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Expressions

מַה שֶּׁבֶּאֱמֶת אוֹמְרִים · what Israelis actually say

A word list tells you what an expression means. It almost never tells you the thing that actually decides whether you can use it: when, with whom, and at what register. Knowing that חֲבָל עַל הַזְּמַן literally reads "a waste of time" while meaning "amazing" is the difference between sounding fluent and sounding lost. Every entry here carries that note. Tap breakdown on any of them to see root, binyan and gender per word.

How to use this page. Do not memorize it top to bottom. Pick one category, take the five expressions you would plausibly have needed this week, and use them badly until they stick. The literal line, when present, is there because the gap between the literal reading and the meaning is the lesson.