Lesson 51: At the Beach
The beach is at the heart of Israeli summer. This lesson gives you the words for a day by the sea — and the handy “don’t forget!” form.
Planning a beach day
בּוֹא נֵלֵךְ לַחוֹף הַיּוֹם!
bo nelech lachof hayom!
Let’s go to the beach today!
רַעְיוֹן מְצֻיָּן. חַם וְיֵשׁ שֶׁמֶשׁ.
ra’ayon metsuyan. cham ve’yesh shemesh.
Great idea. It’s hot and sunny.
אַל תִּשְׁכַּח מַגֶּבֶת וּקְרֶם הֲגָנָה.
al tishkach mageveta ukrem hagana.
Don’t forget a towel and sunscreen.
וְגַם מַיִם קָרִים.
ve’gam mayim karim.
And cold water too.
יוֹפִי, נִשְׂחֶה קְצָת.
yofi, nische ktsat.
Great, we’ll swim a bit.
Grammar: “don’t forget!” (the negative command)
To tell someone not to do something, use אַל (al) + the future form — not לֹא:
- אַל תִּשְׁכַּח! al tishkach! — “don’t forget!” (to a man)
- אַל תִּשְׁכְּחִי! al tishkechi! — (to a woman)
- אַל תִּדְאַג! al tid’ag! — “don’t worry!”
That אַל is reserved for commands; לֹא is for ordinary “not”. And remember בּוֹא נֵלֵךְ (bo nelech, “let’s go”) from the plans lesson.
Tip: קְרֶם הֲגָנָה (krem hagana) is literally “protection cream” = sunscreen — a must under the Israeli sun.
Vocabulary
At the beach
| חוֹף | chof | beach, shore |
| יָם | yam | sea |
| חוֹל | chol | sand |
| מַגֶּבֶת | mageveta | towel |
Useful words
| קְרֶם הֲגָנָה | krem hagana | sunscreen |
| אַל תִּשְׁכַּח | al tishkach | don’t forget (to a man) |
| לִשְׂחוֹת | lischot | to swim |