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Yiddish
Yiddish is the "Patois" of languages of every eastern European country with any significant Jewish population during the past 600 years. Dormant for a while after the great Jewish migrations of the early 20th Century and the mass exterminations of the 1930s and 40s, it's experiencing a resurgence today.
879 Questions
How do you say grandma and grandpa in yiddish?
Yiddish from Eastern European or and Russian typically use "BOB-eh" (grandmother)
and "ZAY-deh" (grandfather). (Compare to Polish and Slovak.)
To my grandkids, I am Zaydie, but my wife is Grandma.
In modern times, the Hebrew "SA-bah" and "SAV-tah" are becoming more common,
even among Yiddish speakers.
To my same grandkids, their other grandparents are Saba and Savta.
This term is a derogatory term that implies a small penis.
What is the Yiddish word for great grandfather?
The Yiddish word for great grandfather is "זיסער דעיד" (zeeser deyd).
What are most common yiddish words?
Some common Yiddish words are "schlep" (to carry or haul), "kvetch" (to complain), "mensch" (a person of integrity and honor), and "schmooze" (to chat or gossip).
Do Yiddish and Hebrew use the same alphabet?
Yes, however the Yiddish alphabet is modified for vowels. The Hebrew alphabet has no vowels, and uses dots and dashes to represent vowels.
Yiddish vowels not found in Hebrew:
ah = אַ
aw = אָ
eh = ע
ih or ee = י
oy = וי
oo = ו
Hebrew vowels look like this (only the dots and dashes are vowels): אָ אַ אֲ אֵ אֶ אֱ אִ אִי אֹ אֻ אוּ אְ
What is the yiddish word for black?
The Yiddish term for the color 'black' is "SHVARTZ", exactly as in German.
What is the Yiddish word for greatgrandmother?
The Yiddish word for great-grandmother is "bobe" (באָבע).
What does the yiddish name Elka mean?
A pet form of Alice and Alexandra.
Here are their meanings:
Alice: "Of Noble Birth" Hebrew Eqivalent - Malka
Alexandra: "Protector of Women" Hebrew Equivalent - Aleksondra
How do you say stuff in Yiddish?
To say something in Yiddish, you would use the Yiddish language. Yiddish is a Germanic-based language spoken by Ashkenazi Jews and has its own unique vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. You can find resources online or take classes to learn how to speak in Yiddish.
How do you say grandchild in yiddish?
In Yiddish, grandchild is "enkel" for a granddaughter and "gende" for a grandson.
What is the Yiddish translation of 'de nada'?
The Yiddish translation of 'de nada' is 'פֿאַרנישט' (farnisht).
For Jews from central and eastern Europe Yiddish was a common language in addition to any local tongue. Today few speak it but for a few phrases or words. If you need a translator and are in NY try the Daily Forward newspaper people as that was a Yiddish language paper for years (and still is). If you're outside NY then depending where you are you can still try them or three bets are a college where Yiddish is studied, a "Talmud Torah" school, or a local synagogue may know who among the congregation still knows the language.
Yiddish words which have become English include: bagel (a bread roll in the shape of a doughnut), bris (circumcision of a boy), boychick (young man), bubkes (nothing), chutzpah (nerve), gelt (money), glitch (malfunction), golem (a man-made monster), goy (a gentile), kibitz (to gossip or bore someone), klutz (clumsy person), mazel Tov! (congratulations), nosh (snack), oy (interjection of pain or horror), schmaltz (chicken fat-and as a result, sickening stuff), schmo or schmuck (stupid person), schmutter (rags or clothes), speil (sales pitch), tush (backside), zaftig (plump or chubby {females})
Many older Jews, Rabbis and Chassidim speak Yiddish.
