Hebrew word of the day · Street Hebrew and slang
עֲזוֹבazov
forget it, never mind
Israelis don't say never mind. They say one word and the subject is closed.
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
עֲזוֹב, זֶה לֹא חָשׁוּב
azov, ze lo khashuv
Forget it, it doesn't matter
How Israelis use azov
עֲזוֹב
(azov, forget it) Literally the command leave. Daily speech took it for everything else.
The full sentence
עֲזוֹב, זֶה לֹא חָשׁוּב (azov, ze lo khashuv) Forget it, it doesn't matter.
✗Same word to everyone
Said to a woman: עֲזוֹב She hears a sentence aimed at a man. It lands wrong every time.
✓Match the person
עַזְבִי (azvi, forget it, to a woman) To a group: עַזְבוּ (azvu)
Tone does the work
Soft it means don't worry about it. Sharp it means we're finished with this subject.
Say it tonight
A friend apologises for the third time about something tiny. Answer with: עֲזוֹב, זֶה לֹא חָשׁוּב
Your turn
Who in your life says it to you most, and in which tone?
The mistake English speakers make
One letter is the difference between telling a man to drop it and a woman.
עֲזוֹב
(azov, forget it, never mind) The shrug Israelis use all day, said to a man.
✗To a woman
עֲזוֹב, זֶה לֹא חָשׁוּב (azov, ze lo khashuv) She hears a sentence aimed at a man.
✓To a woman
עִזְבִי, זֶה לֹא חָשׁוּב (izvi, ze lo khashuv, forget it, it doesn't matter)
Why
When you tell someone to do something in Hebrew, the word itself says who you're talking to.
To a group
עִזְבוּ (izvu, forget it) Two friends arguing over the bill, one word ends it.
Say it tonight
A friend apologises for being ten minutes late. Answer him with one word. עֲזוֹב (azov, forget it)
Your turn
Him, her or them, which form will you use most this week?
Published 11 October 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.