Traveling Vocabulary in Hebrew

Do you remember when we taught you all the baby-related vocabulary in Hebrew? Or when we spoke about how to say bouquet, bride and groom in Hebrew in the wedding-related vocabulary? Well, this time we want to give you some Hebrew words that are going to be useful for all of these and much more. In this blog post, we are going to teach you the necessary Hebrew vocabulary for traveling.

Do you know how to say passport? Or how to order your bus or train tickets in Israel? We are going to teach this, and much more in this new blog post of the Rosen Hebrew School. Feel free to start practicing right away, because that is the only way to guarantee a good learning process.

Traveling around Israel? Well… these Hebrew words are going to be very useful!

When you finally decide to come visit the land of milk, honey, and delicious street food that goes way beyond falafel, you’ll need to learn some Hebrew words that are going to be extremely helpful when moving from Jerusalem’s hidden gems, to the phenomenal Tel Aviv, or from Haifa’s gorgeous landscapes to Eilat’s hot summer. If you want to have the ultimate experience in Israel… learn these words:

Passport: It is something you’ll need to carry with you wherever you go. The most important document when trying to enter a new, exciting country or destination. Passport in Hebrew is דרכון (pronounced: dar-kohn), and you must take care of yours. Many people have had their identity stolen because they lost their דרכונים. But, if you lose it in Israel, what will most likely happen is that the person who finds it will do whatever they can to find you, and to give it back… Believe me, it has happened to a close family member of mine!

Bus: Bus in Hebrew is אוטובוס (pronounced: otoh-boos), and in Israel they go everywhere! Unless you are planning on getting a bus trip on Shabbat, you’ll be able to grab a bus to almost wherever you want to go. We do recommend considering traffic hours to spend more time at your destination than on Israeli buses.

Train: The train in Israel is just great. It is very clean, comfortable, and almost always on time. Train in Hebrew is רכבת (pronounced: rah-keh-vet), and it is a phenomenal way to travel around our beautiful country.  Save your כרטיסים! You’ll need them to get out your destination’s station, and for whenever the controller comes to check if you paid or not.

Tickets: Don’t know this word yet? Tickets (for public transportation, and for the movies as well) in Hebrew are כרטיסים (pronounced: car-tee-seem). You’ll need to get them either online or to buy them from the קופאי, and as we mentioned before… save them! Do not throw them away as soon as you receive them. After you get to your destination, you can indeed throw them into the garbage… although, we deeply encourage you find a special bin for paper, so it gets recycled. Deal?

Cashier: This is the person you’ll need to get the tickets from. Cashier in Hebrew is קופאי (pronounced: kuh-pah-eeh) if we are talking about a man, or קופאית (pronounced: kuh-pah-it) if we are talking about a woman. Although, and especially in Israel’s train stations, it is more likely to find machines than human beings doing this job.

Station: Yes! A very important word to know. If not, how would you be able to ask in which station to get off? Station in Hebrew (when referring to either bus or train stations) is תחנה (pronounced: tah-cha-nah). In most cases, you have more than one תחנת רכבת (train station) in each city, so do good research before deciding when to get off the train! You might end up next to a very tasty falafel kiosk, but very far away from your planned destination.

Line and seat number: In some cases, but not very often, you’ll have to pick up your seat number in advance. In that case, you should learn the Hebrew words for line and seat number. Line, in Hebrew, is שורה (pronounced: shoo-rah), and seat number is מספר כסא (pronounced: mees-par kee-seh). Pick well, you don’t want to end up at the end of the bus… or maybe you do… know what? It is up to you!

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Gas station: Maybe public transportation is not for you and, instead, you’d like to hire a car. Well, that is a great idea! But, how are you going to fill it with gasoline? Asking for the nearest gas station, of course! So… how do you do that? Gas station in Hebrew is תחנת דלק (pronounced: tah-cha-nat deh-leck), and there are thousands of them in every city in Israel… unless you are in Mitzpe Ramon where there is only one. Don’t worry, it won’t be that hard to find one…

Terminal: So, whether you are going from Sde Dov Airport to Eilat, or taking a plane back home from Ben Gurion Airport, you’ll need to learn the word “Terminal”, which in Hebrew is טרמינל (pronounced: guess what, yes! TERMINAL!). That is right, this word is the same one in English and in Hebrew. You can be proud of yourself… you already know a Hebrew word!

Passengers: No, sir. We are not talking about the very talented musician with the name Passenger. When on the train, the bus, an airplane, or even in the car you are going to rent, there are going to be passengers… Passenger in Hebrew is נוסעים (pronounced: nohs-eem), and even if we do know that Israeli passengers aren’t the most polite ones, we know as well that with time, you are going to fall in love with them.

Learn Hebrew today and start traveling around Israel… and the world

When you learn how to speak, write, and read Hebrew, your traveling experience in Israel becomes easier, more fun and more successful. In our online, live Hebrew courses, you’ll meet others like you wanting to learn the same, and you’ll have amazing classes with the best Hebrew teachers out there. Assure yourself an even better time in Israel, or maybe… just allow yourself to learn a new, ancient, exciting language. Join one of our classes today, and you won’t regret it tomorrow… Behatzlacha!

About the author

Arie Elbelman R.Arie was born and raised in Chile, and immigrated to Israel in his early twenties. He wants to take an active role in the development of this young and smart country. Arie believes that the best way to shape our present and future is to live with more horizontal hierarchies, to smile a whole lot, and to always, always respect each other.

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