Hebrew word of the day · Street Hebrew and slang
חַלָאסkhalas
enough already!
Israelis don't say khalas softly. It's a full stop with a voice.
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
חַלָאס, מַסְפִּיק לָרִיב
khalas, maspik lariv
Enough already, stop fighting
How Israelis use khalas
חַלָאס
(khalas, enough already) Arabic by origin, Israeli by daily use.
Say it the way it's heard
The weight sits on the second syllable: khaLAS. KHAlas sounds read, not spoken.
✗The waiter mistake
More bread? and you answer חַלָאס (khalas) He hears you snapping at him.
✓Softer for a waiter
דַּי, תּוֹדָה (dai, toda, enough, thank you) Same message, no edge.
Why it feels heavy
Khalas ends a situation. Nobody answers it with a discussion, they just stop.
Say it tonight
Two kids arguing in the back seat: חַלָאס, מַסְפִּיק לָרִיב (khalas, maspik lariv)
Your turn
Who in your life gets the khalas, and who only ever gets the dai?
The mistake English speakers make
Enough food, enough coffee, enough noise: none of those is חַלָאס
חַלָאס
(khalas, enough already) The word everybody picks up in week one, and then uses one step too far.
✗The sentence to drop
חַלָאס אֹכֶל, תּוֹדָה (khalas okhel, toda) An Israeli hears: stop it, food.
✓What an Israeli says
מַסְפִּיק, תּוֹדָה (maspik, toda, enough, thank you) This is how you refuse a third helping.
Why
חַלָאס stops what's happening around you. It never counts a noun, so no food, coffee or noise after it.
Say it tonight
חַלָאס, מַסְפִּיק לָרִיב (khalas, maspik lariv, enough already, stop fighting) For the kids in the back seat.
Where it comes from
It walked in from Arabic and stayed. Warm and casual with friends and family, too blunt for a work email.
Your turn
Who said it to you first, a taxi driver, a boss or a grandmother? Tell us in the comments.
Published 13 October 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.