Lesachek, lehitamen, lehishtatef: what you are busy with, and with which preposition
To play a game is lesachek, and there is no English "in" after it: lesachek kaduregel, lesachek tennis. Playing an instrument is another verb, lenagen: menagen bekinor. The preposition be- glues straight to the word, like the article. For example: “אני משחק כדורעף בשבת בבוקר.” — I play volleyball on Saturday morning. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To play a game is lesachek, and there is no English "in" after it: lesachek kaduregel, lesachek tennis. Playing an instrument is another verb, lenagen: menagen bekinor. The preposition be- glues straight to the word, like the article.
To train is lehitamen, from imun, training: ani mitamen shalosh paamim bashavua. Where people go is through le-: holchim lamachon kosher, lakita.
To take part is lehishtatef with be-: lehishtatef betacharut, lehishtatef bamaraton. To cheer for a team is not "for" but direct, with et: ohed et hakvutza.
To compete is lehitcharot: shnei achim mitcharim — two brothers compete. The same root is in mitchare — a competitor: the rival is always nearby.
Table
| verb | pattern | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| lesachek — to play | no preposition | לשחק כדורסל | to play basketball |
| lenagen — to play music | be- + instrument | מנגן בכינור | to play the violin |
| lehitamen — to train | on its own | מתאמן כל בוקר | trains every morning |
| lehishtatef — to take part | be- + event | משתתפת בתחרות | she takes part in a contest |
| le'ehod — to cheer | et + team | אוהד את הקבוצה | cheers for the team |
| holech le- — to go to | le- + class | הולך לכיתה | goes to class |
| lehitcharot — to compete | im + rival | מתחרה עם החברים | competes with friends |
By example
- אני משחק כדורעף בשבת בבוקר.ани месахак кадурэф бе-шабат бе-бокер.I play volleyball on Saturday morning.
- היא משתתפת במרתון השנה.хи миштатефет бе-маратон ха-шана.She is taking part in the marathon this year.
- אנחנו אוהדים את הקבוצה של העיר.анахну охадим эт ха-квуца шель ха-ир.We cheer for the city team.
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 play football in Hebrew?
To play a game is lesachek, and there is no English "in" after it: lesachek kaduregel, lesachek tennis. Playing an instrument is another verb, lenagen: menagen bekinor. The preposition be- glues straight to the word, like the article.
To do sports in Hebrew?
To play a game is lesachek, and there is no English "in" after it: lesachek kaduregel, lesachek tennis. Playing an instrument is another verb, lenagen: menagen bekinor. The preposition be- glues straight to the word, like the article.
To take part in a competition in Hebrew?
To take part is lehishtatef with be-: lehishtatef betacharut, lehishtatef bamaraton. To cheer for a team is not "for" but direct, with et: ohed et hakvutza.
To cheer for a team in Hebrew?
To take part is lehishtatef with be-: lehishtatef betacharut, lehishtatef bamaraton. To cheer for a team is not "for" but direct, with et: ohed et hakvutza.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“אני משחק כדורעף בשבת בבוקר.” (ани месахак кадурэф бе-шабат бе-бокер.) — I play volleyball on Saturday morning. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.