Hebrew-English Phrase Glossary
Here is a small translation dictionary of common Hebrew expressions of greeting or conversation "facilitators", especially ones you might encounter in e-mail. They are alphabetic by the English spelling of the Hebrew words. There are many common English spellings of the same Hebrew words, so this may cause some problems. For example, "Chag Sameach" (meaning Happy Holiday) is also often spelled "Hag Sameach" or even "Chag Sa'Mayoff". You may also see every combination of capitalization and small letters, except Yisrael which is always capitalized (but may be spelled Yisroel). And the phrase in Hebrew, among fluent Hebrew speakers, may be different from common Yiddish or other variations in the US or elsewhere. Oy veh!New entries are welcome — send them to the webmaster via email for inclusion.
| Hebrew | English |
|---|---|
| Al Tid'ag | Don't worry |
| Am Yisrael Chai | The people of Israel live! |
| Be'ahava | With love |
| Be'ahavat Yisrael | With a love for Israel and its people |
| Baruch dayan emet | Blessed is the Judge of truth |
| Be'hatzlacha | Good luck! |
| Be'koach | With strength |
| Be'shalom | With peace |
| Boker Tov | Good Morning |
| Chag Kasher V'Same'ach | Wishing you a happy and Kosher Holiday (Passover greeting) |
| Chag Sameach | Wishing you a Happy Holiday |
| Chag Succot sameach | Wishing you a Happy Succot |
| Chodesh tov | Have a good month! |
| Erev Tov | Good Evening |
| G'mar Chatima Tova | May you be sealed for goodness in the book of life |
| Hakarat ha'emet | Acknowledging the truth |
| Hakarat ha'tov | Acknowledge [a person] |
| Hazak Ve'ematz | Be strong and brave |
| Ken yehi ratzon | May it be God's will |
| Klal Yisrael | The entirety of Israel |
| Kol Hakavod | Congratulations! |
| Kol Tuv | Best wishes |
| Lamah Lo? | Why not? |
| L'shalom | May there be peace |
| L'Shana Tovah | Happy New Year |
| L'shana Tovah Tikatavu | May you be inscribed for a good year |
| Layla tov | Good Night |
| Lehit | Later dude! |
| Lehitra'ot | See you later |
| Mazal Tov | Congratulations |
| Nesi'ah tovah | Have a good trip! |
| Shalom | Hello/Peace/Goodbye |
| Shalom uvracha | Peace and blessing |
| Shalom v'Emet | Peace and Truth |
| Shana Tovah U'metuka | Wishing you a good, sweet New Year |
| Shavuah Tov | Have a Good Week (Shabbat greeting) |
| Tizke l'mitzvot | May you have the privilege of fulfilling the commandments |
| Toda | Thank you |
| Toda raba | Thank you very much |
| Yihiyeh Tov | Things will be okay |
| Yishar Koach | Well done! Keep it up! |
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