Israel: Modern Hebrew Slang and Other Common Expressions
I grew up speaking Hebrew with my mother, and spending 5 weeks in Israel this summer has definitely given me the opportunity to practice and improve my fluency, as well as pick up on modern slang (I was pretty out-of-the-loop until now). I thought I’d put together a list of slang and other words / expressions I’ve noticed people here use frequently. This was compiled with my brother in mind, who has recently begun teaching himself the language (woo!).
Notes: The “i”s are pronounced “ee”
The “ch” sounds like this.
The italicized syllable is the one you stress when you say the word.
Phonetic spelling: Translation (more or less)
Achla……………………………………………….Awesome (borrowed from Arabic)
Al hakefak…………………………………………No problem/you’re welcome (borrowed from Arabic)
Al hapanim………………………………………..Terrible/a disaster (literally “on the face”)
Baktana……………………………………………Not a big deal
Ben/bat zona……………………………………..Son/daughter of a bitch
Chatich/chaticha………………………………..Good-looking guy/girl
Chaval al hazman……………………………….It’s worth it/it’s a great time (can be said about a place, experience or even person; literally “a waste of time”)
Esh………………………………………………….Awesome (literally “fire”)
Magniv……………………………………………..Awesome/cool
Noo??………………………………………………….And?? (used when you’re listening to someone tell a story and you want to hear what happened next, or if you are waiting on someone to do something; it’s a word whose sole purpose is to expresses impatience — how Israeli..)
Sababa……………………………………………..Cool/sweet/okay (can be used to say something is cool or as an affirmation; really common)
Sagoor………………………………………………Solid/okay/done deal
Yeshhhh……………………………………………Yesssss
Yala…………………………………………………Come on/let’s go/hurry up (usually precedes or follows “noo??”)
Terms of Endearment:
Achi………………………………………………..Bro (usually among boys/men age ~14 and up)
Chooki……………………………………………..Honey/Sweetie (usually directed at a girlfriend, boyfriend or dog; the “ch” is pronounced like it is in the name “Charlie” in English)
Mami……………………………………………...Honey/Sweetie (directed at a significant other, a close friend – among girls, or a child)
Motek………………………………………………Sweetie (literally means “sweetie”)
Informal Greetings:
Maamatzav?………………………………………What’s up? (literally “what’s the situation?”)
Ma kore?…………………………………………..What’s happening?
Do you know any slang I didn’t include? If so, post phrases in the comments below. Special thanks to Tal and Niv for adding to the list!
Much love from Israel,
Nirel
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