אי אפשר
“אי אפשר” (эй эфшар) — impossible in Hebrew. Phrase, level B1, topic — basic words. Ein efshar is both impossible and no way!: the surprise in the same words. Possible is efshar — you know it. In a live sentence: “אי אפשר — שוב גשם?” — It cannot be — rain again? Written with the characters א, י, א, פ, ש, ר. One of 307 words in the set “basic words” in the Hebrew course.
In short
| Written in Hebrew | אי אפשר |
| Read in Latin letters | эй эфшар |
| Translation | impossible |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | B1 |
Why it looks that way
Ein efshar is both impossible and no way!: the surprise in the same words. Possible is efshar — you know it
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.
- אי אפשר — שוב גשם?эй эфшар — шув гешем?It cannot be — rain again?
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 “impossible” in Hebrew?
Ein efshar is both impossible and no way!: the surprise in the same words. Possible is efshar — you know it
- 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 “impossible” in Hebrew?
«אי אפשר», read “эй эфшар”. In a live sentence: “אי אפשר — שוב גשם?” — It cannot be — rain again? Phrase, level B1, from the set “basic words”; written with the characters א, י, א, פ, ש, ר.
How is “אי אפשר” written in Latin letters?
эй 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?
Ein efshar is both impossible and no way!: the surprise in the same words. Possible is efshar — you know it. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.