Hebrew 102: Vocab Memory Hooks

My last exam is tomorrow. It’s a Hebrew exam. Urgh. Here, in the hope that typing these makes them stick in my head. Are my vocab memory hooks. For the English speakers amongst us the italicised words represent the pronunciation of the Hebrew (approximately).

זקן = to be/grow old = when you’re old you need za cane to walk.
יכל = to be able = ye call an expert when you want to be able
ירא = to be afraid = I’m not agist, I’m just afraid of people from a different yira.
כבד = to be heavy/important = that is a very heavy and important cabed (cupboard)… maybe…
מלא = to be full with = the mail bag is full with letters
שכב = to lie down = they shackev up together.
דם = blood = Out damn spot.
יראה = fear, reverence = the old man grabbed that kid by the yira and put the fear of God into him.
כלי = vessel, utensil = I had a boat called Kelly, a good vessel.
למה = why? wherefore? = Why do llamas look so silly?
מה = what? = What is that in ma soup?
נאל = to redeem, protect = Boaz hit the na-al on the head when he redeemed Ruth.
שמח = to be glad = Sometimes when parents samach their children in public it makes me glad.
שלח = to stretch out = we stretched the other team’s defence and gave them a real shelaching.
שפך = to pour = I poured water on my computer, now she f#$ked (apparently the ruder the better, and I can’t get this one out of my head).
אף = nose = when I sneeze I go aph-choo
חיל = power, valour = Hitler was powerful so people had to say “hayil Hitler”
צאן = flock, sheep = Once we shear the sheep we can get some new clothes sown (sic)
קהל = assembly, congregation = We have to have our assembly in the qahall
אחר = other, another = I have another tooth acher
אל = No. = You can’t call me al
נא = particle of entreaty (now or please) = Do it na, please…
פן = lest = I take a pen everywhere, lest I think of something and forget it.
ידע = to know = when you know how something goes you go yada yada yada
שכן = to dwell = I wouldn’t want to dwell near a chacane(sic) because people drive crazy through them
אדון = Lord, master = A good mafioso recognises A Don as master.
אהל = Tent = Camping is a taste of a hell.
בשת = shame, disgrace = that referee’s decision was absolutely bosh*t.
גוי = people, nation, gentile = It’s a joy to be a goy.
חשך = darkness, obscurity = The Darkness sound better on Cashek.
צרה = distress, strait = I need something for this one “tsara
שפה = lip, edge = and this one “sapha“…
כמו = like = when you’re in camo you look like a tree.
קדשׁ = holy, sacred, sanctuary = qadosh (again, I’ve got nothing…)
זבח = to slaughter, kill = Zavach is the sound a knife makes hitting bone.
חדל = to cease, leave off = he was going fast, but then ha dalled it back down to one…
חטא = to sin, miss the mark = he did the wrong thing, so he got a cata on his arm.
חפץ = to delight, have pleasure in = I delight in cafetz, a cafe for pets.
צעק = to cry out = If Graeme Kennedy had cried out “tsaak” instead he wouldn’t have been in trouble…
זבח = sacrifice = zebach.
חטאת = sin = If you sin you get the catath nine-tails.
מזבח = altar = mizbech
צדקה = righteousness = zedecha, I remember this one because Melchizedek was the king of righteousness.
אכל = to eat, consume = when you eat a tic tac you eat a calorie
יצא = to go out, come out = yatsa, yahtzee for people who go out…
נסע = to journey, travel = Nasa travels to the moon.
נשא = to lift up, carry = The other Nasa, we have lift up…
רדף = to pursue = Walker, Texas Ranger, rad off after some guys on a horse.
שאל = to ask = Nobody asks for sal-ad.
שכח = to forget = If you shake a baby they’ll forget everything they know.
תפש = to grasp, sieze = I like to grasp as many tapas as possible when the tray comes around.
הק = statute = there’s a statute somewhere that says you have to drink coke
משׁפט = judgment = mishpat
נפשׁ = life, living being = nephesh
איה = where? = Where the hell are ay?
עוד = still, yet = odie the dog never stays still.
בחן = to examine = bachan
ברא = to create = I created a story about the barra I caught.
משׁח = to annoint, smear (related to messiah) = I smeared peanut butter all over the bench and made a messach
עזב = to leave, forsake = azav
אמת = truth = emmeth
חן = favour, grace = The teacher showed me grace by not giving me the cane
מנחה = gift = Some body gave me a minka coat. I said I don’t wear whale.
עולם = forever = the guys from Prison Break were on the o-lam forever.
עון = iniquity, guilt, punishment = my guilt is my aon.
שׁבת = sabbath = sabbath
אז = then, at that time = az soon as.
עד = until, up to = I like to fast forward the programs until I get up to the ads
נלחם = to fight, do battle, rage war = nilcham
נמלט = to slip away, escape = If Ivan (ni)milat escapes he should be shot.
נסתר = to hide oneself = I’m (ni)star at hide and seek.
קרא = to call = qara
נשאר = to be left over, survivor (participle)
נשׁבע = to take an oath = I took an oath to shava my head
מועד = appointed time, season, meeting place = moed
נשׁיא = prince, chief = nisi
עדה = congregation = eda
עץ = tree = ets
שבט = rod, sceptre = you can take that rod and shevet
גם = also = gam
בקר = cattle = I like to cook cattle on the baqar beque
בקר = morning = Morning has boqer, like the first morning…
קץ = end, extremity = qets
שׁר = prince = sar
שׁרה = princess = sarah
בקש = to seek = baqesh
גדל = to be great = gadol
דבר = to speak = davar
הלל = to praise = halal
ספר = to count = saphar
קדש = to be holy = qadesh
אם = mother = em
רב = multitude = rov
תועבה = abomination, taboo = toeba
תמיד = continually = tamid

Comments

Julian says:

Thanks for this. I’m definitely going to use it for my Hebrew exams.

Btw I always remember ’emmeth’ (truth), because in the last Narnia Chronicles book, there’s a character by this name in the last chapter who is truthful. Accident? or deliberate? Who knows…

Julian says:

Thanks for this, nice work. I’m definitely going to use it in my Hebrew exams.

Btw I always remember ’emmeth’ (truth) because in the last Narnia Chronicles, in the last chapter, there was a character by this name, who was a truthful person. Intended by Lewis? Probably. But makes remembering the word easier.