כלב רע
kelev ra
The Hebrew phrase for "bad dog" is כלב רע (kelev ra).
The phrase כלב רע is used to scold a dog that has behaved poorly. It is standard Hebrew.
How do you pronounce it?
kelev ra
Did you know?
- While כלב רע is used for animals, calling a person a כלב in Hebrew is a much more severe insult than simply calling someone a 'dog' in English.
- The root of רע (bad) can also relate to the concept of 'associating with' or 'joining with', adding a layer of connection to the word's history.
- In Hebrew, the word רע used in 'bad dog' can mean 'bad' or 'evil', depending on the context.
Examples in context
- כלב רע!kelev ra!Bad dog!
Example conversation
Rotem and Daniel are at home when the dog chews a shoe.
- רוטם Rotemדניאל, תראה מה הוא עשה לנעל שלי!Daniel, tireh ma hu asa la-na'al sheli!Daniel, look what he did to my shoe!
- דניאל Danielכלב רע! שחרר את הנעל עכשיו.Kelev ra! Shachrer et ha-na'al achshav.Bad dog! Let go of the shoe now.
- רוטם Rotemהוא תמיד עושה את זה כשאנחנו לא מסתכלים.Hu tamid ose et ze kshe-anachnu lo mistaklim.He always does this when we aren't looking.
- דניאל Danielהוא באמת כלב רע היום.Hu be'emet kelev ra hayom.He really is a bad dog today.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries כלב, רע, CC BY-SA 4.0.
