Lesson 82: Certainty and Doubt
Not everything is yes or no. This lesson gives you the shades in between — sure, probably, doubtful — so you can say exactly how confident you are.
Is the shop open?
אַתָּה בָּטוּחַ שֶׁהַחֲנוּת פְּתוּחָה?
ata batuach shehachanut ptucha?
Are you sure the shop is open?
כַּנִּרְאֶה כֵּן, אֲבָל אֵין לִי וַדָּאוּת.
kanir’e ken, aval ein li vada’ut.
Probably yes, but I’m not certain.
יֵשׁ לִי סָפֵק — הַיּוֹם חַג.
yesh li safek — hayom chag.
I have my doubts — today’s a holiday.
צוֹדֵק. אוּלַי כְּדַאי לְהִתְקַשֵּׁר.
tsodek. ulai keday lehitkasher.
You’re right. Maybe we should call.
Grammar: a scale of certainty
From most to least sure:
| Hebrew | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי בָּטוּחַ שֶׁ… | ani batuach she… | I’m sure that… |
| כַּנִּרְאֶה | kanir’e | probably, apparently |
| אוּלַי | ulai | maybe |
| יֵשׁ לִי סָפֵק | yesh li safek | I doubt it |
בָּטוּחַ (batuach) agrees with you — a woman says בְּטוּחָה (betucha). And וַדָּאוּת (vada’ut, “certainty”) is the noun: אֵין לִי וַדָּאוּת — “I have no certainty”.
Tip: בְּטוּחַ? on its own, with a rising tone, is a casual “you sure?” — very common in everyday speech.
Vocabulary
Certainty
| בָּטוּחַ | batuach | sure, certain |
| וַדָּאוּת | vada’ut | certainty |
| כַּנִּרְאֶה | kanir’e | probably, apparently |
Doubt
| סָפֵק | safek | doubt |
| לְפַקְפֵּק | lefakpek | to doubt |
| אוּלַי | ulai | maybe |