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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

What is the Yiddish word for brother?

ex-husband = Imehrman (אימערמאַן)

What is Yiddish for disappointed?

The Yiddish word for disappointed is "Ahntoisht".

Is Rebbe Yiddish for Rabbi?

Rebbe is in fact Hebrew for Rabbi, but it has been adopted in Yiddish for lack of a better word.

What is the yiddish word for elderly?

The terms "AHLT", "AHL-tehr", "AHL-teh" literally translate as "old", "old man", "old woman", but

also convey the connotation of elderly, and also possibly the implication of wise because of age.

How did yiddish begin?

During Roman Times, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. This angered the Jews of the area (who by the way spoke Aramaic, a language similar to Hebrew and the lingua franca of the Middle East) so they began leaving Israel for places like Iraq, Turkey Greece, Italy, Egypt, and Persia. Greek and Italian Jews traveled through Europe and by the fall of the Roman Empire ended in France. They spoke a Romance Judeo-Old French type language called "La'az" at the time. After a while, these Jews migrated east to Germany. They adopted the Old High German language spoken at the time, but often mixed in a bit of La'az, Hebrew, and Aramaic and boom! Yiddish was born.

What is the Yiddish word for grandfather?

"Grandfather" in Yiddish is "zeidy" or"zaydeh" or "zeida" (all these spellings are acceptable).

What do you call a female nebbish?

Nebbish is an American word, not a Hebrew or Yiddish one. They pronounce it that way because of the difficulty in enunciating the "kh" sound. The original word is "nebbikh", a Yiddish word meaning "pitiable"; originating in the Hebrew "navokh" which means confused. I don't think the Yiddish colloquialism has a female counterpart.

What does the name Kayem mean?

Kayem, from Kayem Foods Inc., and the Kayem brand of meats is derived from the founder's initials K.M. (Kazimierz Monkiewicz). The letters K.M. are spelled out phonetically to the word or name Kayem. The name is often mispronounced as Kai hem which leads to assumptions that the brand or company is yiddish or hebrew.

How do you say My Friend in Yiddish?

There is no such language as "Jewish". If you meant Hebrew, it depends on your gender and the gender of your friend:

If you are male and your friend is male: chavehr shelcha

If you are male and your friend is female: chavehrah shelcha

If you are female and your friend is male: chavehr shelach

If you are female and your friend is female: chavehrah shelach

Answer:"Yiddish" literally means "Jewish"; so yes, there is a language called Jewish. In Yiddish, "your friend" is Dieneh Froind.

What are examples of Yiddish phrases?

Mazel Tov

Gut Shabbos

It's bashert

Im yirtzeh Hashem

Tatteh zisseh

.....and so on

What does the word Shvis mean in yiddish?

If you mean "schvitz" it is the Yiddish word for "sweat".

Thanks, but I do not mean that. I understand a "shvis" is some kind of head covering worn by religious women. I am seeking a description and/or photograph.

Then maybe you are confounding the words "snood," a head covering sort of like a very loose beret, and loosely knit, that Orthodox women sometimes wear, with "shaytel," the Yiddish word for "wig," which means the wig that Orthodox women use to cover their hair sometimes.

There is no rule for how hair must be covered, among Orthodox Jews, other than that married women must cover their hair.

Yiddish word touques?

Tokhes, which means butt, as in the body part. Sometimes spelled tochus or other variations.

Note: From the Hebrew "TAKH-aht" meaning "under".

What is a Hebrew equivalent of Soibel a Yiddish name that means sustenance?

The closest name I can think of is Khava (which means 'life'). The English version of Khava is Eve.

What is the name in Hebrew that is most like to Allan or Alan and my Hebrew name is ליפה יואל leepeh yoel does it exist in Hebrew or only Yiddish?

As far as the name Alan goes, the closest names in sound would be Ilan (אילן) and Alon (אלון), both meaning "tree".

Yo'el (יואל) is a Hebrew name, and is the name of a prophet. It means "Adonai is our G-d".

Lippah (ליפה) doesn't appear to be Hebrew in origin. It appears to be a Yiddish name.

How do you speak Yiddish?

There would never be any reason to say this, because if someone speaks Hebrew, they'd already know it.

But in any case, here is how you'd say it:

You (masculine) speak a little Hebrew = atah medaber ktsaht ivrit (אתה מדבר קצת עיברית)

You (feminine) speak a little Hebrew = aht medaberet ktsaht ivrit (את מדברת קצת עיברית)

What is the correct spelling of the yiddish word shidach?

Like many other non-English words, Shidach can be spelled just like that. The importance is in the pronunciation, thus this spelling does the trick.

How can you learn to speak Yiddish?

* There are many self education progams available for purchase on the net. One of the more popular is the Plimsleur method, another is the Berlitz program.

* Some Jewish sites offer links to language programs.

* In-person study can usually be found at a local synagoge. Please identify yourself as a Christian if you wish to go this route, they will be happy to discuss it with you.

* College courses taught at your university. * In Israel! One of the best ways to learn Hebrew is to live it. Spend some time in Israel on a kibbutz or with an Israeli roomate. You'll be sure to pick it up quickly. (this is the fastest way)


If you'd like for your child to learn Hebrew and Judaic studies, you can enroll them in an online Hebrew School. Our site is a Hebrew School online that's perfect for Jewish homeschoolers. Check out our website to learn more about our program.

Alternate Answer

Most Jewish communities have Jewish day schools that offer Hebrew as part of their curriculum. Additionally, public schools in some countries outside of Israel off Hebrew immersion programs in communities with large enough Jewish populations.

For adults, you could check with universities, community colleges, and local synagogues/chabbads for Hebrew courses.
You could get Rosetta stone, but those are pretty expensive. My suggestion is to:

1. Get an English-Hebrew dictionary. Make sure it has how to spell AND pronounce the Hebrew word. Practice memorizing words and adding them to your everyday conversations.

2. Watch youtube videos to learn how to pronounce them. Practice saying words correctly and speaking fluently.

3. Research further online to learn sentences and phrases. Make sure they have pronounciation guides.

4. For any questions, ask on answers.com or wikianswers.com. Somebody there is bound to know Hebrew (me for example! My first language is English, my second is spanish, and my third is Hebrew). Ask questions like "How do you pronounce the Hebrew phrase 'אני אוהב אותך'?" or "How do you spell 'I love you' using the Hebrew alphabet and language?"

Happy to help!

-Allison Rose

What is the correct spelling of oi vay?

The Yiddish interjection is usually spelled "Oy vey!" (from אױ װײ - translates to "Oh, woe!")

(This is a short form of the longer phrase "Oy vey iz mir", meaning "Oh, woe is me!")