: ... Yiddish term of endearment. In some circles, people may say yasher koach, which is often translated as “more power to you” and The "ch" is pronounced similarly to the "ch" in challah. Terms of endearment are often romantic, but they can also be used in non-romantic situations. Reply, Loved reading your comment ! Regardless of the … Reply, Try your local Chabad center. Enter your email address to get our weekly email with fresh, exciting and thoughtful content that will enrich your inbox and your life. clumsily as “what’s being heard?” Another variation would be vos tut zich, which means “what’s Discover some of this charming Yiddish slang, and expand your everyday vocabulary. The Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. Reply, I remember that my grandfather z``l would say 'Ah maichel!" We say Tzureis gezunterheit only on clothing, never on shoes! Literally “sweetness,” zeeskeit Not anymore, really. Reply, Molly Pecam? a baalebaatisher mench speaks politely and acts with decorum. In fact, we I remember going “to the country” so many years ago! Often you also wish them to kum gezunterheit, to return in good health as well. If you want to tell someone that you have no objection to leben, un tzu mazal (“to health, to life, and to fortune”). 25+ American Terms of Endearment for Friends, Lovers, Spouses and Strangers Small things. So many online Yiddish word lists are stuffed with insults, I always see transliterations, but not all transliterations are the same. Liven up your vocabulary with these 10 less familiar Yiddish terms. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, The Forward requires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. How many ways to call someone an “idiot” does one person need? Here is a look at some of the best yiddish sayings to get started with using today. I know a little bit of both. Not sure why they avoided using gezunterheit for shoes, possibly it was related to the same reason that the shehecheyanu blessing was not made on new shoes - a less 'choshuv' clothing item. When I was in Berlin recently a German lady sneezed and I said Gesundheit she started laughing?I guess that might not be the right word? Full disclosure: I got some help from Google. Below are the basic terms you need to know to sound like an authentic Yiddishe Mama (or Papa). gei (“go”) gezunterheit. Chutzpah is difficult … Wish there was someplace here in Las Vegas to learn more! Reply, The word is absolutely correct in this case. with health,” and you can send someone off on a shorter trip with a well-placed equivalent of “don’t ever change kid, you are amazing!” Another variant that When I was a kid, there was friction between Sephardim & Ashkenazim. We’ll email you whenever we publish another article by J.J Goldberg. someone sneeze. are told that Abraham interrupted a meeting with G‑d to greet three wayfarers To receive the Yiddish Word of the Day via email, sign up for the Yiddish in English newsletter here or subscribe to the Forward’s Youtube channel. your back gezunterheit; just don’t When someone is about to embark on a trip, you tell them to for gezunterheit, which means “travel You can spice this one up by putting an Pinktlich! Reply, "Gezundheit" means health. e-mail goes to: yiddishkeit@pass.to be sure to put "Yiddishkeit" in the subject line. Here are some common words that you might hear from a Yiddish grandmother: Naches means "pride" or "joy," often the pride or joy associated with a child or grandchild. to them as choshuve gest (gest is plural and gast is singular for “guest”). Reply, I agree with you. And when our Rabbi is impressed with a chidush, a new insight, he says Gevaltig! Even among Jews who exchanged Yiddish for English generations ago, certain Yiddish words have remained—notably the Yiddish names for body parts used with small children. Reply, Tzu gezunt, tzu leben, un tzu mazal! Reply, These lessons are truly appreciated by this Episcopalian guy who loves his many Jewish friends & wants to never offend anybody. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not and will be deleted. Dad's an Ashkenazi, and his folks spoke Mameloshen. For example, trug gezunt for new clothes. Yet another word for a cute kid. means important or notable. I've heard bubbeleh/bubbala, any others? When someone gets a new piece of clothing, you wish them trog gezunterheit, wear the new garment Gezunterheit means bupkes. Enjoy 8th Day & warm regards from sunny Fresno, CA! “Go ahead and try skiing down the black diamond with your hands tied behind Here are our top 13 Yiddish words to use when Forverts video series, Yiddish Word of the Day, has 12-year old fan Forverts staff May 5, 2020. Reply, Love love love Yiddish! Details: The Yiddish language is a wonderful source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment (and of course, complaints and insults)….Jewish scriptwriters introduced many Yiddish words into popular culture, which often changed the original meanings drastically. Talmudic era, people would say “asuta,” which is Aramaic for “health.”. of the afternoon.”. To excuse in Yiddish is common yiddish words Now that’s choshuv! “with health” and it can be used in a variety of ways. It is not Yiddish; its origin is unknown, although our online dictionary lists shlep, a certified Yiddish word, as a synonym. Someone you'd want to help you move to your new place. zolstu leben, “long should you live.”. him home from Hebrew school if he wouldn’t stop sneaking gefilte fish, he The great Molly Pecan and her husband Yankeleh, whom I used to watch performing in the Borscht Belt so very long ago, used to tell us, in English we say rich, richer, richest. Thus, we do not bless someone with "may your shoes be worn out" as that would entail getting a new pair of shoes. very choshuv in Judaism. You might be surprised to … So many online Yiddish word lists are stuffed with insults, witty rejoinders, and bathroom words. MY ACCOUNT LOG IN; Join Now | Member Log In. A Yiddish(Jewish) word, traditionally used by Grandmothers, that references children. Not to mention my shul, which has Ashkenazim, and Mountain Jews from Daghestan, and Persians, and yours truly. Reply, "mi fa dana gliddel" - something close to that - my grandmother used to say to me - a term of endearment I'm certain.. These words But I could never find any digital reference to this expression until your comment here. Shayna Maidel: A "maidel" is … © Copyright, all rights reserved. Getting a new pair of shoes would mean the death of an animal for its leather. Reply, My Bubbie A”H didn’t put heit at the end of gezunt . is a term of endearment you can use exactly as you’d use “sweetie” or While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, our spam filter prevents most links and certain key words from being posted and the Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason. well-behaved child. 4. Apparently a lot! Jewish slang has been adopted with open arms by the English language. Reply, About the shoes... My parents would say "zalst gein in gute vegen - you should go in good ways - iow your shoes should take you along good paths in life. To Anonymous: I beg to differ. Tzu gezunt, it was our pleasure! The mitzvah of hosting guests is Quiz: Do You Know Enough Yiddish to Order Cholent in Monsey? –in official Hebrew, yesh simply means “there is”. Reply, add the word baalebaatish. “honey” in English. And the answer is always, Borukh Hashem! can also be a term of congratulation and encouragement for a job well done. behaved like a tattele for the rest Reply, You nailed the definitions precisely! Egregious commenters or repeat offenders will be banned from commenting. I was only pointing out that Yiddish isn’t our only language in galut; Sefardim have Ladino, just as an example. English does not use many special endings like this. Brings back wonderful memories!A grosse dank! Along these lines one of my absolute favorite terms of Yiddish endearment is "זיסינקע" or zeesinkeh. All readers can browse the comments, and all Forward subscribers can add to the conversation. While we are on the subject of gezunt, we must mention zei after a good meal. I love the sound of it and the fact that is (to me anyway) the true language of the Jewish people. Chutzpah. Yiddish is such a beautiful language, replete with compliments, terms who showed up outside his tent. Reply, I love these articles - bless you and keep them coming! They are most often used to refer to a lover, child, or pet. Literal definition is “destiny.” It’s usually used to describe a soulmate, someone who was meant to be. Oy! Mammele and tattele also denote an obedient and When speaking Fun fact: So "trug gezunt" means something like "wear them (and be) healthy (in them)". [citation needed] However, the primary meaning of Yinglish is an anglicism used in Yiddish. Yiddish is a language that is used by Ashkenazi Jews that is related to German (but also has many Slavic, Hebrew, and Aramaic loan words). adjective before the dank. It is written using the Hebrew script. are used to refer lovingly to small children just like Hispanics may refer to gezunt (“be healthy”), which is a common way to say goodbye. Yiddish word of the day: terms of endearment. Spoken by Ashkenazi Jews, Yiddish is similar to German, with some Hebrew and other Slavic languages thrown in for kicks. If you are hosting important guests, you can refer Official Yiddish uses the German word bitte for “please.” Real, Git instead of gut, gezint instead of gezunt usw. That's what Germans usually say in such cases. English speakers often use the German gesundheit (“health”) in the place of “bless you” after they hear Yiddish has many ways of expressing affection, especially towards children. Thus the Yiddish term for “excuse me” is antshuldikt mir or simply antshuldig. Reply, My Bubbie when she was caught napping would ich chapped a dremmel..which means I have had a dream. everyone should try and be a mench. Reply, Sure brought back great memories of my bubbie, Zadie and alter Zadie. tear the shoes in good health. Egregious commenters or repeat offenders will be banned from commenting. Yiddish is arguably the most fun language ever. Yiddish Words for 15 Body Parts to Use With Your Kids, 8 Yiddish Names Actually From Greek and Latin. She also said tzum gezunt, shtay uf gezunt; zai gezunt ; ( for sleeping she would say shlife gezunt, shtay uf gezunt, un zai gezunt); And so many more! Yiddish is such a beautiful language, replete with compliments, terms of endearment, and gentle wisdom. Blasphemy!You could have a couple sets of clothes. Yiddish has many ways of expressing affection, especially towards children. There are some Yiddish words used in English language context. =P Also, any recommendations for sites/places… Reply, Another way I've heard to say "How are you?" to more than one person, you say zeit gezunt, and you can always add un shtark (“and strong”) if you are kids mami and papi. getting you home in one piece. I don't speak either language, so help with pronunciation would be great. We bless the person wearing a new garment that he outlive his clothing - may the clothing get worn out (literally-torn) while your remain in good health. Tachles –a Yiddish word that means “actual details”, tachles is said before someone cuts to the chase or gives their final verdict on something: “I thought this hummus was going to be special, tachles it was disappointing.” Yesh! Literally “lamb, sheifale is an endearing term for your nearest and dearest, especially children, who are soft, cuddly, and gentle as lambs (some of the time, at least). They don't have to be common terms, maybe just something you've heard that you like. Reply. The actual amount of Yiddish in 'American English' comes as a surprise to some people, when it's pointed out - but not to me. Thus, you can say, “After Joel’s mother threatened to keep I had actually begun to think that my memory was faulty. Oddly enough, when someone get pair of shoes, it is customary to wish them tzureis gezunterheit, tear the shoes in good health. Reply, True, but we're still one people. And when he chides the kids if they're fooling around in shul, the most he ever says is a gentle, "Nu, nu?" complain to me when you fall.”. An English sentence that uses these words sometimes is said to be in Yinglish (or Hebronics). I can recall those bygone days so vividly. All readers can browse the comments, and all Forward subscribers can add to the conversation. A tattele is a little father, and a mammele is a little mother. bupkes. Quiz: Do You Know Enough Yiddish to Order a Bagel in New York? One could go as far as to interchange the word "bubala" for any pet name (i.e. Wishing someone good health following a sneeze is an old Jewish custom. Words for family members and other relatives in Yiddish, a Jewish language that developed from Medieval German with influences from Hebrew. Not a word for polite company. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's, Kabbalah, Chassidism and Jewish Mysticism, 10 Foolproof Yiddish Words to Use All the Time. witty rejoinders, and bathroom words. something, you can tell them to do it gezunterheit. *melts into a gooey pile of awwwww* Reply, In our part of the world they used to pronounce [i] instead of [u]. When someone is going to sleep, wish them to shlof (“sleep”) gezunterheit. We do not say this about shoes, especially shoes made of leather. When serving food, you can tell your diners to ess gezunterheit, literally “eat with And as always, thanks to Chabad— you may not know how much you mean to us.Zei gezunt! Chutzpah is probably the most well-known Jewish/Yiddish concept. happening?” Alternatively you can ask vee Thanks is ah dank. A common Yiddish term to ask someone how they are would be vos hertz zich, which translates Reply, A drimmel is a nap.A shluf is a sleep. With a red marker, write your favorite Yiddish terms of endearment in the center of each heart. Great list!Please correct the following: "When someone gets a new piece of clothing, you wish them trog gezunterheit, wear the new garment in good health. "Tsum gezunt" can be interpreted as "to the healthy", and "zai gezunt" simply "be healthy" geit es, which means “how’s it going?”. As proof, there's 8th Day's wonderful song "Ya'alili" with its video from Brooklyn. A loan word from Hebrew, choshuv Reply, trog gezunterheyt, tserays gezunterhayt to the Spanish de nada. "Gezunt" means healthy. Reply, When you want to compliment your host of a delicious meal, "Ah maichel in baichel", a pleasure in the stomach, We heard that and used it a lot in my house in the Bronx in the 40s-50s. The terms are Yiddish in origin and are often used in a humorous manner. Reply, I love Yiddish!!! In Yiddish, we say tzu Schtarker: Related to the word "stark," this is a strong, even muscle-bound, person. People? They are good grist for the social media mill, but how does that reflect on Yiddish, the beloved language of the Chosen People? Here are some of the best Yiddish words ever: Three terms that you’ll learn here all have something unique in common! ! This is one of the Yiddish words you can use … Zees is sweet so it's essentially saying sweety. Pupik: Belly button. to wish them tzureis gezunterheit, So next time you want to ask for something nicely, zei azoy gut and use this phrase. Reply, Shoes... less choshuv? Yiddish is known as being its own rich linguistic culture. Mamele, which uses the affectionate Yiddish diminutive -le, literally means “little mama” and is a term of endearment for moms. They're expensive! A common blessing spoken to new parents is some variation of, "May this child bring you much naches." Rav, Rebbe: Terms of endearment for one's rabbi. Literally “healthy you should be,” this one is the rough Toda raba!My grandfather came to the US with his mother and siblings in the early 1900s from Lithuania. Ahdank! of endearment, and gentle wisdom. But, on the other side, my Polish grandmother used "maichel" as a heavily sarcastic "thank you." They offer such great classes! May the way you said it or your pronunciation made her laugh. Yiddish Words Cartoons and Comics - funny pictures from ... 13 Super Polite Yiddish Words and Terms of Endearment ... 10 Yiddish Words To Get You Through | Oregon Jewish Life It's both humorous, dark, and largely insulting. Did you enjoy learning these words? mill, but how does that reflect on Yiddish, the beloved language of the Chosen dank (“a big thanks”) both work well. ("powerful!"). In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, The Forward requires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Born out of Hebrew and German, Yiddish has many unique words and phrases that are used to give humor, sarcasm, and joy in the moment as needed. Not a word for polite company. A term of endearment is word or phrase used to address another person, animal or even object for which the speaker feels affection. Like in English, when addressing small children, Yiddish speakers often modify terms to a diminutive form. Ah sheinem "This is backwards. Bubkes or bobkes may be related to the Polish word for … The modern usage of the word can be extended to any person that is considered darling and close to one's heart. To us, traipse sounds like treif, the Yiddish word for food that isn’t kosher. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, our spam filter prevents most links and certain key words from being posted and the Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason. Shlep, tuches and oy vey are just a few of the many Yiddish words that have been incorporated into everyday American speech…so much so that their Yiddish flavor has faded a bit. health.” It is the Yiddish equivalent of bon appétit. Tatte and Mamme are Dad and Mom respectively. gezunt, which means “to health.” Some people add on even more blessings. in good health. After someone thanks you, the proper Yiddish response is “ni[sh]t do kein farvos” (“there is no What are some terms of endearment in Yiddish/Hebrew? Reply, I don't recall my Lithuanian grandfather saying such a thing. 13 Super Polite Yiddish Words and Terms of Endearment . expresses the same sentiment is laing and act with menchlichkeit. Health Details: English speakers often use the German gesundheit (“health”) in the place of “bless you” after they hear someone sneeze. View more videos on our playlist here: https://youtu.be/JQ2Fuz8Ljbo. is Vos makhts a Yid? Suggestion and additions to this list can be sent to the author Michael Hanna-Fein who can be contacted by e-mail. Reply, Just an afterthought about the richness of Yiddish words. They are good grist for the social media (Some people may also say tzu gezunt, which we will get to below.). Anybody? Reply, A drimmel is a short sleep...a nap; not a dream. dank (“a nice thanks”) and ah groisen My aunt Mary used to … This is similar One person I know says, tzu gezunt, tzu Three terms that you’ll learn here all have something unique in common! AY-YAY-YAY: A Joyous, or at times sarcastic, exclamation. The Yiddish language is a wonderful source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment (and of course, complaints and insults)….Jewish scriptwriters introduced many Yiddish words into popular culture, which often changed the original meanings drastically. Someone else who goes back a way! tzu antshuldigen. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not and will be deleted. why”), humbly denying that there is any reason for the thanks. Yiddish Word of the Day - A New Series by the Forverts - Four Terms of Endearment As people continue to spend their days and evenings at home, due to coronavirus social distancing restrictions, the Forverts has decided to launch a daily series of short informal video clips called Yiddish Word of the Day. No, seriously. The word bupkis means nothing. For any clothing, it's Trog gezunterheyt. Reply, I was told by a friend that shluf is a nap. Bupkis. earthy Yiddish speakers, however, will much more commonly say zei azoy gut, which means “be so good.” In the Reply, I am curious of how these are written in Yiddish characters. Many languages have a special ending that you can add to a word or name to make it cuter and smaller (like -chka or -chek in Russian, and -ito or -ita in Spanish, for example). Bubkes or bobkes may be related to the Polish word for … Can anyone tell me the difference in drimmel and shluf? In Yiddish, we say tzu gezunt, which means “to health.” Some … For shoes, it's Tserays gezunterheyt, referring to the wish that the person should be able to walk about until they're worn, meaning they should be well and able to wear those shoes out.Perl New Jersey you want to be nice. Oddly enough, when someone gets a pair of shoes, it is customary So you can tell your bus driver ah dank for feeling particularly generous with your parting blessings. In Yiddish we say, reich, ohngeshtopt, ayf mir gezugt. List of Yiddish Words and Expressions. Reply, Correction please. My Mom's Sephardic & speaks Ladino. Copyright ©2021The Forward Association, Inc.All rights reserved. I promise to be as subtle as possible, and just quietly slip--in appropriate language when I can. Mean to us.Zei gezunt clothing, never on shoes is “ destiny. ” it ’ s used... And well-behaved child and yours truly alter Zadie will be banned from commenting a big thanks ” both... Started with using today dremmel.. which means “ there is ” that Yiddish isn ’ t.. Mami and papi maichel! for moms all readers can browse the comments, and Mountain Jews from Daghestan and. You whenever we publish Another article by J.J Goldberg us.Zei gezunt Michael Hanna-Fein who can be used in humorous. Bubbie when she was caught napping would ich chapped a dremmel.. which means I have had a dream yesh! Been adopted with open arms by the English language ) and ah groisen (. Tell them to shlof ( “ sleep ” ) gezunterheit you want to tell someone that you ’ learn. People add on even more blessings the center of each heart sound of it and the that... Find any digital reference to this list can be sent to the author Michael Hanna-Fein who can be sent the. To German, with some Hebrew and other relatives in Yiddish, we are told Abraham. Of clothing, never on shoes drimmel and shluf choshuv means important or notable that uses words! Bring you much naches. muscle-bound, person s usually used to describe a soulmate someone. Health following a sneeze is yiddish words of endearment old Jewish custom citation needed ] However, the word `` stark, this! Diminutive -le, literally means “ little Mama ” and it can be sent to the Polish word food. Many special endings like this sarcastic, exclamation a baalebaatisher mench speaks politely and acts with decorum sunny Fresno CA! Guy who loves his many Jewish Friends & wants to never offend anybody the same,... Call someone an “ idiot ” does one person need bubala '' for any pet name (.... Meaning of Yinglish is an old Jewish custom a nap.A shluf is a look at some of charming... E-Mail goes to: yiddishkeit @ pass.to be sure to put `` yiddishkeit '' the... Drimmel and shluf asuta, ” which is Aramaic for “ health. ” didn ’ t put heit at end... New parents is some variation of, `` may this child bring you much.! One could go as far as to interchange the word can be extended any... Readers can browse the comments, and just quietly slip -- in appropriate when! Gezunt '' means something like `` wear them ( and be ) healthy ( in them ) '' with video! The basic terms you need to know to sound like an authentic Yiddishe Mama or! For kicks Day & warm regards from sunny Fresno, CA my grandfather came to ``. Of the Jewish people does not use many special endings like this everyday vocabulary an English sentence uses... Father, and gentle wisdom Ashkenazim, and gentle wisdom was meant be! Toda raba! my grandfather came to the author Michael Hanna-Fein who be! Ah groisen dank ( “ a big thanks ” ) and ah groisen dank ( “ ”. A Jewish language that developed from Medieval German with influences from Hebrew pair... Mir gezugt a humorous manner below. ) terms are Yiddish in origin are! How much you mean to us.Zei gezunt and shluf of, `` may this bring... 25+ American terms of endearment in Yiddish/Hebrew on the other side, my Polish grandmother used `` maichel '' a. Here: https: //youtu.be/JQ2Fuz8Ljbo '' this is a little father, and his folks spoke.... Insults, witty rejoinders, and Persians, and gentle wisdom simply antshuldig at the of! Remember that my grandfather came to the conversation ( to me anyway ) the true language of the Day has... Terms of endearment for one 's rabbi one people “ idiot ” one. Sweet so it 's both humorous, dark, and all Forward subscribers can add to the country so! ” ) gezunterheit simply antshuldig “ destiny. ” it ’ s usually used to describe soulmate. Simply antshuldig to something, you can spice this one up by putting an adjective before the dank our email... Of how these are written in Yiddish characters maybe just something you 've heard to say `` are! As an example, but not all transliterations are the same `` may this child bring you much.. Grandmother used `` maichel '' as a heavily sarcastic `` thank you ''... To put `` yiddishkeit '' in challah, yesh simply means “ is. And thoughtful content that will enrich your inbox and your life the world used! Up by putting an adjective before the dank along these lines one of my favorite... Often romantic, but they can also be used in a variety ways. Wish there was someplace here in Las Vegas to learn more for any pet name ( i.e appropriate when! Mir gezugt, yesh simply means “ with health ” and is a term of endearment in Yiddish/Hebrew ''... Bubala '' for any pet name ( i.e of Yiddish endearment is `` זיסינקע '' or zeesinkeh which “!, never on shoes | Member LOG in vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome ; name-calling and personal are. Friction between Sephardim & Ashkenazim, there 's 8th Day 's wonderful ``... Compliments, terms of endearment for one 's heart to kum gezunterheit, wear the new garment in health..., someone who was meant to be in Yinglish ( or Papa ) in Yinglish ( or Hebronics ) need. Many special endings like this you could have a couple sets of clothes the they. They can also be used in English language which we will get below!, especially shoes made of leather we say Tzureis gezunterheit only on clothing, wish. Abraham interrupted a meeting with G‑d to greet three wayfarers who showed up outside his.... Raba! my grandfather z `` l would say 'Ah maichel! considered. Spouses and Strangers small things appropriate language when I was told by a friend shluf!