Hebrew word of the day · Street Hebrew and slang
נְשָׁמָהneshama
sweetheart, dear
A Tel Aviv bus driver will call you נְשָׁמָה before he knows your name.
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
תּוֹדָה, נְשָׁמָה, אַתָּה מַלְאָךְ
toda, neshama, ata mal'akh
Thanks, sweetheart, you're an angel
How Israelis use neshama
נְשָׁמָה
(neshama, sweetheart). Literally it means soul.
✗Too much, too fast
תּוֹדָה, אֲהוּבָה שֶׁלִּי (toda, ahuva sheli, thanks, my love). The waitress hears a proposal.
✓What Israelis say
תּוֹדָה, נְשָׁמָה, אַתָּה מַלְאָךְ (toda, neshama, ata mal'akh, thanks, sweetheart, you're an angel)
Why it works
Warmth here is public. The word costs nothing and nobody reads it as flirting.
One word changes the target
נְשָׁמָה שֶׁלִּי (neshama sheli, my sweetheart). That one is for people you love.
Say it this week
Someone holds the door, hands you change, finds your size. Thank them and add neshama.
Your turn
Who called you neshama first, a cab driver, a neighbour or your partner's mum?
The mistake English speakers make
נְשָׁמָה is a feminine word. The guy you're saying it to is not.
נְשָׁמָה
(neshama, sweetheart) Literally soul. Israelis say it to a friend, a waiter, anyone they like.
✗Said to a man
תּוֹדָה, נְשָׁמָה, אַתְּ מַלְאָךְ (toda, neshama, at mal'akh) He hears you thanking some woman behind him.
✓Said to a man
תּוֹדָה, נְשָׁמָה, אַתָּה מַלְאָךְ (toda, neshama, ata mal'akh, thanks sweetheart, you're an angel)
✓Said to a woman
תּוֹדָה, נְשָׁמָה, אַתְּ מַלְאָךְ (toda, neshama, at mal'akh) Same word, the ending follows her.
Why
The word stays the same for everyone. Everything around it follows the person standing in front of you.
Say it tonight
A friend brings you coffee without being asked. נְשָׁמָה שֶׁלִּי (neshama sheli, my sweetheart)
Your turn
Who in your life gets called this first, and have you ever slipped on the ending?
Published 18 October 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.