Lesson 106: Making a Complaint
Sometimes things go wrong and you need to speak up. Complaining well in Hebrew means being clear and firm while staying polite — a genuinely useful B2 skill.
Returning a faulty device
שָׁלוֹם, אֲנִי רוֹצֶה לְהִתְלוֹנֵן. הַמַּכְשִׁיר פָּגוּם.
shalom, ani rotse lehitlonen. hamachshir pagum.
Hello, I’d like to complain. The device is faulty.
מָה הַבְּעָיָה בְּדִיּוּק?
ma habe’aya bediyuk?
What exactly is the problem?
הוּא לֹא נִדְלָק. קָנִיתִי אוֹתוֹ אֶתְמוֹל.
hu lo nidlak. kaniti oto etmol.
It doesn’t turn on. I bought it yesterday.
אֲנִי מִצְטַעֵר. אַתָּה רוֹצֶה הֶחְזֵר אוֹ הַחְלָפָה?
ani mitsta’er. ata rotse hechzer o hachlafa?
I’m sorry. Would you like a refund or a replacement?
הֶחְזֵר, בְּבַקָּשָׁה.
hechzer, bevakasha.
A refund, please.
Grammar: complaining clearly
Open with intent, not aggression: אֲנִי רוֹצֶה לְהִתְלוֹנֵן (ani rotse lehitlonen, “I’d like to complain”) — softer than barking a demand. Then state the fact plainly:
- הַמַּכְשִׁיר פָּגוּם hamachshir pagum — “the device is faulty”
- זֶה לֹא עוֹבֵד ze lo oved — “it doesn’t work”
Then name what you want, using the two key nouns: הֶחְזֵר (hechzer, “refund”) or הַחְלָפָה (hachlafa, “exchange”).
Tip: לְפִי הַחֹק (lefi hachok, “by law”) and אַחֲרָיוּת (achrayut, “warranty”) are the words that turn a request into a firm, well-grounded one.
Vocabulary
Complaining
| תְּלוּנָה | tluna | complaint |
| לְהִתְלוֹנֵן | lehitlonen | to complain |
| פָּגוּם | pagum | faulty, defective |
| לְתַקֵּן | letaken | to fix, repair |
Resolving it
| הֶחְזֵר | hechzer | refund |
| הַחְלָפָה | hachlafa | exchange, replacement |
| אַחֲרָיוּת | achrayut | warranty; responsibility |
| מַכְשִׁיר | machshir | device, appliance |