Yiddish (ייִדיש / יידיש / אידיש, yidish/idish) is the traditional language of the Ashkenazi Jews. It is spoken as a daily language in some parts of America, mostly in and around New York City, and in Israel. There are also smaller Yiddish-speaking communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, South Africa and South America, in particular Argentina. It developed out of Middle High German with many loanwords of Hebrew, Slavic, French, or other origin, making it not fully intelligible to native German speakers. As Yiddish is roughly 75% Germanic in origin, German speakers can understand a large part of it.
Yiddish is written with the same alphabet as Hebrew, with a few additional letters, and is written from right to left. However, unlike Hebrew, which uses an abjad (consonant-only alphabet), Yiddish generally uses the Hebrew alphabet as a full alphabet, vowels and all.
Yiddish has several dialects which differ in their vowel sounds and certain vocabulary items. Words of European origin are spelled out phonemically. On the other hand, words of Semitic (Hebrew and Aramaic) origin are written just as in the original Hebrew or Aramaic, without vowels. In many cases, you must learn how to pronounce these words in Yiddish on a word-by-word basis; you cannot necessarily work it out from their spelling, and they are mostly pronounced differently from Israeli Hebrew.
; א shtumer alef : silent; used before ו vov and י yud when they are vowels; e.g. __א__יר (ir) you subj. ; אַ pasekh alef : f__a__ther ; אָ komets aleph : __ow__n ; ב beys : like __b__ear ; בֿ veys : like __v__olume; only used in words of Hebrew or Aramaic origin ; ג giml : like __g__one ; ד daled : like __d__og ; ה hey : like __h__arp ; ו vov : like o__r or t__u__ne ; וּ melupm vov : used in place of ו vov when it appears beside װ tsvey vovn ; װ tsvey vovn : like v__iolin ; ױ vov yud : like b__oy ; ז zayin : like z__ebra ; ח khes : like the Scottish Gaelic lo__ch, German a__ch, or as in __ח__נוכּה (__kh__anuke); used only in words of Hebraic or Aramaic origin ; ט tes : like __t__uck ; י yud : like y__et (as a consonant) or i__nternet (as a vowel) ; יִ khirek yud : used beside another vowel instead of י yud, to show that it is to be pronounced separately; e.g. י__יִ__דיש (yidish) Yiddish ; ײ tsvey yudn : like b__ay ; ײַ pasekh tsvey yudn : like p__ie ; כּ kof : like k__eep; used only in words of Hebraic or Aramaic origin ; כ ך khof : like lo__ch ; ל lamed : like __l__eave ; מ ם mem : like __m__other ; נ ן nun : like __n__ever ; ס samekh : like __s__ome ; ע ayin : like s__e__t ; פּ pey : like u__p__on ; פֿ ף fey : like f__ree ; צ ץ tsadek : like boo__ts ; ק kuf : like __c__oo, but further back in the throat ; ר reysh : voiced gargle as in French, can be pronounced as __r__oot ; ש shin : like __sh__oe ; שׂ sin : like __s__eem; only used in words of Hebrew or Aramaic origin ; תּ tof : like __t__eeth; only used in words of Hebrew or Aramaic origin ; ת sof : like __s__mooth; only used in words of hebrew or aramaic origin
; Hello. : שלום־עליכם (sholem-aleykhem) ; Hello (in response to a "Hello") : עליכם־שלום (aleykhem-sholem) ; How are you? : װאָס מאַכסטו? (Vos makhstu?) (informal) / װאָס מאַכט איר? (Vos makht ir?) (formal) ; Fine, thank you. : גוט, אַ דאַנק (Gut, a dank) גאָט צו דאַנקן (Got tsu danken) ברוך השם (Borukh Hashem) ; What is your name? : װי הײסטו? (Vi heystu? [informal])/ װי הײסט איר?(Vi heyst ir? [formal]) ; My name is ______ . : איך הײס (Ikh heys ______.) ; Nice to meet you. : עס פֿרײַט מיר זיך צו קענען אײַך (Es frayt mir zikh tsu kenen aykh [formal]) עס פֿרײַט מיר זיך צו טרעפֿן דיך (Es frayt mir zikh tsu trefen dikh.) ; Please. : זײַט אַזױ גוט (Zayt azoy gut.) ; Thank you. : אַ דאַנק (A dank.) ; You're welcome : נישטאָ פֿאַרװאָס (nishto farvos) ; Yes. : יאָ (yo) ; No. : נײן (neyn) ; Excuse me. (getting attention) : ענטשולדיק (Entshuldik!) ; Excuse me. (begging pardon) : זײַט זשע מוחל (Zayt zhe moykhl! ) ; I'm sorry. : Zayt mir moykhl (formal) זײַ מיר מוחל (Zay mir moykhl [informal].) ; Goodbye : זײַ געזונט (Zay gezunt) אַ גרוס אין דער הײם (A grus in der heym.) ; Goodbye (informal) : אַ גוטן (A gutn.) ; I can't speak Yiddish [well]. : (איך רעד נישט קײן אידיש (גוט (Ikh red nisht keyn Yidish (gut).) ; Do you speak English? : רעדסטו ענגליש Redstu English? (informal)/ רעדט איר ענגליש Redt ir English? (formal) ; Is there someone here who speaks English? : איז עס דאָ עמעץ װאָס רעדט ענגליש Iz es do emetz vos redt english? ; Help! : הילף Hilf! גװאַלד Gvald! ; Good morning. : גוטן מאָרגן Gutn morgn. ; Good evening. : גאָטן אָװענט Gutn ovent. ; Good night : אַ גוטע נאַכט A gute nakht. ; I don't understand. : איך פֿאַרשטײ נישט (ikh farshtey nisht) ; Where is the toilet? : װוּ איז דער באָדצימער/דער װאַנעצימער Vu iz der bodtsimer?/ der vanetsimer?
; Leave me alone. : Lozt mir aleyn! (.) ; Don't touch me! : Rirt mikh nisht on! (!) ; I'll call the police. : Ikh vet telefonirn di politsey. (.) ; Police! : Politsey! (!) ; Stop! Thief! : Hert oys! Gazlen! (! !) ; I need your help. : Ikh darf dayne hilf hobn. (.) ; It's an emergency. : Es iz a noytfal. (.) ; I'm lost. : Ikh bin farblondzhet. (.) ; I lost my bag. : Ikh hob mayne tash farlirt. (.) ; I lost my wallet. : Ikh hob mayn tayster farlirt. (.) ; I'm sick. : Ikh bin krank. (.) ; I've been injured. : Ikh hob a veytik. (.) ; I need a doctor. : Ikh darf a doktor zen. (.) ; Can I use your phone? : Meg ikh dayn telefon banitsn? (?) ; Can I use your cell phone? : Meg ikh dayne tselke banitsn? (?)
; 1 : (eyn) ; 2 : (tsvey) ; 3 : (dray) ; 4 : (fir) ; 5 : (finf) ; 6 : (zeks) ; 7 : (zibm) ; 8 : (akht) ; 9 : (nayn) ; 10 : (tsen) ; 11 : (elf) ; 12 : (tsvelf) ; 13 : (draytsn) ; 14 : (fertsn) ; 15 : (fuftsn) ; 16 : (zektsn) ; 17 : (zebetsn) ; 18 : (akhtsn) ; 19 : (nayntsn) ; 20 : (tsvantsik) ; 21 : (eynontsvantsik) ; 22 : (tsveyontsvansik) ; 23 : (drayontsvansik) ; 30 : (draysik) ; 40 : (fertsik) ; 50 : (fuftsik) ; 60 : (zektsik) ; 70 : (zibetsik) ; 80 : (akhtsik) ; 90 : (nayntsik) ; 100 : (hundert) ; 200 : (tsvey hundert) ; 300 : (dray hundert) ; 1,000 : (toyznt) ; 2,000 : (tsvey toysnt) ; 1,000,000 : (milyon) ; 1,000,000,000 : (milyard) ; 1,000,000,000,000 : (bilyon) ; number _____ (train, bus, etc.) : () ; half : (halb) ; less : () ; more : (mer)
; now : (atsind; itst) ; later : (shpeter) ; before : (eyder; fardem) ; morning : (morgn) ; afternoon : (nokhmitog) ; evening : (ovnt) ; night : (nakht)
; one o'clock AM : (eyn a zeyger in der fri) ; two o'clock AM : (tsvey a zeyger in der fri) ; noon : (mitogtsayt) ; one o'clock PM : (eyns a zeyger nokh mitog) ; two o'clock PM : (tsvey a zeyger nokh mitog) ; midnight : (mittennakht, khtsos, di halbe nakht)
; _____ minute(s) : (minut - מינוט) ; _____ hour(s) : (sho - שעה) ; _____ day(s) : (tog - teg [plural]) - (טעג ,טאָג) ; _____ week(s) : (vokh - vokhn [plural]) - װאָכן ,װאָך) ; _____ month(s) : (khoydesh - khadoshim [plural]) - חודשים ,חודש) ; _____ year(s) : (yor - yorns [plural]) - יאָרן , יאָר)
; today : (haynt) ; yesterday : (nekhtn) ; tomorrow : (in morgn) ; this week : (dise vokh) ; last week : (fargangene vokh) ; next week : (kumedike vokh)
; Sunday : (zuntik) ; Monday : (montik) ; Tuesday : (dinshtik) ; Wednesday : (mitvokh) ; Thursday : (donershtik) ; Friday : (fraytik) ; Saturday : (shabes)
; January : (yanuar) ; February : (februar) ; March : (marts) ; April : (april) ; May : (may) ; June : (yuni) ; July : (yuli) ; August : (oygust) ; September : (september) ; October : (oktober) ; November : (november) ; December : (detsember)
As with many words in Yiddish, colors often have different names due to a difference in dialect. The following colors will be named in both romanized Yiddish, followed by a hyphen (-) and the Yiddish spelling using the Hebraic alphabet.
; black : (schvarts) - (שוואַרץ) ; white : (vays) - (ווײַס) ; gray : (gro, groy) - (גרוי, גראָ) ; red : (royt) - (רויט) ; blue : (blo, bloy ) - (בלוי ,בלאָ) ; yellow : (gel) - (געל) ; green : (green) - (גרין) ; orange : (marants) - (מאַראַנץ) ; purple : (lila) - (לילאַ) ; brown : (broyn) - (ברוין))
; How much is a ticket to _____? : (_Vifl kost a bilet keyn ___?) ; One ticket to _____, please. : (_Eyn bilet keyn ___, zayt azoy gut.) ; Where does this train/bus go? : (Vu geyt di ban/der oytobus?) ; Where is the train/bus to _____? : (_Vu iz di ban/der oytobus keyn ___?) ; Does this train/bus stop in _____? : (_Halt di ban/der oytobus in ___?) ; When does the train/bus for _____ leave? : (_Ven fort di ban/der oytobus aroys far ___?) ; When will this train/bus arrive in _____? : (Ven vet di ban/der oytobus kumen in ____ on?)
; How do I get to _____ ? : (_Vi gey ikh keyn _?) ; ...the train station? : (di banstatsye/di voksal) ; ...the bus station? : (di opshtel) ; ...the airport? : (dos luftfeld) ; ...downtown? : (untershtot) ; ...the youth hostel? : () ; ...the _____ hotel? : (_di hotel _) ; ...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? : (dos amerikanishe/kanadishe/oystralishe/britishe konsulat) ; Where are there a lot of... : (Vu iz dort fil ...) ; ...hotels? : (hoteln) ; ...restaurants? : (restoran) ; ...bars? : (shenks) ; ...sites to see? : (platsn tsu zen) ; Can you show me on the map? : (Megstu bavist mikh oyfn mape?) ; street : (gas) ; Turn left. : (farfort oyf links) ; Turn right. : (farfort oyf rekhts) ; left : () ; right : () ; straight ahead : () ; towards the _____ : () ; past the _____ : () ; before the _____ : () ; Watch for the _. : () ; intersection : () ; north :(tsofun) ; south :(dorem) ; east :(mizrakh) ; west :(mayerev) ; uphill : () ; downhill : ()
; Taxi! : (Taksi!) ; Take me to _____, please. : (_Brengt mikh keyn ___, zayt azoy gut.) ; How much does it cost to get to _____? : (_Vifl kost es tsu geyn keyn ___?) ; Take me there, please. : (Brengt mikh dortn, zayt azoy gut.)
; Do you have any rooms available? : () ; How much is a room for one person/two people? : () ; Does the room come with... : () ; ...bedsheets? : () ; ...a bathroom? :(a bodtsimer) ; ...a telephone? : () ; ...a TV? : () ; May I see the room first? : () ; Do you have anything quieter? : () ; ...bigger? :(greser) ; ...cleaner? : () ; ...cheaper? : () ; OK, I'll take it. : () ; I will stay for _____ night(s). : () ; Can you suggest another hotel? : () ; Do you have a safe? : () ; ...lockers? : () ; Is breakfast/supper included? : () ; What time is breakfast/supper? : () ; Please clean my room. : () ; Can you wake me at _? : () ; I want to check out. : ()
; Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? : () ; Do you accept British pounds? : () ; Do you accept euros? : () ; Do you accept credit cards? : () ; Can you change money for me? : () ; Where can I get money changed? : () ; Can you change a traveler's check for me? : () ; Where can I get a traveler's check changed? : () ; What is the exchange rate? : () ; Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? : ()
; A table for one person/two people, please. : () ; Can I look at the menu, please? : () ; Can I look in the kitchen? : () ; Is there a house specialty? : () ; Is there a local specialty? : () ; I'm a vegetarian. : () ; I don't eat pork. : () ; I don't eat beef. : () ; I only eat kosher food. : () ; Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) : () ; fixed-price meal : () ; a la carte : () ; breakfast : () ; lunch : () ; tea (meal) : () ; supper : () ; I want _. : () ; I want a dish containing _. : () ; chicken : () ; beef : () ; fish :(fish) ; ham : () ; sausage : () ; cheese :(kez) ; eggs :(eyer) ; salad : () ; (fresh) vegetables : () ; (fresh) fruit : () ; bread : () ; toast : () ; noodles : () ; rice : () ; beans : () ; May I have a glass of _? : () ; May I have a cup of _? : () ; May I have a bottle of _? : () ; coffee :(kave) ; tea (drink) :(tay) ; juice :(zaft) ; (bubbly) water : () ; (still) water :(vaser) ; beer : () ; red/white wine :(royter/vayser vayn) ; May I have some _? : () ; salt :(zalt) ; black pepper : () ; butter :(puter) ; Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server): () ; I'm finished. : () ; It was delicious. : () ; Please clear the plates. : () ; The check, please. : ()
; Do you serve alcohol? : () ; Is there table service? : () ; A beer/two beers, please. : () ; A glass of red/white wine, please. : () ; A pint, please. : () ; A bottle, please. : () ; _____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. : () ; whiskey : () ; vodka : () ; rum : () ; water :(vaser) ; club soda : () ; tonic water : () ; orange juice : () ; Coke (soda) : () ; Do you have any bar snacks? : () ; One more, please. : () ; Another round, please. : () ; When is closing time? : () ; Cheers! :(l'kheym)
; Do you have this in my size? : () ; How much is this? : () ; That's too expensive. : () ; Would you take _? : () ; expensive : () ; cheap : () ; I can't afford it. : () ; I don't want it. : () ; You're cheating me. : () ; I'm not interested. : (..) ; OK, I'll take it. : () ; Can I have a bag? : () ; Do you ship (overseas)? : () ; I need... :(Ikh darf) ; ...toothpaste. : () ; ...a toothbrush. : () ; ...tampons. : . () ; ...soap. :(zeyf) ; ...shampoo. : () ; ...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) : () ; ...cold medicine. : () ; ...stomach medicine. : ... () ; ...a razor. : () ; ...an umbrella. : () ; ...sunblock lotion. : () ; ...a postcard. : () ; ...postage stamps. : () ; ...batteries. : () ; ...writing paper. : () ; ...a pen. : () ; ...English-language books. : () ; ...English-language magazines. : () ; ...an English-language newspaper. : () ; ...an English-English dictionary. : (__)
; I want to rent a car. : (Ikh vil dingn an oyto.) ; Can I get insurance? : (__) ; stop (on a street sign) : (opshtel/hert oyf) ; one way : (eyn veg) ; yield : (git nokh) ; no parking : (nisht parkirn) ; speed limit : (maksimum gikhkayt) ; gas (petrol) station : (gaz statsye) ; petrol : (petrol/petrolyum) ; diesel : (dizal)
; I haven't done anything wrong. : () ; It was a misunderstanding. : () ; Where are you taking me? : () ; Am I under arrest? : () ; I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. : () ; I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. : () ; I want to talk to a lawyer. : () ; Can I just pay a fine now? : ()