תַּחְלִיף To replace or exchange something is לְהַחְלִיף (leh-hahkh-LEEF) – for instance, when I bought a shirt and a pair of pants at Renuar last week, I asked, ?אֶפְשַׁר לְהַחְלִיף אֹתָם אִם אֲנִי רוֹצֶה (ef-SHAHR leh-hahkh-LEEF oh-TAHM eem ah-NEE roh-TSEH) – might I exchange them if I want?

להחליף is an active-causative הִפְעִיל verb. So it follows that the act of replacing or exchanging isהַחְלָפָה (hahkh-lah-FAH).But a replacement – the item or person in a role that comes in place of something else – is a תַּחְלִיף (tahkh-LEEF).

Advertisement




The teachers at Ulpan La-Inyan מַחְלִיפִים אֶחָד אֶת הַשֵּׁנִי לִפְעָמִיםthey replace one another sometimes (mahkh-lee-FEEM eh-KHAH et hah-sheh-NEE leef-ah-MEEM). And although teachers come and go, and their roles get transferred from one person to the next, בְּאֶמֶת, אֵין לָהֶם תַּחְלִיףreally, there’s no replacement for them (beh-eh-MET EH-een lah-HEM tahkh-LEEF) – since each teacher brings his or her own unique set of gifts and talents to the classroom with which they engage their students.

Visit Ktzat Ivrit.

Advertisement

SHARE
Previous articleLebanon Bans Award-Winning Lebanese Film Shot in Israel
Next articleRestoring the Image of George W. Bush
Ami Steinberger is founder and director of Ulpan La-Inyan.