Lesson 15: Food and Meals
Everyone needs to talk about food. This lesson gives you the three meals, some everyday foods, and how to say you’re hungry or thirsty.
Breakfast at home
בֹּקֶר טוֹב! אַתָּה רָעֵב?
boker tov! ata ra’ev?
Good morning! Are you hungry?
כֵּן, מְאוֹד. מָה יֵשׁ לַאֲרוּחַת בֹּקֶר?
ken, me’od. ma yesh la’aruchat boker?
Yes, very. What’s for breakfast?
יֵשׁ לֶחֶם, בֵּיצִים וּגְבִינָה.
yesh lechem, beitsim ugvina.
There’s bread, eggs and cheese.
נֶהְדָּר! אֲנִי גַּם צָמֵא — יֵשׁ מִיץ?
nehedar! ani gam tsame — yesh mits?
Great! I’m also thirsty — is there juice?
בְּטַח, בַּמְּקָרֵר.
betach, bamkarer.
Sure, in the fridge.
Grammar: “I’m hungry / thirsty”
Hebrew says hunger and thirst with an adjective (that agrees with you), not a verb — literally “I am hungry”:
| Hebrew | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי רָעֵב / רְעֵבָה | ani ra’ev / re’eva | I’m hungry (m. / f.) |
| אֲנִי צָמֵא / צְמֵאָה | ani tsame / tsme’a | I’m thirsty (m. / f.) |
The three meals are all built with אֲרוּחָה (arucha, “meal”) + the time of day:
- אֲרוּחַת בֹּקֶר aruchat boker — breakfast
- אֲרוּחַת צָהֳרַיִם aruchat tsohorayim — lunch
- אֲרוּחַת עֶרֶב aruchat erev — dinner
Tip: Notice אֲרוּחָה becomes אֲרוּחַת before the next word — the same “construct” link you saw in beit cholim (hospital).
Vocabulary
Meals
| אֲרוּחָה | arucha | meal |
| אֲרוּחַת בֹּקֶר | aruchat boker | breakfast |
| אֲרוּחַת צָהֳרַיִם | aruchat tsohorayim | lunch |
Food & drink
| לֶחֶם | lechem | bread |
| בֵּיצָה | beitsa | egg |
| גְּבִינָה | gvina | cheese |
| מִיץ | mits | juice |
Adjectives
| רָעֵב | ra’ev | hungry |
| צָמֵא | tsame | thirsty |