Before the signature in Hebrew
Two people sit over a rental contract: one rents out the apartment, the other reads such a text for the first time in Hebrew. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «לפני שנחתום, אני רוצה לקרוא את כל התנאים.» — Before we sign, I want to read all the terms; «בבקשה. סעיף שלישי מדבר על הביטול.» — Please. The third clause is about termination.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people sit over a rental contract: one rents out the apartment, the other reads such a text for the first time. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- לפני שנחתום, אני רוצה לקרוא את כל התנאים.лифней ше-нахтум, ани роце ликро эт коль ха-тнаим.Before we sign, I want to read all the terms.
- בבקשה. סעיף שלישי מדבר על הביטול.бевакаша. саив шлиши медабэр аль ха-битуль.Please. The third clause is about termination.
- ואם אבטל את החוזה מוקדם?ве-им аватель эт ха-хозэ муходам?And if I terminate the contract earlier?
- תשלם חודש שכירות אחד, לא יותר.ташлэм ходеш схирут эхад, ло йотэр.You pay one month of rent, no more.
- אתה צריך מסמך מקורי בלבד?ата царих масмэх мкори билвад?Do you need only the original of the document?
- מספיק מקורי אחד, בכתב ובחתימה.маспик мкори эхад, бе-хтав ве-вхатима.One original is enough, in writing and with a signature.
- ההסכמה על החניה הייתה רק בעל פה.ха-скама аль ха-ханья хайта рак бе-аль пэ.The parking arrangement was only oral.
- בוא נכתוב את זה כסעיף רביעי.бо нехтов эт зэ ке-саив ревии.Let's write it down as the fourth clause.
Lines one by one
| Hebrew | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| לפני שנחתום, אני רוצה לקרוא את כל התנאים. | лифней ше-нахтум, ани роце ликро эт коль ха-тнаим. | Before we sign, I want to read all the terms. |
| בבקשה. סעיף שלישי מדבר על הביטול. | бевакаша. саив шлиши медабэр аль ха-битуль. | Please. The third clause is about termination. |
| ואם אבטל את החוזה מוקדם? | ве-им аватель эт ха-хозэ муходам? | And if I terminate the contract earlier? |
| תשלם חודש שכירות אחד, לא יותר. | ташлэм ходеш схирут эхад, ло йотэр. | You pay one month of rent, no more. |
| אתה צריך מסמך מקורי בלבד? | ата царих масмэх мкори билвад? | Do you need only the original of the document? |
| מספיק מקורי אחד, בכתב ובחתימה. | маспик мкори эхад, бе-хтав ве-вхатима. | One original is enough, in writing and with a signature. |
| ההסכמה על החניה הייתה רק בעל פה. | ха-скама аль ха-ханья хайта рак бе-аль пэ. | The parking arrangement was only oral. |
| בוא נכתוב את זה כסעיף רביעי. | бо нехтов эт зэ ке-саив ревии. | Let's write it down as the fourth clause. |
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?
“לפני שנחתום, אני רוצה לקרוא את כל התנאים.” (лифней ше-нахтум, ани роце ликро эт коль ха-тнаим.) — Before we sign, I want to read all the terms. 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.