One root — a whole workshop
The three consonants of a root drive a whole family of words. Take the root b.r.g, screwing. From it grow burg (בורג) — a screw, lehabrig (להבריג) — to screw in, mavreg (מברג) — a screwdriver, mafteach bragim — a wrench, literally "key of screws". For example: “המברג על השולחן, הבורג בכיסא.” — The screwdriver is on the table, the screw is in the chair. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
The three consonants of a root drive a whole family of words. Take the root b.r.g, screwing. From it grow burg (בורג (бург)) — a screw, lehabrig (להבריג (леабриг)) — to screw in, mavreg (מברג (маврэг)) — a screwdriver, mafteach bragim — a wrench, literally "key of screws".
The scheme repeats. Le- at the front makes the action, and many tools start with m-. The root s.r.k gives lesarek — to comb — and masrek — a comb. The root g.r.d gives legared — to grate — and megaredet — a grater.
So words come in bunches: learn one word of a root and you can guess the rest. In a workshop almost every tool is named this way.
Table
| root | word | what it is | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ב.ר.ג | בורג | a part | a screw |
| ב.ר.ג | להבריג | an action | to screw in |
| ב.ר.ג | מברג | a tool | a screwdriver |
| ס.ר.ק | מסרק | a tool | a comb |
| ג.ר.ד | מגרדת | a tool | a grater |
By example
- המברג על השולחן, הבורג בכיסא.ха-маврег аль ха-шульхан, ха-бург ба-кисе.The screwdriver is on the table, the screw is in the chair.
- אבא מבריג את הבורג עם המברג.аба магриг эт ха-бург им ха-маврег.Father screws in the screw with a screwdriver.
- בלי מפתח ברגים לא אפשר להבריג.бли мафтех брагим ло эфшар леабриг.Without a wrench you cannot tighten it.
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
One root many words in Hebrew?
So words come in bunches: learn one word of a root and you can guess the rest. In a workshop almost every tool is named this way.
How to say to screw in a screw in Hebrew?
The three consonants of a root drive a whole family of words. Take the root b.r.g, screwing. From it grow burg (בורג) — a screw, lehabrig (להבריג) — to screw in, mavreg (מברג) — a screwdriver, mafteach bragim — a wrench, literally "key of screws".
Where does the word mavreg come from?
The three consonants of a root drive a whole family of words. Take the root b.r.g, screwing. From it grow burg (בורג) — a screw, lehabrig (להבריג) — to screw in, mavreg (מברג) — a screwdriver, mafteach bragim — a wrench, literally "key of screws".
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“המברג על השולחן, הבורג בכיסא.” (ха-маврег аль ха-шульхан, ха-бург ба-кисе.) — The screwdriver is on the table, the screw is in the chair. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.