Home › Forums › Decaffeinated Coffee › Midaber Ivrit???
- This topic has 84 replies, 39 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 3 months ago by am yisrael chai.
-
AuthorPosts
-
May 15, 2011 3:12 am at 3:12 am #596887BSDMember
Anybody have funny or awkward stories of trying to communicate with Israeli’s in broken ivrit? Here’s a story I heard:
A sem girl was on an egged bus when she realized that the driver was passing her stop, so she yelled out to the driver “Nahag, ani tzrichah laledet”. The driver slammed on the brakes and asked “Mi? Mi tzarichah laledet?” The girl raised her hand and said “Ani, Ani” All the passengers quickly made way for her as she calmly walked to the front of the bus, gave the driver a cheery “Toda” and walked off the bus.
May 15, 2011 4:29 am at 4:29 am #770083Little Sally SaucerMembera guy was trying to get directions to the highway..
he didnt know how to say highway so he figured that “derech gavoah” would suffice…
he pulled over a car and asked “eifoh haderech gavoah?” the driver laughed…and instead of responding in engish which he knew…he replied
“ohd al”!!!- moron!!!!!!-isrealis have good comebacks!!
May 15, 2011 4:31 am at 4:31 am #770084gradaMemberani oheiv falafel
May 15, 2011 4:33 am at 4:33 am #770085s2021Memberlol! Funny BSD! How come these jokes are always with a seminary girl on a bus? I dont even attempt to speak hebrew cuz of all the jokes Iv heard already.. I just know Ill be the girl who creates the next one.. 🙂
May 15, 2011 12:21 pm at 12:21 pm #770087chocandpatienceMembersaw this one once, probably in the Hamodia:
a tourist was leaving Israel after a few weeks holiday.
She wanted to show off her newly learned Hebrew and thanked the taxi driver for taking her to the ‘tut soh-de’.
May 15, 2011 1:14 pm at 1:14 pm #770088Shticky GuyParticipantBsd lol.
This thread is something anyone who speaks ivrit and learned in a Yeshiva is Israel should have several episodes to add here.
This one I witnessed. We were once in a pizza store when a group of American tourist invaded loudly, deciding what to order. They decided on pizza with mushrooms. Then one of them announced that as he spoke the language he would order. He went over and said “er, anee rowtze, er, pizza gadol im mitriot”! (mushrooms are pitriot, while mitriot are umbrellas!)
Another story goes that a guy needed to know the time. He asked someone “slicha, mah hashaah achshav”. They said “ein li musag”. So he asked somebody else. They replied “slicha ein li musag. So he went upto a 3rd guy and asked him “yesh lecha musag?” !!!
To change language, a chassidisher meshulach knocked on a house and the mother told the kid to say the father wasnt at home. The kid proudly said “mein tatte is nisht in zein hoizen”
May 15, 2011 4:01 pm at 4:01 pm #770089me tooMemberPitriyot do resemble mitriyot
At the least the kid was honest, Dad was in his nightclothes.
A father was in Boston with his ill daughter for medical treatment.
He as staying in the Bostoner Rebbe’s home (pre Rofeh ) while the Rebbe was at the lake shore.
When the phone rang and the caller asked for the Rebe, the guest answered “de rebbe is by de sink”
?
May 15, 2011 4:18 pm at 4:18 pm #770091cshapiroMembermy sister has a few from her ulpan, but the funniest was when the teacher was late a girl asked lama at ????? instead of ????? lol….its a good thing she was an ulpan teacher!!!
i heard this one from my cousin who lives in sanhedria. A bjj girl was waiting by a bus stop when a soldier came and sat down placing his gun next to him. The soldiers bus came so he ran on but forgot his gun so the girl said chayal chayal shachachta nesheeka, the soldier looked at her funny, but she repeated it chayal chayal shachachta nesheeka…so the soldier ran off bus gave her a kiss and went back on :))
May 15, 2011 4:47 pm at 4:47 pm #770094MindOverChatterParticipantA chiloni sabra had an aliya on his father’s yahrtzeit. The gabbai asked him “Nu, Moshe ben?”
He proudly answered “shloshim”.
May 15, 2011 5:24 pm at 5:24 pm #770095BSDMembers2021-the story wouldn’t work too well with a guy. But in case you or any sem alumni feel slighted, here’s one about a yeshiva bachur (I,ll leave the gender wars for Popa)
I have deleted this joke from 5 different users. If yours was deleted, it was this one. No underwear jokes.
May 15, 2011 5:33 pm at 5:33 pm #770096BSDMemberC’mon mod-it wasn’t that bad!:(
It wasn’t that bad. As I noted, most of the posters on this thread posted it. But, it cuts just past what I’m willing to allow.
The line is what makes the joke funny. If it was about apples, you wouldn’t be posting it.
May 15, 2011 5:58 pm at 5:58 pm #770098yeshivaguy1ParticipantThe thing that annoys me the most is the R. My hebrew is pretty good since I am in an Israeli Yeshiva but yet I can not pronounce many words properly.
May 15, 2011 6:09 pm at 6:09 pm #770099BSDMemberI know what you mean. I thought I had the accent down pat, yet every time I would talk to an Israeli he would say “Attah Amerikai?”
May 15, 2011 6:29 pm at 6:29 pm #770101Lomed Mkol AdamMemberAmerican Guy goes to restaurant, Israeli Sephardi taking orders behind the counter, and he asks for a ‘Frank Al Ha’eish’!
May 15, 2011 6:53 pm at 6:53 pm #770102Ayala11ParticipantMy mother was in Israel and someone told her a joke and she wanted to tell them that she thought it was funny, so instead of saying ‘Ani Tzocheket’ she said ‘Ani tzoeket’
May 15, 2011 7:04 pm at 7:04 pm #770103TweetTweetParticipantWell most people don’t know when to say “holeich” and “noseiah”. Holeich is generally used for walking while noseiah is used for driving and travelling somewhere.
A seminary girl asked an egged driver before boarding the bus “ata holeich lakotel”? The bus driver angrily replied “ani noseiah, ata holeich” and he slammed the door in her face.
May 15, 2011 7:18 pm at 7:18 pm #770104aries2756ParticipantBSD, what makes the Sem on the bus joke so funny for me right now is that I am sitting in the hospital waiting for my friend to deliver her first baby. So that was quite funny for me. Thanks, it broke up the tension for me.
As far as the Tatta who is nisht in zein hoizen, I think that is either very common or you must know us, because my daughter said that about 25 years ago to the meshulachim at the front door.
May 15, 2011 7:19 pm at 7:19 pm #770105smileyface136MemberOk, here is one that happened to me in 1983 or 1984. I walked over to a falafel stand, and the guy running the stand said, falafel chofshi chofshi!!! So I asked for one, and then walked away without paying!!!!
May 15, 2011 7:59 pm at 7:59 pm #770106BSDMemberaries-it should be bisha’ah tova.
Heree’s another to keep you going (tho all the posts here are a great laugh)
This guy was rushing to make it to the airport and he needed a taxi, so he kept asking “aifo hasheirutim?” When people started scratching their heads trying to think of a place for him he said “maher, maher, ani ratz”.
May 15, 2011 8:19 pm at 8:19 pm #770107am yisrael chaiParticipantWhen being offered coffee, the guest meant to tell the hostess ‘Al tatrichi et atzmech’ (‘don’t trouble yourself’), but said ‘Al tartichi et atzmech’ (don’t boil yourself).”
May 15, 2011 8:26 pm at 8:26 pm #770108am yisrael chaiParticipantUpon her second marriage, a woman who had always seemed nice told people she’s become an “??? ?????” (killer mom) instead of an “??? ?????”, a stepmother.
May 15, 2011 8:29 pm at 8:29 pm #770109me tooMemberThe bus driver angrily
who
replied “ani noseiah, ata holeich”was no ????? himself ,should’ve said ?? ?????
May 15, 2011 8:31 pm at 8:31 pm #770110am yisrael chaiParticipantWhen walking with a newcomer in a kibbutz, the visitor marveled how the cows went to the milking shed and took their places at the exact places. How did they know? The host said: ‘It is parapsychology,’ and laughed hysterically. The guest asked him what’s so funny, to which he replied, ‘parapsychology – the psychology of the para [cow]!’
May 16, 2011 12:28 am at 12:28 am #770111ItcheSrulikMemberI met a guy in college who had a system to avoid having to use his awful Hebrew while in Israel. Whenever someone spoke to him in Hebrew he would say “??? ?? ???? ????? ” and when the Israeli inevitably said “midaber” he would reply “??? ?? ???? ????? ???? “
May 16, 2011 6:20 am at 6:20 am #770112Derech HaMelechMemberI needed to buy a rolling pin but I couldn’t find them in the aisles of the supermarket and I wasn’t sure what they are called in Hebrew. So I went up to the help counter and asked said “…??? ???? ?????” and I made rolling back and forth motions.
I couldn’t figure out why she kept questioning me “?????????”.
Finally, I called my wife, who doesn’t learn gemarah and solved the problem.
May 16, 2011 6:34 pm at 6:34 pm #770113am yisrael chaiParticipant“If it was about apples, you wouldn’t be posting it.”
See the joke about strawberries above.
May 16, 2011 6:42 pm at 6:42 pm #770114popa_bar_abbaParticipantFinally, I called my wife, who doesn’t learn gemarah and solved the problem.
Should’ve just looked up the gemara of ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ???? chullin 86a
May 16, 2011 6:58 pm at 6:58 pm #770115bein_hasdorimParticipantI was once in a store in Israel with a friend, who doesn’t speak
Ivrit, only gemarit, He wanted to know what time they were closing
So he asks the owner AD MOSAI? The guy is like MAH?
I started laughing.
(The owner probably though he was asking for Moshiach)
So he repeats “AD MOSAI ATOH POSEACH?” It took the guy a few seconds, then and he smiled and answered “Seven O’clock!”
May 16, 2011 7:01 pm at 7:01 pm #770116AinOhdMilvadoParticipantBack in my kibbutz days, one day a new American volunteer arrived from the airport at the Egged bus stop at the entrance to the kibbutz.
He learned what little Hebrew he knew from a dictionary he had studied from on his flight to Israel.
As he was clumsily shlepping his bags off the bus, he yelled to the driver “Lo la’lechet – yaish lee ohd shnai matosim al ha’autobus!” i.e. Don’t go, I have 2 more planes (instead of mizvadot – suitcases) on the bus!
The driver just smiled and rolled his eyes.
May 16, 2011 7:21 pm at 7:21 pm #770117AinOhdMilvadoParticipantHere’s a reverse of the stories above…
An Israeli arrived in America with very little English ability, and a Hebrew-English dictionary.
Being hungry, he went in for breakfast to a dairy restaurant. He wanted a hard boiled egg and toast. After looking in his dictionary for the English for “kasheh”, he asked the waiter for “a difficult egg”!
May 16, 2011 7:55 pm at 7:55 pm #770118chocandpatienceMembermy Israeli cousins writing to their grandparents in England, using a dictionary:
To Grandmother and Grandfather the expensive
May 16, 2011 7:58 pm at 7:58 pm #770119ha ha ha haMembera bachur wanted to buy milk and the word “chalav” slipped his mind so he asks the person for “mitz parah” (cow juice)
same person forgot the “oif” is chicken so he asked for a ‘tarnigol”
May 16, 2011 9:56 pm at 9:56 pm #770120cucumberMemberThere’s the story about the woman who wanted a hotdog. So she goes up to the hotdog vendor and asks him for a kelev cham
May 16, 2011 10:45 pm at 10:45 pm #770121Mother in IsraelMemberHere’s one that happened to 2 friends of mine in seminary. It was the last day of Pesach when Israelis were already back to their chometz. These girls were staying at an Israeli family, so they were the only ones who still had yom tov. The family had to go out, so the girls were left to eat their seuda alone. They opened the fridge and discovered that the light had been turned on so they couldn’t close the door. They decided to knock on a neighbor’s door and ask for help. When the neighbor opened the door, they said, “Pasachnu es hamekarer v’or ba, v’anu ma’america.” Took a while for the neighbor to figure out what they wanted.
May 16, 2011 11:33 pm at 11:33 pm #770122ilovetheholylandParticipantcshapiro, my teacher in sem told us that one….
heres another….
one of my friends was talking to an israeli about her family and she was talking about her “ach badin…” -aka, brother in law! 🙂
May 17, 2011 3:46 am at 3:46 am #770123yossi z.MemberWellmeaning: are you from boston? The stories about the pre rofeh days … Boy are those the best (my father has loads of them). This is not to say that there aren’t plenty of stories coming out now. You see whenever I am in boston I am the official rofeh driver (yes I speak hebrew (at least enough to schmooze with the israelis whilst driving)
😀 Zuberman! 😀
May 17, 2011 4:39 am at 4:39 am #770124cshapiroMember@ilovetheholyland well then it MUST be true then!!
once we went on a tiyul in seminary…long story but the bus driver kept looking in his mirror at us so i said “Nahag, anayim al hakvish” and all the israeli girls were laughing at me because it meant literally eyes on the road.
speaking of israel, dont u hate it when the cabs honk at u? when they stop i always ask cheenam? or kama zeh l’america…
May 17, 2011 2:05 pm at 2:05 pm #770125m in IsraelMemberI think this one is in The Bamboo Cradle – a girl needed to buy some sewing needles (machatim), so she went into a “kol bo” and asked for “mechutanim” (in-laws). The man behind the counter said “Do I look like a shadchan?! I don’t sell mechutanim!” She still didn’t get it, and said “but I saw some in your window. . .”
And of course the classic: “ani lo tachas omed”
May 17, 2011 2:15 pm at 2:15 pm #770126gefenParticipantHere’s a story that doesn’t exactly fit the title (in fact I was going to start a new thread but decided to post it here anyway).
This happened a number of years ago. Apparently there were 2 high school girls on a city bus in NY , when suddenly quite a “large” woman got on the crowded bus and stood near the girls. It was quite uncomfortable and cramped. One said to the other “he shemayna k’mo parah”. The ride continued. A few stops later, the woman was ready to get off, when she turned around to the girls and said “mooo”! I can only imagine how shocked and embarrassed those girls were!
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED: 1) never assume someone doesn’t understand the language you are speaking 2) DON’T EVER MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE!
May 17, 2011 5:32 pm at 5:32 pm #770127chocandpatienceMember>And of course the classic: “ani lo tachas omed”
That took me a LONG time to work out
May 17, 2011 5:40 pm at 5:40 pm #770128BSDMemberGefen-“she turned around to the girls and said “mooo”
mooo is Japanese. It means what fine young ladies!:)
All seriousness aside, people should be more considerate. I hope they said slichah.
May 17, 2011 5:42 pm at 5:42 pm #770129BSDMemberChoc-“>And of course the classic: “ani lo tachas omed”
That took me a LONG time to work out”
It took me a while too, but now I tachas omed.
May 17, 2011 5:43 pm at 5:43 pm #770130ha ha ha haMembersomeone needed a bag so she asked a vendor for a sakin(knife) instead of a sakit(bag) 🙂
May 17, 2011 5:56 pm at 5:56 pm #770131rosesharonParticipantI went to a very sphardi school in Brooklyn for elementary school. Of course when I left after eighth grade I was an ashkanazi sounding like a displaced Israeli. When I went to an ashkanazi high school it took me two weeks to adjust to the way Hebrew was spoken because all of my life I had never heard a “suh” and kamatz aleph to me was “ah” not “oh.” Now when I read Hebrew out loud I still get confused. At lest I know if I ever get to Israel I will be understood.
May 17, 2011 6:17 pm at 6:17 pm #770132me tooMember@yossi z. I am not a Bostonian. This story circulates in Skver about R Shia Friedman ????? ???? the Skverer Rebbe’s ????
May 17, 2011 7:17 pm at 7:17 pm #770133gefenParticipantBSD: “moo moo” would be japanese 🙂
May 17, 2011 9:16 pm at 9:16 pm #770134BSDMemberA relative of mine was convinced that Israelis call “techina” “tahini”(maybe the labels in America read that way?). When she asked the guy at the falafal stand to put tahini in her falafal(the only 2 words in her hebrew vocabulary) they were howling with laughter(tactless Israeli’s- let’s hear them speak Enlish)
May 17, 2011 9:21 pm at 9:21 pm #770135YW Moderator-80Membertactless Israeli’s- let’s hear them speak Enlish
so whats the big deal i cant speak Enlish either.
what is that anyway? some elfish dialect from the hobbit or something?
May 17, 2011 9:42 pm at 9:42 pm #770136yeshivaguy1ParticipantA good joke I just heard
On the signs that say tizaher Mokshim (danger mines) that are all over Israel, in arabic it says bruchim habaim
May 17, 2011 10:05 pm at 10:05 pm #770137TweetTweetParticipantA yeshivishe guy wanted to know the price of an item in a store, so he asks the person behind the counter “camah mamon”. The guy answers back “esrim zuzim”.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.