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Streetwise Hebrew

#223 The Many Uses of Eich (איך)

Streetwise Hebrew

TLV1 Studios

Language Learning, Judaism, Religion & Spirituality, Education

4.91.1K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2018

⏱️ 9 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Eich (איך), Hebrew for "how", is a tiny word used very often in spoken Hebrew and in many different contexts. On this episode, Guy explains these uses through several examples from everyday life in Israel.

Listen to the All-Hebrew Version of this Episode

 

New Words and Expressions:

Eich - How - איך

Eich shir nolad - How is a song born? - איך שיר נולד

Eich haya? - How was it? - איך היה?

Eich sham? - How is it there? - איך שם?

Eich? - How are you? (sl.) - איך?

Tagid eich ata / Tagidi, eich at - How are YOU doing? - תגיד, איך אתה / תגידי, איך את

Eich omrim la she-hakol nigmar - How does one tell her that it's all over - איך אומרים לה שהכל נגמר

Eich omrim be-ivrit to go? Lalechet - How do you say in Hebrew 'to go'? lalechet - איך אומרים בעברית 'טו גו'? ללכת

Eich omrim… (+ expression) - As one says - איך אומרים + ביטוי

Eich kor'im la-hi/la-hu - What was the name of that girl/guy? - איך קוראים להיא/להוא?

Eich she-pagashti ota, yadati - The moment I met her, I knew - איך שפגשתי אותה, ידעתי

Eich she-nichnasti, raiti oto - The moment I got in, I saw him - איך שנכנסתי, ראיתי אותו

Eich she-at yafa - How pretty you are - איך שאת יפה

Kama (she) at yafa - How pretty you are - כמה (ש)את יפה

Eich ta'im - It's so tasty - איך טעים

Eich ze she-kochav echad levad me'ez - How come one lonely star dares? - איך זה שכוכב אחד לבד מעז

Eich ze she… - How come…? - איך זה ש…?

Eich ze she-ein lecha havera? Bachur kamocha, kaze nechmad - How come you don't have a girlfriend? A guy like you, so nice - איך זה שאין לך חברה? בחור כמוך, נחמד

Eich ze she-bachura kamoch, chachama, yafa, levad? - How come a girl like you, clever, pretty, is alone? - איך זה שבחורה כמוך, חכמה, יפה, לבד?

Eich she-ata rotse/she-at rotsa - As you wish - איך שאתה רוצה/שאת רוצה

Eich she-ba lecha - Whatever you feel like - איך שבא לך

Eich ose kelev - How does a dog go? - איך עושה כלב?

 

Playlist and Clips:

Ha-keves ha-shisha-asar - Eich Shir Nolad (lyrics)

Matti Caspi & Shlomi Shabbat - Eich Omrim La (lyrics)

Moshe Peretz - Eich She-at Yafa (lyrics)

Matti Caspi - Eich Ze she-Kochav (lyrics)

Eich ose kelev

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is TELB1.

0:10.0

Street-wise, Hebrew. Shalup, it's me guy with street-wise Hebrew. Shalom, it's me Guy with Street-wise Hebrew. Echirnolad, how is a song born? Today I'd like to talk about a tiny word

0:39.0

Ehch, Aleph Yud Kaff, how?

0:43.4

You might think that there's not much to write home about.

0:46.0

Ehch is how and yeah about.

0:48.7

But the more I thought about the word, the more I realize how many different colloquial structures there are.

0:54.0

I'm sure you're a Hebrew teacher didn't review them all with you.

0:58.0

Echaya, how was it, is a question we ask someone who came back from a trip movie exhibition and we want to know how it went.

1:06.0

On episode number 145 I spoke about possible answers for Echaya, check it out.

1:12.0

If the person is still abroad, let's say, we can ask her in a text message,

1:17.0

Echsham, how is it there?

1:20.0

What's Ech, A standalone ech?

1:24.0

Ech, it's a colloquial way to say, how are you?

1:28.0

Ech, a colobeseder? How are you? Is everything all right?

1:32.0

Tagid echata, or Tagidi echat,

1:36.0

is something you tell a friend who is going through a tough time.

1:39.0

They might be taking care of someone else,

1:41.0

like a sick family member,

1:42.0

and you want to ask how are you in all of this.

1:46.1

So that's Tagidi echat.

1:49.1

Tagid echat. Taguid echata. I'm not going to call nigma.

1:55.0

Echumr Echum

...

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