“אני מבין. אני מקווה שזה יקרה בשבילך. (ani mevin. ani mekaveh shezeh yikreh bishvilkha.) – I understand. I hope it happens for you.”

Let’s explore how to express “hope” in Hebrew.

“אֲנִי מְצַפֶּה שֶׁהַכֹּל יִסְתַּדֵּר. (Ani metsapeh shehakol yistader.) – I hope everything will work out.”

This sentence uses the verb לְצַפּוֹת (letzapot), which literally means “to expect” or “to anticipate.” However, in this context, it’s used to convey the feeling of hope. It’s a common and perfectly acceptable way to express hope in modern Hebrew.

Here’s a breakdown of common ways to say “hope” in Hebrew:

1. לְצַפּוֹת (letzapot) – To expect, to anticipate, to hope (modern Hebrew)

• As seen in your example: “אֲנִי מְצַפֶּה שֶׁ…” (Ani metsapeh she…) – “I hope that…”
• Example: אֲנִי מְצַפֶּה לְבְשׂוֹרוֹת טוֹבוֹת. (Ani metsapeh livsorot tovot.) – I hope for good news.

Important Note: When using letzapot for hope, you’ll often follow it with “שֶׁ…” (she…) meaning “that…” or “לְ…” (le…) meaning “for…”.

2. לְקַוּוֹת (lekavot) – To hope (modern and biblical Hebrew, more direct translation)

• This is a more direct and perhaps slightly stronger translation of “to hope.” It carries less of the “expect” connotation.
• Example: אֲנִי מְקַוֶּה שֶׁתַּצְלִיחַ. (Ani mekaveh shetatzliach.) – I hope you succeed.
• Example: אֲנִי מְקַוֶּה לְטוֹב. (Ani mekaveh letov.) – I hope for the best.
• You can also use it with “כִּי” (ki) meaning “that” instead of “שֶׁ”. For example: אֲנִי מְקַוֶּה כִּי הַכֹּל יִסְתַּדֵּר. (Ani mekaveh ki hakol yistader.) – I hope everything will work out.
• The passive form is “מְקוּוֶה” (mekuve) which means “hoping”, “in hope”, as in “אֲנִי מְקוּוֶה לְכָךְ!” (Ani mekuve lekhakh!) – “I am hoping for that!”

3. אִם יִרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם (Im Yirtzeh Hashem) – God willing (common phrase)

• This is a very common phrase, especially among religious speakers, used to express hope and a reliance on a higher power. It’s literally “If God wills it.”
• Example: נִתְרָאֶה בְּשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה, אִם יִרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם. (Nitrae beshana haba’a, Im Yirtzeh Hashem.) – We’ll see each other next year, God willing.

4. בִּתְקוָה (Bitikvah) – Hopefully, with hope (modern Hebrew)

• This is an adverb meaning “hopefully.”
• Example: בִּתְקוָה נַגִּיעַ בְּזְמַן. (Bitikvah nagia bezman.) – Hopefully, we’ll arrive on time.

5. יָלוֹד (ya’ul) – To hope, to long for (biblical and less common in modern Hebrew)

• While you will find “yalu” meaning “to give birth”, yalod means “to hope” or “to long for” and it is used primarily in religious contexts and in older texts and it is less common in everyday conversation.

Differences Between Old and New Hebrew:

While lekavot has biblical roots and is still used today, the modern use of letzapot to mean “hope” is more prevalent in spoken Hebrew. Both are correct, but letzapot is generally more common in everyday conversation. Yalod is rarely used outside of religious texts or formal Hebrew.

In summary:

• For general hope: Use לְצַפּוֹת (letzapot) or לְקַוּוֹת (lekavot). Letzapot is often followed by she… or le…, while lekavot can be used with she, ki or le.
• For a religious tone: Use אִם יִרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם (Im Yirtzeh Hashem).
• For “hopefully”: Use בִּתְקוָה (Bitikvah).
• For old Hebrew: use יָלוֹד (ya’ul).

• Hebrew-English vocab, but also texts on Israel, Jews, linguistics