בשביל מה
“בשביל מה” (бэ-швиль ма) — what for in Hebrew. Adverb, level A1, topic — basic words. Literally "for the sake of what": you ask about the purpose. Lama looks for a cause, bishvil ma — for the point. In a live sentence: “בשביל מה זה?” — What is this for? Written with the characters ב, ש, ב, י, ל, מ, ה. One of 307 words in the set “basic words” in the Hebrew course.
In short
| Written in Hebrew | בשביל מה |
| Read in Latin letters | бэ-швиль ма |
| Translation | what for |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
Literally "for the sake of what": you ask about the purpose. Lama looks for a cause, bishvil ma — for the point
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- בשביל מה זה?бэ-швиль ма зэ?What is this for?
Nearby words: basic words
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
- כןкенyesShort and ringing. In live speech often just ken with a nod
- לאлоnoThe same word negates the verb: ani lo mevin — I don't understand. There is no separate word for not
- טובтовfineThe standard answer in full: tov, toda — fine, thank you. The same word also means good
- רעраbadThe pair to tov. Israelis more often answer lo ra — not bad; it sounds livelier
- מעולהмецуйанexcellentFrom metsuyan — outstanding. A stronger answer to how are you than tov: it means it cannot be better
- אפשרэфшарmay ILiterally "it is possible". A polite request begins with it: efshar mayim, bevakasha?
- וвеandAnd in Hebrew is not a word but a prefix on the next one: te ve-kafe — tea and coffee. Before b, m, p it sounds u
- אבלавальbutShort and frequent. It resembles the French avaler only on paper — it reads aval
- קילוкилоkilogramAt the shuk nobody says the whole kilogram — only kilo. Two kilos is shnei kilo, and the word does not change
- חציхециhalfChetzi — half: half a kilo is chetzi kilo, half an hour — chetzi shaa. One word for every half
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “basic words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “what for” in Hebrew?
Literally "for the sake of what": you ask about the purpose. Lama looks for a cause, bishvil ma — for the point
- How do you say “and” in Hebrew?
And in Hebrew is not a word but a prefix on the next one: te ve-kafe — tea and coffee. Before b, m, p it sounds u
- How do you say “fine” in Hebrew?
The standard answer in full: tov, toda — fine, thank you. The same word also means good
- How do you say “half” in Hebrew?
Chetzi — half: half a kilo is chetzi kilo, half an hour — chetzi shaa. One word for every half
- How do you say “may I” in Hebrew?
Literally "it is possible". A polite request begins with it: efshar mayim, bevakasha?
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “what for” in Hebrew?
«בשביל מה», read “бэ-швиль ма”. In a live sentence: “בשביל מה זה?” — What is this for? Adverb, level A1, from the set “basic words”; written with the characters ב, ש, ב, י, ל, מ, ה.
How is “בשביל מה” written in Latin letters?
бэ-швиль ма. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Literally "for the sake of what": you ask about the purpose. Lama looks for a cause, bishvil ma — for the point. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.