שלום חבר
shalom chaver
The English phrase "hello friend" is translated into Hebrew as שלום חבר (shalom chaver).
The phrase is a friendly greeting used to say hello to a friend. The word chaver specifically addresses a male friend.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "peace friend", where shalom means "peace" and chaver means "friend".
Which one should you use?
The form שלום חבר is grammatically masculine and is used when addressing a male friend or a mixed group of friends.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "hello friends" to a group, use the plural form shalom chaverim.
How do you pronounce it?
shalom chaver
Did you know?
- The word chaver is also used in the Kibbutz movement to describe a full member of the community, distinguishing them from hired laborers.
- Hebrew shares a deep linguistic root for 'peace' with Arabic, where the word is salām.
- While shalom is the standard greeting for 'hello', it is also the most common way to say 'goodbye' in Hebrew.
Example conversation
Maya meets Ido at a park.
- מאיה Mayaשלום חבר! מה שלומך?Shalom chaver! Ma shlomcha?Hello friend! How are you?
- עידו Idoהכל טוב, מאיה. מה איתך?Hakol tov, Maya. Ma itach?Everything is good, Maya. What about you?
- מאיה Mayaגם אני בטוב, תודה.Gam ani betov, toda.I am also good, thanks.
- עידו Idoשמח לשמוע, עידו.Sameach lishmoa, Ido.Glad to hear it, Ido.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries חבר, שלום, CC BY-SA 4.0.
