Hebrew word of the day · Street Hebrew and slang
בְּכֵיףbekef
my pleasure, sure
Someone asks you a favour. Israelis don't answer בְּבַקָּשָׁה.
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
בְּכֵיף, תִּתְקַשֵּׁר מָתַי שֶׁצָּרִיךְ
bekef, titkasher matai shetsarikh
My pleasure, call whenever you need
How Israelis use bekef
בְּכֵיף
(bekef, my pleasure, sure) One word, and the favour is already agreed to.
✗The usual mistake
Friend asks for a lift, you answer: בְּבַקָּשָׁה (bevakasha, please, here you go) Sounds like handing over an object.
✓What an Israeli says
בְּכֵיף (bekef, sure) Full sentence on the next slide.
In a sentence
בְּכֵיף, תִּתְקַשֵּׁר מָתַי שֶׁצָּרִיךְ (bekef, titkasher matai shetsarikh) My pleasure, call whenever you need.
Where the stress goes
Say it beKEF, with the weight on kef, the same kef as fun. Said flat it sounds unsure.
Say it tonight
Your partner asks you to take the trash down. One word, warm, done: בְּכֵיף
Register note
Friends, neighbours, the guy at the kiosk: perfect. A formal email to a landlord: choose something calmer.
The mistake English speakers make
"My pleasure" in Hebrew has no "my" in it.
בְּכֵיף
(bekef, my pleasure) Two syllables, and the sentence is done.
✗The word-for-word version
בְּכֵיף שֶׁלִּי (bekef sheli) An Israeli hears "in my fun" and waits for the rest of the sentence.
✓Just the word
בְּכֵיף (bekef, my pleasure) That's a full answer on its own.
Why
The word already carries the "happy to", so you don't hang an owner on the end of it.
Say it tonight
בְּכֵיף, תִּתְקַשֵּׁר מָתַי שֶׁצָּרִיךְ (bekef, titkasher matai shetsarikh) My pleasure, call whenever you need.
Same word, at the door
A neighbour asks you to take in a package. You answer with one word. בְּכֵיף
Your turn
What was the last favour someone asked you in Hebrew? Write it in the comments.
Published 20 October 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.