7 Hebrew Words That Don't Exist in English

You can study Hebrew for years. Learn grammar, memorize vocabulary. But the moment Israelis start talking to each other, you suddenly feel that you don't understand anything. Why? Because Israelis use a lot of slang, words that rarely appear in textbooks.

Today we're starting a series of videos by Sasson, also known as Sass, giving you the inside scoop on the Hebrew that most Israelis speak among themselves. Today you’ll learn 7 untranslatable Hebrew words that reveal how Israelis really think, speak, and connect. These are not just vocabulary words - they carry culture, attitude, and personality. 

In this video, you’ll learn: 

✔ What “chutzpah” really means in Israeli culture 

✔ How to express genuine support with “firgun” 

✔ Why Israelis speak so directly (dugri) 

✔ How to say “let’s get to the point” (tachles) 

✔ A unique Hebrew phrase for new things (tit'chadesh) 

✔ How Israelis use “stam” in daily conversation 

✔ A slang word that captures the Israeli vibe (stalbet)  

    

   

 

0:00 Intro  

0:51 חוצפה (Chutzpah)  

1:57 פרגון (Firgun)  

2:53 דוגרי (Dugri)  

3:29 תכל'ס (Tachles)  

4:01 תתחדש (Tit'chadesh)  

4:50 סתם (Stam)  

5:34 סטלבט (Stalbet)  

6:34 Why these words matter 

Gal Gadot Teaches You Hebrew Slang

Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress and model. At age 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004. She then served two years in the Israel Defense Forces as a soldier, whereafter she began studying at the IDC Herzliya college, while building her modeling and acting careers.

Gadot's first international film role came as Gisele Yashar in Fast & Furious (2009), a role she reprised in several subsequent installments of the film franchise. She went on to achieve global stardom for portraying Diana Prince / Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), followed by the solo film Wonder Woman (2017), the ensemble Justice League (2017), the sequel Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), and the alternate cut Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).

But did you know she can also be a Hebrew teacher, at least when it comes to teaching us Hebrew slang? In this video, Gal teaches us 14 Hebrew slang expressions and explains how they are used.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

A Minute of Yiddish - Cookie Kibitznik Goes Shopping for Tchotchkes

Meet Cookie Kibbitznik – your favorite Jewish mother! She's a technically-challenged Boomer fashionista – a tell-it-like-it-is kind of unfiltered gal ... a power-walking, pool-jogging, brisket-making, mah jongg maven ... your new favorite Funny Girl and giver of sage advice! She's here to teach you Yiddish, as you fall out of your chair, laughing! 

These videos are not meant to compete with serious Yiddish language tutorials such as the new Duolingo  course or Rukhl Schaechter's Word of the Day lessons from the Forward. They focus on Yiddish words that you probably already know, but illustrate their use in hilarious ways. They are produced and acted out by a woman who reveals only her first name, Perri. In today's video and other that we will be sharing in the coming weeks, she assumes the identity of Cookie Kibitznik, a yenta if we ever saw won.

In this episode, Cookie goes shopping in Florida stores and finds many useless items to sit on a shelf and collect dust --Tchotchkes!

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

 

Actress Natalie Portman Teaches You Hebrew Slang

How much Hebrew slang do you know? What's the real meaning of Al Hapanim, Chai B'seret, Balagan, and Zayin? 

In a video posted by Vanity Fair magazine, Actress Natalie Portman explains the street language meaning of these and other popular Israeli expressions.

Portman is fluent in Hebrew, having been born in Jerusalem to an Israeli father and American mother. She learned to speak Hebrew while living on Long Island and attended a Jewish elementary school, the Solomon Schechter Day School of Nassau County in Jericho, New York.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.