Lesson 46: Making Phone Calls
Phone calls have their own set phrases. Learn these and you can ask for someone, hear they’re out, and leave a message — all in Hebrew.
A quick call
הַלּוֹ, אֶפְשָׁר לְדַבֵּר עִם דָּנָה?
halo, efshar ledaber im Dana?
Hello, can I speak with Dana?
רֶגַע, אֲנִי קוֹרֵאת לָהּ… הִיא לֹא בַּבַּיִת.
rega, ani koret la… hi lo babayit.
One moment, I’ll call her… She’s not home.
אֶפְשָׁר לְהַשְׁאִיר הוֹדָעָה?
efshar lehash’ir hoda’a?
Can I leave a message?
בְּוַדַּאי.
bevadai.
Of course.
תַּגִּידִי לָהּ שֶׁאוּרִי הִתְקַשֵּׁר.
tagidi la she’uri hitkasher.
Tell her that Uri called.
Grammar: phone phrases
On the phone, Hebrew opens with הַלּוֹ (halo). The key polite request is אֶפְשָׁר לְדַבֵּר עִם…? (efshar ledaber im…?, “can I speak with…?”):
- אֶפְשָׁר לְהַשְׁאִיר הוֹדָעָה? efshar lehash’ir hoda’a? — “Can I leave a message?”
To pass on a message, use the imperative “tell”: תַּגִּיד (tagid, to a man) / תַּגִּידִי (tagidi, to a woman) + לוֹ / לָהּ (lo / la, “to him / to her”) + שֶׁ־ (she-, “that…”).
Tip: “To call (someone)” on the phone is לְהִתְקַשֵּׁר (lehitkasher) — different from לִקְרֹא (likro), which is “to call out / to read”.
Vocabulary
On the phone
| הַלּוֹ | halo | hello (on the phone) |
| לְהִתְקַשֵּׁר | lehitkasher | to phone, call |
| הוֹדָעָה | hoda’a | message |
| לְהַשְׁאִיר | lehash’ir | to leave (behind) |
Useful words
| רֶגַע | rega | a moment |
| תָּפוּס | tafus | busy, occupied |
| תַּגִּיד / תַּגִּידִי | tagid / tagidi | tell! (m. / f.) |