Back to the club in Hebrew
The desk of a fitness club, a man returns to training after a long break in Hebrew. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «אני רוצה לחזור להתאמן אחרי שנה.» — I want to return to training after a year; «ברוך הבא! יש לנו מכון כושר, בריכה ושיעורי יוגה.» — Welcome back! We have a gym, a pool and yoga classes.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: the desk of a fitness club, a man returns to training after a long break. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- אני רוצה לחזור להתאמן אחרי שנה.ани роце лазор леитамэн ахарей шана.I want to return to training after a year.
- ברוך הבא! יש לנו מכון כושר, בריכה ושיעורי יוגה.барух хаба! йеш лану михон кошер, бриха ве-шиурей йога.Welcome back! We have a gym, a pool and yoga classes.
- פעם שיחקתי כדורעף, ואחר כך הייתה נקיעה ברגל.фаам сихакти кадурэф, ве-ахар кач хайта нкиа бе-рэгель.I used to play volleyball, then there was a leg sprain.
- אז מתחילים לאט: חימום, שחייה, ואחר כך משקולות קלות.аз матхилим ле-ат: химум, сихья, ве-ахар кач мишкольот калот.Then we start slowly: warm-up, swimming, then light dumbbells.
- כמה עולה מנוי חודשי?кама оле менюи ходши?How much is the monthly membership?
- שלושים וחמישה שקלים, וארונון במלתחה במתנה.шлошим ве-хамиша шекалим, ве-аронон бе-мальтаха бе-матана.Thirty-five shekels, and a locker in the changing room as a gift.
- יש מאמן שמסביר את המכשירים?йеш меамен ше-масбир эт ха-михшарим?Is there a trainer who will explain the machines?
- השיעור הראשון עם המאמן בחינם. מתי מתחילים?ха-шиур ха-ришон им ха-меамен бе-хинам. матай матхилим?The first session with a trainer is free. When do we start?
Lines one by one
| Hebrew | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| אני רוצה לחזור להתאמן אחרי שנה. | ани роце лазор леитамэн ахарей шана. | I want to return to training after a year. |
| ברוך הבא! יש לנו מכון כושר, בריכה ושיעורי יוגה. | барух хаба! йеш лану михон кошер, бриха ве-шиурей йога. | Welcome back! We have a gym, a pool and yoga classes. |
| פעם שיחקתי כדורעף, ואחר כך הייתה נקיעה ברגל. | фаам сихакти кадурэф, ве-ахар кач хайта нкиа бе-рэгель. | I used to play volleyball, then there was a leg sprain. |
| אז מתחילים לאט: חימום, שחייה, ואחר כך משקולות קלות. | аз матхилим ле-ат: химум, сихья, ве-ахар кач мишкольот калот. | Then we start slowly: warm-up, swimming, then light dumbbells. |
| כמה עולה מנוי חודשי? | кама оле менюи ходши? | How much is the monthly membership? |
| שלושים וחמישה שקלים, וארונון במלתחה במתנה. | шлошим ве-хамиша шекалим, ве-аронон бе-мальтаха бе-матана. | Thirty-five shekels, and a locker in the changing room as a gift. |
| יש מאמן שמסביר את המכשירים? | йеш меамен ше-масбир эт ха-михшарим? | Is there a trainer who will explain the machines? |
| השיעור הראשון עם המאמן בחינם. מתי מתחילים? | ха-шиур ха-ришон им ха-меамен бе-хинам. матай матхилим? | The first session with a trainer is free. When do we start? |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Hebrew in this situation?
“אני רוצה לחזור להתאמן אחרי שנה.” (ани роце лазор леитамэн ахарей шана.) — I want to return to training after a year. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.