4 basic words of politeness
The list of Israel polite words is derived from many different cultures and languages. You can narrow them down to 4 main words:
| Hebrew |
English |
| shalom-שלום |
hello, goodbye |
| toda-תודה |
thank you |
| bevakasha-בבקשה |
please,
you're welcome |
| slicha-סליחה |
sorry, forgive me,
excuse me |
The use of the word "slicha" as a polite word originated from German "entschuldingung!" and from French "Pardon!". Both originally deal with forgiveness of sins. The Talmudic word סליחה -"slicha" has transformed from a noble word that meant to let go of hatred and anger, to one of the most common words used on the streets of Israel, for example:
"סליחה, יש לי רק שאלה" - "slicha, yesh li rak she'ela" - "Excuse me, I just have a question".
HOW TO USE "TODA" AND "BEVAKASHA"?
We respond to "תודה" (toda- “thank you") with one of three options. The first is "bevakasha". This time it doesn't mean “please” but “you’re welcome!” this is a copy of the German response "bitte schön". The second option is "ein be'ad ma" - "אין בעד מה", literally it means “nothing to thank for” (like the Yiddish "nita par vas", and in French "il n'y a pas de quoi"). The third option, a synonym to the last one, is "al lo davar" - "על לא דבר" which originates from the Spanish "de nada" and Ladino "por nada".
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