גיין שלאָפֿן
geyn shlofn/ɡɛɪ̯n ˈʃɫɔfn̩/word by word
The phrase 'go to sleep' in Yiddish is גיין שלאָפֿן (geyn shlofn).
The phrase means to go to bed in order to sleep.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb גיין (to go) and the infinitive שלאָפֿן (to sleep).
How does it change in a sentence?
In Yiddish, the infinitive שלאָפֿן follows the verb גיין without a preposition like 'to' to express the purpose of going.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is geyn shlofn and the IPA is /ɡɛɪ̯n ˈʃɫɔfn̩/.
Did you know?
- In Yiddish culture, saying גיין שלאָפֿן to a child is often accompanied by the phrase שלאָף שנעל meaning 'sleep quickly', which is a common way to encourage a child to fall asleep faster.
- The word שלאָפֿן (shlofn) is an 'etymological cousin' to the English word 'slumber', as both stem from the same ancient Germanic roots.
- Because Yiddish uses the Hebrew alphabet, the word גיין may appear visually daunting to English speakers, even though its sound is nearly identical to the German 'gehen'.
Examples in context
- איך מוז גיין שלאָפֿן.ikh muz geyn shlofn.I must go to sleep.
- ווילט איר גיין שלאָפֿן?vilt ir geyn shlofn?Do you want to go to sleep?
Example conversation
Yitzhak and Miriam are tired at the end of the day.
- יצחק Yitzchakמרים, איך בין זייער מיד.Miryam, ikh bin zeyer mid.Miriam, I am very tired.
- מרים Miriamאיך בין אויך מיד, יצחק.ikh bin oykh mid, Yitshok.I am tired too, Yitzhak.
- יצחק Yitzchakלאָמיר שוין גיין שלאָפֿן.lomir shoyn geyn shlofn.Let's go to sleep already.
- מרים Miriamגוטע נאַכט!gute nakht!Good night!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (גיין, שלאָפֿן) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries גיין, שלאָפֿן, CC BY-SA 4.0.
