Lesson 130: Reading the News
News Hebrew has its own flavour: dense construct chains (smichut), formal verbs from the higher binyanim, and careful attribution (“according to…”, “experts claim…”). Learn to read it and the whole written language opens up.
A news item
רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה הוֹדִיעַ אֶתְמוֹל עַל תָּכְנִית כַּלְכָּלִית חֲדָשָׁה.
rosh hamemshala hodia etmol al tochnit kalkalit chadasha.
The Prime Minister announced yesterday a new economic plan.
לְפִי הַדִּוּוּחַ, הַתָּכְנִית תִּכְלֹל הוֹרָדַת מִסִּים וְהַשְׁקָעָה בְּחִנּוּךְ.
lefi hadivuach, hatochnit tichlol horadat misim vehashka’a bechinuch.
According to the report, the plan will include tax cuts and investment in education.
מֻמְחִים טוֹעֲנִים כִּי הַצְּעָדִים יְקַדְּמוּ אֶת הַמֶּשֶׁק.
mumchim to’anim ki hatse’adim yekademu et hameshek.
Experts claim that the measures will advance the economy.
עִם זֹאת, הָאוֹפּוֹזִיצְיָה מוֹתַחַת בִּקֹּרֶת עַל הַהֶחְלָטָה.
im zot, ha’opozitsya motachat bikoret al hahachlata.
However, the opposition is criticizing the decision.
Grammar: the construct chain (smichut)
Formal Hebrew links two nouns directly to mean “X of Y”, with “the” attaching only to the second noun:
| Hebrew | Romanization | Literal | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה | rosh hamemshala | head of-the-government | the Prime Minister |
| הוֹרָדַת מִסִּים | horadat misim | lowering of-taxes | tax cuts |
| שַׂר הַחוּץ | sar hachuts | minister of-the-outside | the foreign minister |
The first noun often changes form slightly (הוֹרָדָה → הוֹרָדַת). News verbs are typically hif’il (causative), e.g. הוֹדִיעַ (hodia, “announced”), and claims are introduced with כִּי (ki, the formal “that”) rather than she‑.
Tip: לְפִי (lefi, “according to”) and עִם זֹאת (im zot, “however”) are the signposts of attribution and contrast in any Hebrew article.
Vocabulary
Politics & economy
| מֶמְשָׁלָה | memshala | government |
| כַּלְכָּלָה | kalkala | economy |
| מִסִּים | misim | taxes |
| מֶשֶׁק | meshek | the economy (the “national household”) |
Journalistic verbs
| הוֹדִיעַ | hodia | announced |
| טוֹעֵן | to’en | claims, argues |
| מוֹתֵחַ בִּקֹּרֶת | moteach bikoret | criticizes |
Signpost words
| לְפִי | lefi | according to |
| עִם זֹאת | im zot | however, nonetheless |
| מֻמְחֶה | mumche | expert |
| הֶחְלָטָה | hachlata | decision |