִים shiv'im 70
שְׁמוֹנִים shmonim 80
תִּשְׁעִים tish'im 90
מֵאָה me'a 100

FormsThe infinitives of the lesson, present tense

Po'al column: the infinitive as the teacher gave it, then the root and the binyan. Partly uncertain reading from the photo, order reconstructed.

WordPo'alm.sf.sm.plf.pl
to sit, to sit downלָשֶׁבֶתlashevetי.ש.ב · pa'al לָשֶׁבֶתlashevetי.ש.ב · pa'al יוֹשֵׁבyoshevיוֹשֶׁבֶתyoshevetיוֹשְׁבִיםyoshvimיוֹשְׁבוֹתyoshvot
to get upHollow root: the ו disappears in the present.לָקוּםlakumק.ו.ם · pa'al לָקוּםlakumק.ו.ם · pa'al קָםkamקָמָהkamaקָמִיםkamimקָמוֹתkamot
to openלִפְתּוֹחַliftoachפ.ת.ח · pa'al לִפְתּוֹחַliftoachפ.ת.ח · pa'al פּוֹתֵחַpoteachפּוֹתַחַתpotachatפּוֹתְחִיםpotchimפּוֹתְחוֹתpotchot
to closeלִסְגּוֹרlisgorס.ג.ר · pa'al לִסְגּוֹרlisgorס.ג.ר · pa'al סוֹגֵרsogerסוֹגֶרֶתsogeretסוֹגְרִיםsogrimסוֹגְרוֹתsogrot
to go outלָצֵאתlatzetי.צ.א · pa'al לָצֵאתlatzetי.צ.א · pa'al יוֹצֵאyotzeיוֹצֵאתyotzetיוֹצְאִיםyotzimיוֹצְאוֹתyotzot
to enterNif'al: the present starts with נ.לְהִיכָּנֵסlehikanesכ.נ.ס · nif'al לְהִיכָּנֵסlehikanesכ.נ.ס · nif'al נִכְנָסnichnasנִכְנֶסֶתnichnesetנִכְנָסִיםnichnasimנִכְנָסוֹתnichnasot
to approachלָגֶשֶׁתlageshetנ.ג.ש · nif'al לָגֶשֶׁתlageshetנ.ג.ש · nif'al נִיגָּשׁnigashנִיגֶּשֶׁתnigeshetנִיגָּשִׁיםnigashimנִיגָּשׁוֹתnigashot
to comeHollow root, like לָקוּם.לָבוֹאlavoב.ו.א · pa'al לָבוֹאlavoב.ו.א · pa'al בָּאbaבָּאָהba'aבָּאִיםba'imבָּאוֹתba'ot

FormsName, origin, age

Every question in both genders: this is how the teacher drills them.

Wordm.sf.sm.plf.pl
what's your name?Everyday register. אֵיךְ קוֹרְאִים לְךָ?eich kor'im lecha?אֵיךְ קוֹרְאִים לָךְ?eich kor'im lach?אֵיךְ קוֹרְאִים לָכֶם?eich kor'im lachem?אֵיךְ קוֹרְאִים לָכֶן?eich kor'im lachen?
what is your name?More formal register. מַה שִּׁמְךָ?ma shimcha?מַה שְּׁמֵךְ?ma shmech?מַה שִּׁמְכֶם?ma shimchem?מַה שִּׁמְכֶן?ma shimchen?
where are you from?Formal register. מֵאַיִן אַתָּה?me'ayin ata?מֵאַיִן אַתְּ?me'ayin at?מֵאַיִן אַתֶּם?me'ayin atem?מֵאַיִן אַתֶּן?me'ayin aten?
where are you from?Everyday register. מֵאֵיפֹה אַתָּה?me'eifo ata?מֵאֵיפֹה אַתְּ?me'eifo at?מֵאֵיפֹה אַתֶּם?me'eifo atem?מֵאֵיפֹה אַתֶּן?me'eifo aten?
how old are you?Literally: son of how many, daughter of how many. בֶּן כַּמָּה אַתָּה?ben kama ata?בַּת כַּמָּה אַתְּ?bat kama at?בְּנֵי כַּמָּה אַתֶּם?bnei kama atem?בְּנוֹת כַּמָּה אַתֶּן?bnot kama aten?
I'm ... years old אֲנִי בֶּן 33ani ben 33אֲנִי בַּת 26ani bat 26אֲנַחְנוּ בְּנֵי 33anachnu bnei 33אֲנַחְנוּ בְּנוֹת 26anachnu bnot 26

NotesUncertain readings

Source: IMG_1150.jpeg — handwritten notes, photo upside down