I Don't Understand

     Hey there!  So, Hannah and I have been taking Hebrew classes (on the computer), and thought we would share with you a little of what we've learned.

     One of the most important things you could ever know when you're in another country that speaks a different language is:  "I don't understand [Hebrew]."  Agreed?  Anyway, those are the first four words we learned.  We would like to share them with you!

     Here's the words in Hebrew (English text) and in English:

     Ani (ah-nee) : I       
     lo : no      
     mevin (meh-veen, masculine) : understand  
     mevina (meh-veen-ah, feminine) : understand
     Evreet (eev-reet) : Hebrew

     So, in order to say "I don't understand Hebrew," you're literally going to say "I no understand Hebrew."  Also, when speaking Hebrew, men and women, when addressing themselves or each other, are very careful to distinguish between the two.  For many words, there are two variations, one for the female when referring to herself or another woman, and one for a male when referring to himself or another man.  If a man was referring to a woman, he would say the feminine variation of the word, and vice-versa.   Make sense?  Basically, there are two ways to say "I no understand Hebrew."

     Male - Ani lo mevin Evreet
     Female - Ani lo mevina Evreet

     Be sure you say it out loud!  Get yourself used to the sound of it...  That's the most important key!

    With that, I'm going to head out.  I hope this has been useful!

Sophia