Bevakasha: three courtesies in one word
Bevakasha does the work of three English words. In a request it is please: kafe, bevakasha — coffee, please. When someone hands you your change, it is here you are. And in reply to toda it is don't mention it. For example: “קפה, בבקשה.” — Coffee, please. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Bevakasha does the work of three English words. In a request it is please: kafe, bevakasha — coffee, please. When someone hands you your change, it is here you are. And in reply to toda it is don't mention it.
The apology is slicha: both sorry before a request and the way to call out to a stranger. The question follows at once: slicha, eifo habank? — excuse me, where is the bank?
The booster of thanks is toda raba, thank you very much. The answer to it is still the same bevakasha.
By example
- קפה, בבקשה.кафе, бевакаша.Coffee, please.
- תודה! — בבקשה!тода! — бевакаша!Thank you! — You are welcome!
- סליחה, איפה השוק?слиха, эйфо ха-шук?Excuse me, where is the market?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say please in Hebrew?
Bevakasha does the work of three English words. In a request it is please: kafe, bevakasha — coffee, please. When someone hands you your change, it is here you are. And in reply to toda it is don't mention it.
What does bevakasha mean?
Bevakasha does the work of three English words. In a request it is please: kafe, bevakasha — coffee, please. When someone hands you your change, it is here you are. And in reply to toda it is don't mention it.
How to reply to toda in Hebrew?
Bevakasha does the work of three English words. In a request it is please: kafe, bevakasha — coffee, please. When someone hands you your change, it is here you are. And in reply to toda it is don't mention it.
How to say excuse me in Hebrew?
The apology is slicha: both sorry before a request and the way to call out to a stranger. The question follows at once: slicha, eifo habank? — excuse me, where is the bank?
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“קפה, בבקשה.” (кафе, бевакаша.) — Coffee, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.