Lesson 54: Lost and Found
Sooner or later something goes missing. This lesson lets you report a lost item, say where you last saw it, and hope someone found it.
Where’s my wallet?
אִבַּדְתִּי אֶת הָאַרְנָק שֶׁלִּי!
ibadeti et ha’arnak sheli!
I lost my wallet!
אֵיפֹה רָאִיתָ אוֹתוֹ לָאַחֲרוֹנָה?
eifo ra’ita oto la’acharona?
Where did you last see it?
בְּבֵית הַקָּפֶה, אוּלַי.
beveit hakafe, ulai.
At the café, maybe.
בּוֹא נְבַדֵּק שָׁם. אוּלַי מָצְאוּ אוֹתוֹ.
bo nevadek sham. ulai matsu oto.
Let’s check there. Maybe they found it.
אֲנִי מְקַוֶּה! יֵשׁ בּוֹ הַכֹּל.
ani mekave! yesh bo hakol.
I hope so! It’s got everything in it.
Grammar: “I lost” and “for the last time”
The verb is לְאַבֵּד (le’abed, “to lose”), past אִבַּדְתִּי (ibadeti, “I lost”); its opposite is לִמְצֹא (limtso, “to find”), which you’ve met.
A very useful time phrase is לָאַחֲרוֹנָה (la’acharona, “lately / last”): אֵיפֹה רָאִיתָ אוֹתוֹ לָאַחֲרוֹנָה? (“where did you last see it?”). Note אוֹתוֹ (oto, “it” — masculine object).
Tip: A lost object itself is an אֲבֵדָה (aveda) — the sign at a lost-property desk reads אֲבֵדוֹת וּמְצִיאוֹת (“lost and found”).
Vocabulary
Losing & finding
| לְאַבֵּד | le’abed | to lose |
| אֲבֵדָה | aveda | a lost item |
| לִמְצֹא | limtso | to find |
| לִבְדֹּק | livdok | to check |
Useful words
| אַרְנָק | arnak | wallet |
| לָאַחֲרוֹנָה | la’acharona | lately, last |
| אוֹתוֹ / אוֹתָהּ | oto / ota | it (m. / f., object) |