Lesson 109: Then and Now
A favourite topic at any dinner table: how things have changed. Contrasting “then” and “now” lets you weave the past and present tenses together into a real reflection.
How the world changed
פַּעַם, אֲנָשִׁים כָּתְבוּ מִכְתָּבִים בְּיָד.
pa’am, anashim katvu michtavim beyad.
In the past, people wrote letters by hand.
כַּיּוֹם, כֻּלָּם שׁוֹלְחִים הוֹדָעוֹת בַּטֶּלֶפוֹן.
kayom, kulam sholchim hoda’ot batelefon.
Nowadays, everyone sends messages on their phone.
הָעוֹלָם הִשְׁתַּנָּה מְאוֹד בְּעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה.
ha’olam hishtana me’od be’esrim shana.
The world has changed a lot in twenty years.
יֵשׁ דְּבָרִים שֶׁטּוֹבִים יוֹתֵר — וְיֵשׁ שֶׁחֲבָל עֲלֵיהֶם.
yesh dvarim shetovim yoter — veyesh shechaval aleihem.
Some things are better — and some are a shame (that they’re gone).
Grammar: contrasting the past and present
The whole structure hangs on two time words:
- פַּעַם pa’am — “once / in the past” → takes the past tense
- כַּיּוֹם kayom — “nowadays” → takes the present tense
So you pair פַּעַם כָּתְבוּ… (pa’am katvu…, “they used to write…”) against כַּיּוֹם שׁוֹלְחִים… (kayom sholchim…, “today they send…”).
For “has changed”, Hebrew just uses the past of לְהִשְׁתַּנּוֹת (lehishtanot, “to change”): הָעוֹלָם הִשְׁתַּנָּה (ha’olam hishtana, “the world has changed”).
Tip: חֲבָל עֲלֵיהֶם (chaval aleihem, “a pity about them”) expresses gentle regret for what’s been lost — a very Israeli way to close such a reflection.
Vocabulary
Then vs now
| פַּעַם | pa’am | once, in the past |
| כַּיּוֹם | kayom | nowadays |
| לְהִשְׁתַּנּוֹת | lehishtanot | to change |
| הִשְׁתַּנָּה | hishtana | has changed |
Useful words
| עוֹלָם | olam | world |
| דְּבָרִים | dvarim | things |
| חֲבָל | chaval | a pity, a shame |