The Hebrew challenge
A phrase Israelis actually use, and three options. One is what an English speaker guesses; one is right. The answer to today's challenge appears tomorrow; the older ones are all open.
Hebrew challenge #31 · 19 October 2026
יִהְיֶה בְּסֵדֶר
yihye beseder
What does it mean?
- AEverything is in order
- BIt'll be fine
- CPlease stand in line
The word of that day: lo →The answer
BIt'll be fineIt's the national answer to any problem: don't worry, it'll work out, יִהְיֶה בְּסֵדֶר.
Hebrew challenge #30 · 17 October 2026
אֵין ___ מוּשָׂג
ein ___ musag
Which word is missing?
- Aאֶת (et)
- Bאוֹתִי (oti)
- Cלִי (li)
The answer
Cלִי (li)Hebrew has no verb 'to have', so possession runs through לִי (li, to me).
Hebrew challenge #29 · 17 October 2026
נוּ בֶּאֱמֶת
nu be'emet
What does it mean?
- ASo, honestly speaking
- BOh come on
- CYes, I swear it's true
The answer
BOh come onIt's the sigh you make when someone says something ridiculous, like oh come on.
Hebrew challenge #28 · 16 October 2026
יֵשׁ ___ שְׁאֵלָה
yesh ___ she'ela
Which word is missing?
- Aאֲנִי (ani)
- Bאוֹתִי (oti)
- Cלִי (li)
The answer
Cלִי (li)Hebrew has no verb 'to have', so ownership goes through לִי (li, to me).
Hebrew challenge #27 · 16 October 2026
נְדַבֵּר
nedaber
What does it mean?
- ASpeak louder, please
- BWe'll talk later
- CThis conversation is over forever
The answer
BWe'll talk laterIt's the Israeli sign off on a phone call, a soft "we'll be in touch", נְדַבֵּר.
Hebrew challenge #27 · 12 October 2026
בְּכֵיף
bekef
What does it mean?
- ABy the way
- BI'm having fun
- CSure, with pleasure
The word of that day: amits →The answer
CSure, with pleasureIt's the warm yes you give when someone asks you a favour: בְּכֵיף (bekef).
Hebrew challenge #26 · 10 October 2026
אֶפְשָׁר לַעֲזוֹר ___?
efshar laazor ___?
Which word is missing?
- Aאוֹתִי (oti)
- Bלִי (li)
- Cשֶׁלִּי (sheli)
The answer
Bלִי (li)The verb laazor always takes the preposition le, so the answer is לִי
Hebrew challenge #25 · 10 October 2026
אֵיזֶה בַּאסָה
eize basa
What does it mean?
- AWhat a bargain
- BWhich bus is this?
- CWhat a bummer
The answer
CWhat a bummerIt's the everyday reaction to bad luck, a small disappointment: בַּאסָה (basa).
Hebrew challenge #23 · 9 October 2026
עֲזוֹב אוֹתְךָ
azov otkha
What does it mean?
- AA. Forget it, never mind
- BB. Leave me alone
- CC. Let go of yourself
The answer
AA. Forget it, never mindIsraelis say it to wave a whole topic away, like drop it, it's fine: עֲזוֹב אוֹתְךָ.
Hebrew challenge #23 · 6 October 2026
אֵין עָלֶיךָ
ein alekha
What does it mean?
- AThere's nothing on you
- BYou're the best
- CI couldn't reach you by phone
The word of that day: yo'u →The answer
BYou're the bestLiterally there is none upon you, but Israelis say it when someone comes through for them.
Hebrew challenge #23 · 5 October 2026
יַאלְלָה בַּיי
yala bay
What does it mean?
- AHurry up, you're late
- BLet's go for a walk
- COkay, bye, we're done here
The word of that day: ha →The answer
COkay, bye, we're done hereIt's how Israelis close a phone call or a chat, a friendly way to say we're finished.
Hebrew challenge #21 · 3 October 2026
כָּל הַכָּבוֹד
kol hakavod
What does it mean?
- AWith all due respect
- BI'm honoured to meet you
- CWell done, nice work
The answer
CWell done, nice workIsraelis say it for anything from a promotion to parking in a tiny spot, כָּל הַכָּבוֹד.
Hebrew challenge #20 · 2 October 2026
סְתָם
stam
What does it mean?
- ADefinitely, for sure
- BJust kidding, no real reason
- CI'm still full from lunch
The answer
BJust kidding, no real reasonIsraelis drop it after a joke or to say there's no reason behind something: שָׁאַלְתִּי סְתָם.
Hebrew challenge #19 · 1 October 2026
תַּכְלֶס
takhles
What does it mean?
- AGoodbye for now
- BHonestly, bottom line
- CA kind of salad
The word of that day: stam →The answer
BHonestly, bottom lineIsraelis drop it before the real point: תַּכְלֶס, זֶה לֹא עָבַד.
Hebrew challenge #18 · 30 September 2026
לֹא נוֹרָא
lo nora
What does it mean?
- ANo worries, it's fine
- BIt's too late now
- CNothing scary here, only a little spooky
The word of that day: mi →The answer
ANo worries, it's fineIsraelis say it to calm you down after a small mess, closer to never mind than to a review.
Hebrew challenge #16 · 25 September 2026
אֵין ___ מָה
ein ___ ma
Which word is missing?
- Aעַל (al)
- Bבְּעַד (be'ad)
- Cעִם (im)
The answer
Bבְּעַד (be'ad)A fixed phrase, the everyday 'you're welcome': אֵין בְּעַד מָה (ein be'ad ma)
Hebrew challenge #15 · 25 September 2026
מַה זֶּה קָשׁוּר
ma ze kashur
What does it mean?
- AHow is this connected?
- BSure, keep talking.
- CThat's beside the point
The answer
CThat's beside the pointWord by word it asks about a connection, but Israelis use it to say the point is irrelevant.
Hebrew challenge #14 · 24 September 2026
מְדַבֵּר ___ טֶלֶפוֹן
medaber ___ telefon
Which word is missing?
- AA. עַל (al)
- BB. בַּ (ba)
- CC. עִם (im)
The word of that day: yalla →The answer
BB. בַּ (ba)Hebrew puts you inside the phone, not on it: מְדַבֵּר בַּטֶּלֶפוֹן (medaber batelefon).
Hebrew challenge #13 · 24 September 2026
תֵּכֶף חוֹזֵר
tekef khozer
What does it mean?
- AI'm returning an item
- BTurn around, please
- CBack in a minute
The word of that day: yalla →The answer
CBack in a minutetekef means very soon and khozer means coming back, so it's the sign on a closed kiosk.
Hebrew challenge #12 · 23 September 2026
אֲנִי גָּר ___ חֵיפָה
ani gar ___ Haifa
Which word is missing?
- Aלְ (le)
- Bבְּ (be)
- Cעַל (al)
The word of that day: et →The answer
Bבְּ (be)Living somewhere takes בְּ (be, in). לְ is movement toward. עַל means on top of it.
Hebrew challenge #11 · 23 September 2026
בָּא לִי קָפֶה
ba li kafe
What does it mean?
- AA. Coffee is coming to me
- BB. I turned into coffee
- CC. I want coffee, I'm craving a coffee
The word of that day: et →The answer
CC. I want coffee, I'm craving a coffeeבָּא לִי (ba li) is how Israelis say I want something, I have a craving for it.
Hebrew challenge #10 · 22 September 2026
תַּעֲשֶׂה ___ טוֹבָה
ta'ase ___ tova
Which word is missing?
- Aאֶת (et)
- Bלִי (li)
- Cאוֹתִי (oti)
The word of that day: kamtsan →The answer
Bלִי (li)The favour goes to someone, so Hebrew marks the receiver, not a direct object: לִי (li, to me)
Hebrew challenge #9 · 22 September 2026
בְּקִיצוּר
bekitsur
What does it mean?
- ALong story short
- BIn a little while
- CI'll talk for 20 more minutes
The word of that day: kamtsan →The answer
ALong story shortIt signals you're cutting to the point, from the word for short, קָצָר (katsar).
Hebrew challenge #8 · 20 September 2026
מָה ___ עִנְיָנִים?
ma ___ inyanim?
Which word is missing?
- Aשֶׁל [shel]
- Bהָ [ha]
- Cבְּ [be]
The word of that day: gmar khatima tova →The answer
Bהָ [ha]Israelis greet with the definite form, literally the matters: הָעִנְיָנִים
Hebrew challenge #7 · 20 September 2026
מָה פִּתְאוֹם
ma pitom
What does it mean?
- AWhat time is it?
- BWhy so suddenly?
- CNo way, absolutely not
The word of that day: gmar khatima tova →The answer
CNo way, absolutely notWord by word it's 'what suddenly', but Israelis use it to reject an idea completely.
Hebrew challenge #6 · 19 September 2026
תּוֹדָה ___ הַכֹּל
toda ___ hakol
Which word is missing?
- Aלְ (le)
- Bעַל (al)
- Cאֶת (et)
The answer
Bעַל (al)Thanks in Hebrew sits on al, not le: toda al hakol, toda al ha'ezra
Hebrew challenge #5 · 19 September 2026
יֵשׁ מַצָּב
yesh matsav
What does it mean?
- AThere's a situation here
- BMaybe, it could happen
- CMy life is a mess, again
The answer
BMaybe, it could happenLiterally 'there is a situation', but Israelis use it for 'maybe, sure, possibly'.
Hebrew challenge #4 · 18 September 2026
אֲנִי מְחַכֶּה ___
ani mekhake ___
Which word is missing?
- Aאוֹתְךָ (otkha)
- Bעָלֶיךָ (alekha)
- Cלְךָ (lekha)
The answer
Cלְךָ (lekha)Hebrew waits to someone, not for someone: מְחַכֶּה לְךָ
Hebrew challenge #3 · 18 September 2026
חֲבָל עַל הַזְּמַן
khaval al hazman
What does it mean?
- AA waste of time
- BAmazing, incredible
- CSorry, I'm late again
The answer
BAmazing, incredibleWord for word it's a waste of time, but Israelis use it for something so good you run out of words.
Hebrew challenge #2 · 17 September 2026
אֲנִי כְּבָר ___
ani kvar ___
Which word is missing?
- Aבְּהַדֶּרֶךְ (behaderekh)
- Bבַּדֶּרֶךְ (baderekh)
- Cבַּמִּטָּה (bamita)
The word of that day: walla →The answer
Bבַּדֶּרֶךְ (baderekh)The two prefixes merge into one syllable, so an Israeli says baderekh, never behaderekh.
Hebrew challenge #1 · 17 September 2026
עַל הַפָּנִים
al hapanim
What does it mean?
- AFace to face
- BStraight ahead
- CTerrible, awful
The word of that day: walla →The answer
CTerrible, awfulLiterally 'on the face', but Israelis use it for anything bad: a day, a movie, the traffic.