כלב טוב
kelev tov
The Hebrew phrase for "good dog" is כלב טוב (kelev tov).
This phrase is used to praise a dog for behaving well or following a command.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the dog is female, you must use the feminine forms of both the noun and the adjective: כלבה טובה (kelevah tovah).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is kelev tov.
Did you know?
- The word טוב (tov) shares the same ancient root as the Akkadian word 𒁕𒁍𒌝 (ṭābum).
- In Hebrew, the word טוב (tov) can describe food as 'delicious', meaning that calling a dog כלב טוב subtly implies they are 'pleasant' or 'satisfactory'.
- In Hebrew, the phrase structure for כלב טוב follows a pattern where the noun comes before the adjective, the opposite of the English 'good dog'.
Examples in context
- אני לא רואה כלב טוב, אבל אני כן רואה סוס טוב.I don't see a good dog, but I do see a good horse.This sentence is useful for practicing the contrast between seeing a כלב טוב and seeing a good horse.Tatoeba #2122520 by MrShoval, translation #2122463 by MethodGT
- כלב טוב!Good dog!
- כלב טוב, בוא לכאן.kelev tov, bo le'kan.Good dog, come here.
- הוא כלב טוב מאוד.hu kelev tov me'od.He is a very good dog.
Example conversation
Maya and Noam are training Maya's dog.
- מאיה Mayaנועם, תראה איך הוא יושב.Noam, tireh eich hu yoshev.Noam, look how he is sitting.
- נועם Noamכלב טוב!Kelev tov!Good dog!
- מאיה Mayaהוא לומד מהר מאוד.Hu lomed maher me'od.He is learning very quickly.
- נועם Noamהוא באמת ילד טוב.Hu be'emet yeled tov.He really is a good boy.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries טוב, כלב, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
