Klein adds that the term “has been generalized to mean any special day or vacation day, with or without bread.” We always love new ways to celebrate the beauty that is Shabbat!Ģ. Cute slang for the Sabbath, during which challah (braided egg bread) is traditionally baked and eaten. Klein includes language on all topics, from food to family to technology. “Yiddish doesn’t have the vocabulary for the modern world of Google, mixed marriages, new gender identities, and many more aspects of contemporary life,” he tells Kveller.Īnd yet, “as a language that picked up words as Jews emigrated from one nation to another, it has a capacity for adding new words to its vocabulary.” Drawing on his experience working in the writer’s room for TV host Merv Griffin, he created an updated vocabulary of new Yiddish expressions, Schmegoogle: Yiddish Words for Modern Times.Īs evident in the book’s title - which combines Google with “a long list of Yiddish put-down words that begin with sch” like, schmuck, schlemiel and schlemazel to name a few - most of the words in this fun dictionary are a mashup of an English word or phrase with a Yiddish one, creating puns and expressions that will make you laugh, ponder, and appreciate the evolution of language. While the wonderful language of Yiddish has so much to offer - in particular, its colorful curses, such as “ gay cocken oifen yam,” which means, “go shit in the ocean” - the age-old tongue can sometimes be at a loss for the unique situations of modern life.įortunately, author Daniel Klein identified this conundrum - and solved it. For many Ashkenazi Jews, in particular, using Yiddish words can be a fun and humorous way to celebrate our heritage and our ancestors, while also helping to keep the language alive. You know over two hundred common words by now.The Jewish diaspora encompasses so many languages, from Ladino to Hebrew to Yiddish, to lesser known tongues such as Yevanic (Judeo-Greek) and Aramaic. grab) a schmooze with Meyer and his Zeyde (grandpa)! They have a talk about life for the aged. In this lesson you’ll expand your vocabulary with many common adjectives.Ĭhap (lit. Get colorful! An introduction to adjectives. The word has a number of usages, in addition. You gotta have the auxillary verb hoben! It helps you conjugate past tense for most verbs. Shabbos, Shabbat, or now in YIVO - Shabes. Guest reader- a native speaker from the Ukraine. You’ll expand your cultural knowledge and Yiddish vocabulary with this article. Learn the original Dreydl song in Yiddish! Go on, make it out of clay! And You need to know your pronouns because you’ll need them to conjugate verbs in all different tenses. Him, her, them or you? You want to know how to refer to them in Yiddish. You’ll review your new vocabulary when you listen to this conversation with an easy-going salesman. You’ll learn directions when you listen to Sarah asking David how to get there. You’ll expand your vocabulary with this lesson. What did you say? A Jew answers a question with a question. You’ll learn Yiddish history and improve your vocabulary with this lesson. You'll see how much easier it is for you to follow! After you go through the course, revisit this. We've written out all the Yiddish for you, transcribed in YIVO transliteration, in Hebrew characters, and of course with the English. We think you'll enjoy! Let us know what you think: Contact Us This new feature can only be accessed if you pressed the "Take Course" button. Test your knowledge with this vocabulary exercise. This Yiddish Proverb will encourage you to keep having fun learning Yiddish! Tyrone and Fred celebrate Fred’s birthday together with you. Moyshe and Shmelke talk about how business is going, to help you with the business of learning more Yiddish vocabulary, and reviewing what you already know. You’ll learn some great new Yiddish vocabulary. Learn another joke about running a business. Hear Berl and Shmerl (Ok, it’s really us.) in another schmooze to reinforce what you have already learned. Teach yourself Yiddish by listening to this short exchange between Moyshe and Shmelke and you’ll be ready to schmooze yourself. You can use them right away to sound heymish, just like a native Yiddish speaker. Teach yourself Yiddish with these common Yiddish words. You need to know your Yiddish greeting so you can be a mensch! (See our Yiddish Slan g page)
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