Convenience Store

1. המכולת פתוחה בשבת?

   Hamakolet ptukha beShabat?

   Is the corner shop open on Shabbat?

   Usage

   A "makolet" is the small family-run grocery found in Israeli residential streets. Most close for Shabbat (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), but in secular cities such as Tel Aviv plenty stay open, whereas in Jewish neighbourhoods of Jerusalem almost everything shuts. The answer varies entirely by city, so always ask

   Grammar Note

   "Makolet" is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine "ptukha" (the masculine is "patuakh"). The preposition "be-" means "in / on" and attaches directly to the noun as a single written word

2. עד איזו שעה אתם פתוחים ביום שישי?

   Ad eizo shaa atem ptukhim beyom shishi?

   Until what time are you open on Friday?

   Usage

   The Israeli weekend is Friday and Saturday: shops start shutting from early Friday afternoon and most are closed an hour or two before sunset. If you forget to stock up you may find nothing until Saturday night, which is why locals do their shopping on Friday morning

   Grammar Note

   Hebrew days are numbered from "yom rishon" (first day = Sunday), making Friday "yom shishi", the sixth day. Only Saturday has a proper name rather than a number: Shabbat

3. יש לכם משהו קר לשתות?

   Yesh lakhem mashehu kar lishtot?

   Do you have anything cold to drink?

   Usage

   A makolet is a narrow shop with only one or two chillers, so warm shelf stock and cold stock sit side by side. Israeli summers are humid and Tel Aviv sits around 35C by day. Look out for the local favourite fizzy drink "ginger" and thin salted yoghurt drinks

   Grammar Note

   Hebrew has no verb "to have" either: possession is built from the existential "yesh" (there is) plus the preposition "le-" (to). Hence "yesh li" (I have), "yesh lekha" (you have), "yesh lakhem" (you all have)

4. אפשר שקית?

   Efshar sakit?

   Could I have a bag?

   Usage

   Israel's 2017 "bag law" put a charge on single-use bags at larger stores. Small shops like a makolet often fall outside the law and will hand one over free, but only if you ask. Carrying a reusable bag has become the norm

   Grammar Note

   "Sakit" is "sak" (sack) plus the diminutive ending "-it", giving a small bag. The same pattern yields "kapit" (teaspoon, from "kaf", spoon) and "mapit" (napkin, from "mapa", cloth)

5. אפשר לשלם בביט?

   Efshar leshalem beBit?

   Can I pay with Bit?

   Usage

   "Bit" is Israel's dominant phone-to-phone payment app and is accepted even in tiny shops. Using it requires an Israeli bank account and local mobile number, so short-term visitors cannot register. You will fall back on card or cash, but knowing the name helps when splitting a bill with locals

   Grammar Note

   "Efshar + infinitive" is the all-purpose way to ask whether something is allowed or possible, and needs no subject — ideal for travel. "Leshalem" is the pi'el form of the root sh-l-m (to complete, to pay); "shalom" (peace) comes from the very same root

6. יש לכם לחם טרי?

   Yesh lakhem lekhem tari?

   Do you have fresh bread?

   Usage

   A makolet takes its bread delivery in the morning, so the choice is best before noon. On Fridays the counter fills with "challah", the braided loaf central to the Shabbat table — a Friday-only sight that usually sells out by evening

   Grammar Note

   "Lekhem" is masculine, so the adjective stays masculine as "tari"; a feminine noun would take "triya". Incidentally "beit lekhem" (house of bread) is the origin of Bethlehem — an example of Hebrew vocabulary surviving intact in place names

7. חצי קילו זה מספיק

   Khatsi kilo ze maspik

   Half a kilo is enough

   Usage

   Most makolets have a deli counter at the back with olives, cheeses and salads sold by weight, the owner tonging them onto the scale. Portions creep up unless you say otherwise, so state the amount first. "Reva kilo" gets you 250 grams

   Grammar Note

   "Ze" is the demonstrative "this / that", used here as a resumptive linker — a very common colloquial move. "Maspik" is the hif'il form of the root s-p-q (to suffice) and also works alone as an exclamation: "enough!"

8. מתי פג התוקף של זה?

   Matai pag hatokef shel ze?

   When does this expire?

   Usage

   Packages carry "ta'arikh tefuga" (expiry date) or "betokef ad" (valid until). Israeli dates run day/month/year, so take care not to swap the two. Stock can turn over slowly in a small shop, making dairy worth a check

   Grammar Note

   "Shel" is the possessive preposition and fuses with pronoun endings: "shel ze" (of this), "sheli" (my), "shelkha" (your). "Pag tokef" is a fixed collocation meaning "validity lapses", used for passports and visas too

9. איפה המים המינרליים?

   Eifo hamayim hamineraliyim?

   Where is the mineral water?

   Usage

   Israeli tap water is considered safe and locals drink it straight, but bottled water is still the usual choice when walking through dry country in summer. Aisles in a makolet are narrow and stacked high, so asking the owner beats searching

   Grammar Note

   "Mayim" (water) carries the old dual ending "-ayim" and is always treated as plural, so the adjective becomes plural "mineraliyim" and the article "ha-" attaches to both noun and adjective. "Shamayim" (sky) follows the same pattern

10. אפשר לטעון כאן רב-קו?

    Efshar liton kan Rav-Kav?

    Can I load a Rav-Kav card here?

    Usage

    The Rav-Kav is the nationwide smartcard for Israeli buses, trains and light rail. Many makolets and kiosks host a top-up terminal and display a "te'inat Rav-Kav" sign. You cannot load it at a bus stop, so topping up at a nearby shop before you travel saves trouble

    Grammar Note

    "Rav-Kav" combines "rav" (many) and "kav" (line), i.e. multi-line. "Rav" serves widely as a prefix: "rav-komot" (multi-storey), "rav-leshoni" (multilingual). The verb "lit'on" also covers charging a battery

11. יש לך עודף ממאתיים שקל?

    Yesh lekha odef mimatayim shekel?

    Do you have change for two hundred shekels?

    Usage

    Israeli ATMs favour 200-shekel notes, which is far too large for a purchase of a few dozen shekels. A makolet keeps limited change and may turn it away at the till, so breaking notes at an exchange office or supermarket makes life easier

    Grammar Note

    "Matayim" (200) is "me'a" (100) with the dual ending "-ayim" — two hundreds in a single word. Hebrew retains this dual for naturally paired quantities: "yomayim" (two days), "shvu'ayim" (two weeks)

12. עוד משהו?

    Od mashehu?

    Anything else?

    Usage

    Said by staff. A short question you will hear the moment your items land on the counter. If that is all, answer "zehu, toda" (that's it, thanks). Israeli service talk is famously blunt and brief — it sounds curt but no rudeness is intended

    Grammar Note

    "Mashehu" grew out of "ma" (what) plus "she-hu" (that it is). For people you use "mishehu" (someone) — the two sound alike, so listen carefully

13. שקית עולה עשר אגורות

    Sakit ola eser agorot

    A bag costs ten agorot

    Usage

    Said by staff. An "agora" is one hundredth of a shekel, and bag charges are quoted in these units. The sum is trivial, but the law requires it to be stated. To decline, say "lo tsarikh, toda" (no need, thanks)

    Grammar Note

    Hebrew numerals agree with the gender of the noun: the feminine "eser" goes with feminine "agorot", while masculine "shkalim" takes "asara". The forms look swapped compared to what learners expect, which trips many people up

14. אין לי עודף, יש לך קטן יותר?

    Ein li odef, yesh lekha katan yoter?

    I have no change — do you have anything smaller?

    Usage

    Said by staff. First thing in the morning a makolet's till is nearly empty, so a large note reliably draws this reply. If the shop takes cards, the quickest fix is to switch: "efshar be-kartis" (I can pay by card)

    Grammar Note

    The negative of "yesh" (there is) is the dedicated word "ein" rather than any verb form. Comparatives are formed by placing "yoter" (more) after the adjective: "gadol yoter" (bigger), "zol yoter" (cheaper)

15. סוגרים בעוד עשר דקות, שבת נכנסת

    Sogrim beod eser dakot, Shabat nikhneset

    We close in ten minutes — Shabbat is coming in

    Usage

    Said by staff. "Shabbat nikhneset" — literally "Shabbat is entering" — is the Hebrew idiom for the day beginning at sunset; when it ends people say "Shabbat yotset", Shabbat is leaving. The exact time shifts with the season and the city and is published weekly in Friday papers and apps

    Grammar Note

    The Hebrew present tense behaves like a participle: it inflects for gender and number but not person, so "sogrim" can mean "we close" or "they close" depending on context, and the subject is often left out entirely

16. מתחת לעשרים שקל רק מזומן

    Mitakhat leesrim shekel rak mezuman

    Under twenty shekels it's cash only

    Usage

    Said by staff. Card fees can exceed the margin on a tiny sale, so small shops routinely set their own minimum. It has no legal basis but is widespread practice. Either keep coins for small purchases or buy enough to clear the threshold

    Grammar Note

    "Mitakhat le-" is a compound preposition built on "takhat" (under) and always requires the following "le-"; its opposite is "me'al le-" (above). "Mezuman" comes from the root z-m-n (time, to make ready) — money that is ready to hand, i.e. cash

17. יש מבצע: שניים בעשרים

    Yesh mivtsa: shnayim beesrim

    There's a deal on: two for twenty

    Usage

    Said by staff. "Mivtsa" is the ubiquitous Israeli word for a promotion, splashed across price tags and handwritten boards. If you have picked up only one item the owner will point it out, and you are free to go back for the second

    Grammar Note

    "Mivtsa" comes from the root b-ts-' and is also the word for a military operation — context decides whether it means "sale" or "operation". The price-marking "be-" is the same preposition as in "be-kama?" (for how much?)

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