Hebrew word of the day · Nuance

אַמִּיץamits

brave

Israelis rarely call you brave. They tell you you've got אֹמֶץ.

Hear it read by a native speaker

In a sentence

הִיא מְאוֹד אַמִּיצָה
hi me'od amitsa
She's very brave

(amits, brave) Correct, and it lands a bit heroic. Said about a person, an act or a decision.

הִיא מְאוֹד אַמִּיץ (hi me'od amits) An Israeli hears a word that doesn't match her.

הִיא מְאוֹד אַמִּיצָה (hi me'od amitsa, she's very brave)

יֵשׁ לָךְ אֹמֶץ (yesh lakh ometz, you've got courage) To a woman. To a man, yesh lekha ometz.

The adjective describes who she is. The noun praises what she did, so it works for anyone.

A friend tells you she quit her job. יֵשׁ לָךְ אֹמֶץ (yesh lakh ometz)

Who would you say it to this week, and would you pick the adjective or the noun?

Say אַמִּיץ to an Israeli woman and the compliment lands crooked.

(amits, brave) This is the shape you use about a man.

אַתְּ מְאוֹד אַמִּיץ (at me'od amits) An Israeli hears a sentence with one piece missing.

אַתְּ מְאוֹד אַמִּיצָה (at me'od amitsa, you're very brave) Same word, feminine ending.

אַתָּה מְאוֹד אַמִּיץ (ata me'od amits, you're very brave) Here the short form is the right one.

In Hebrew the describing word changes shape with the person you're describing, every single time.

Telling a friend about her: הִיא מְאוֹד אַמִּיצָה (hi me'od amitsa, she's very brave)

Who are you calling brave this week, him or her? Write the full sentence in the comments.

Hebrew challenge #27

בְּכֵיף

bekef

What does it mean?

The answer

CIt's the warm yes you give when someone asks you a favour: בְּכֵיף (bekef).

Published 12 October 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.