Everyday life and routine in Hebrew
13 words in Hebrew on the topic “everyday life and routine”: עבודה — work, לעבוד — to work, אני חייב — I must, להתעורר — to wake up.
13 words on the topic
- עבודהаводаworkWork as labor and as employment in one. The same root is in oved, a worker, and in the temple service
- לעבודлааводto workThe present: oved, ovedet, ovdim. One root with avoda, work
- אני חייבани хайавI mustA woman says ani chayevet. The infinitive follows: chayav laavod — must work
- להתעוררлеиторерto wake upYou wake yourself — mitorer; to wake somebody is leaer. Hebrew counts the hours the feminine way: besheva — at seven
- לקוםлакумto get upKum! — get up! — that is how one is woken. Makom, a place, which you learned in the money-and-people lesson, is literally the spot where one stands up
- לשטוף פניםлиштоф панимto wash upLiterally "to wash the face": panim, the face, is always plural. Washing the whole body is lehitratez, which you know
- להסתרקлеистарекto comb one's hairYou know masrek, the comb; the same root s-r-k. Lehistarek is to comb oneself: the hit- inside means oneself
- להתגלחлеитгалеахto shaveYou know taar, the razor; the root is g-l-ch. Shaving is also done to oneself: the same hit- as in lehistarek
- להתלבשлеитлабэшto get dressedYou know lilbosh, to put on; lehitlabesh is to dress oneself. Begadim, clothes, is of the same root b-g-d
- להתפשטлеитпашэтto get undressedThe pair to get dressed: the same hit- — oneself — takes off what was put on. At an examination the doctor says hitpashat — undress
- להתיישבлеияшэвto sit downYou know lashevet, to sit; lehiyashev is to sit down, to settle. Politely: shevu bevakasha — take a seat, please
- להירדםлеирдамto fall asleepYou know lishkav, to lie down; leherdam is to lie down and already drift off: nardam — he fell asleep. The little one is put to bed — and he nardam
- להירגעлеиргаto rest (lie down)You know lanuach, to rest; lehirga is to rest the body, to relax. Tirga — calm down — you have said it; the same verb
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- העבודה קרוב לבית.ха-авода каров ла-байт.The work is close to the house.
- אני עובד כאן.ани овед кан.I work here.
- אני חייב לעבוד מחר.ани хайав ла-авод махар.I must work tomorrow.
- אני מתעורר בשבעани миторер ба-шэва.I wake up at seven
- אני קם בשמונהани кам бе-шмона.I get up at eight
- אני שוטף פנים בבוקרани шотеф паним ба-бокер.I wash my face in the morning
What is worth knowing about these words
עבודה (авода) — work. Work as labor and as employment in one. The same root is in oved, a worker, and in the temple service.
לעבוד (лаавод) — to work. The present: oved, ovedet, ovdim. One root with avoda, work.
אני חייב (ани хайав) — I must. A woman says ani chayevet. The infinitive follows: chayav laavod — must work.
להתעורר (леиторер) — to wake up. You wake yourself — mitorer; to wake somebody is leaer. Hebrew counts the hours the feminine way: besheva — at seven.
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “work” in Hebrew?
Work as labor and as employment in one. The same root is in oved, a worker, and in the temple service
- How do you say “to shave” in Hebrew?
You know taar, the razor; the root is g-l-ch. Shaving is also done to oneself: the same hit- as in lehistarek
- How do you say “to work” in Hebrew?
The present: oved, ovedet, ovdim. One root with avoda, work
- How do you say “to get dressed” in Hebrew?
You know lilbosh, to put on; lehitlabesh is to dress oneself. Begadim, clothes, is of the same root b-g-d
- How do you say “I must” in Hebrew?
A woman says ani chayevet. The infinitive follows: chayav laavod — must work
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Work, home, rest, errands. The words the answer to “how are things?” is made of.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- 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.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “work” in Hebrew?
«עבודה», read “авода”. Work as labor and as employment in one. The same root is in oved, a worker, and in the temple service. It is one of 13 words in the set “everyday life and routine” — the rest are in the table above.
How many everyday words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 13 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.