Lesson 102: Renting an Apartment
Finding a place to live means describing rooms and, above all, comparing options. This lesson gives you the words for a home and the grammar of “more than” and “less than”.
Viewing the apartment
הַדִּירָה הַזֹּאת גְּדוֹלָה וּמוּאֶרֶת.
hadira hazot gdola umu’eret.
This apartment is big and bright.
כַּמָּה חֲדָרִים יֵשׁ בָּהּ?
kama chadarim yesh ba?
How many rooms does it have?
שְׁלוֹשָׁה חֲדָרִים, מִטְבָּח וּמִרְפֶּסֶת.
shlosha chadarim, mitbach umirpeset.
Three rooms, a kitchen, and a balcony.
הִיא יְקָרָה יוֹתֵר מִן הַדִּירָה הַקּוֹדֶמֶת.
hi yekara yoter min hadira hakodemet.
It’s more expensive than the previous apartment.
נָכוֹן, אֲבָל הִיא גַּם קְרוֹבָה יוֹתֵר לַמֶּרְכָּז.
nachon, aval hi gam krova yoter lamerkaz.
True, but it’s also closer to the center.
אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לַחְשֹׁב עַל זֶה.
ani tsarich lachshov al ze.
I need to think about it.
Grammar: comparing things
Hebrew builds comparisons with יוֹתֵר (yoter, “more”) and פָּחוֹת (pachot, “less”), with “than” expressed by מִן / מ־ (min / mi‑):
| Hebrew | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| יְקָרָה יוֹתֵר מִן… | yekara yoter min… | more expensive than… |
| פָּחוֹת גְּדוֹלָה מ… | pachot gdola mi… | less big than… |
| הֲכִי יָפָה | hachi yafa | the most beautiful |
The order is flexible: יוֹתֵר יָקָר and יָקָר יוֹתֵר both mean “more expensive”. For the superlative (“the most”), just put הֲכִי (hachi) before the adjective.
Tip: Adjectives still agree in gender. The apartment (דִּירָה, feminine) is יְקָרָה (yekara), not yakar.
Vocabulary
The home
| דִּירָה | dira | apartment |
| חֶדֶר | cheder | room |
| מִטְבָּח | mitbach | kitchen |
| מִרְפֶּסֶת | mirpeset | balcony |
| קוֹמָה | koma | floor, storey |
Renting
| שְׂכִירוּת | schirut | rent, tenancy |
| יָקָר | yakar | expensive |
| זוֹל | zol | cheap |
| מֶרְכָּז | merkaz | center |
Comparing
| יוֹתֵר | yoter | more |
| פָּחוֹת | pachot | less |
| הֲכִי | hachi | the most |
| קוֹדֵם | kodem | previous, prior |