אפשר
“אפשר” (эфшар) — may I in Hebrew. Adverb, level A1, topic — basic words. Literally "it is possible". A polite request begins with it: efshar mayim, bevakasha? In a live sentence: “אפשר מים, בבקשה?” — May I have some water, please? Written with the characters א, פ, ש, ר. One of 307 words in the set “basic words” in the Hebrew course.
In short
| Written in Hebrew | אפשר |
| Read in Latin letters | эфшар |
| Translation | may I |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
Literally "it is possible". A polite request begins with it: efshar mayim, bevakasha?
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.
- אפשר מים, בבקשה?эфшар маим, бевакаша?May I have some water, please?
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
- 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
- לא צריךло царихI do not need itLiterally "not needed": lo tzarich, toda — the polite refusal. A request is tzarich plus the infinitive: tzarich leshalem — the bill must be paid
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 “may I” in Hebrew?
Literally "it is possible". A polite request begins with it: efshar mayim, bevakasha?
- How do you say “but” in Hebrew?
Short and frequent. It resembles the French avaler only on paper — it reads aval
- 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 “I do not need it” in Hebrew?
Literally "not needed": lo tzarich, toda — the polite refusal. A request is tzarich plus the infinitive: tzarich leshalem — the bill must be paid
- 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 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 “may I” in Hebrew?
«אפשר», read “эфшар”. In a live sentence: “אפשר מים, בבקשה?” — May I have some water, please? Adverb, level A1, from the set “basic words”; written with the characters א, פ, ש, ר.
How is “אפשר” written in Latin letters?
эфшар. 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 "it is possible". A polite request begins with it: efshar mayim, bevakasha? A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.