תאהב את עצמך
te'ehav et atzmecha
To say "love yourself" in Hebrew, use תאהב את עצמך (te'ehav et atzmecha).
This phrase is used to express the concept of caring for your own well-being and happiness.
What does it mean word for word?
In this phrase, the word את acts as a direct object marker that must precede the reflexive pronoun עצמך.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a group of people, the phrase changes to the masculine plural form תאהבו את עצמכם.
How do you pronounce it?
te'ehav et atzmecha
Did you know?
- The word עצמך comes from the root for 'bone', suggesting that loving yourself involves loving your skeletal frame or very structure.
- The command תאהב את עצמך is grammatically structured as a future tense verb, which is how Hebrew typically expresses a polite request or a command.
- The word את is a cognate of the Akkadian word itti, which means 'with'.
Examples in context
- החשוב בחיים הוא לאהוב את עצמך.The important thing in life is to love yourself.
- אתה צריך לאהוב את עצמך כפי שאתה.You need to love yourself as you are.
- תאהב את עצמך לפני שאתה דואג לאחרים.te'ahav et atzmecha lifnei she'ata do'eg le'acherim.Love yourself before you worry about others.
Example conversation
Noam is feeling stressed about his career and Rotem offers advice.
- נועם Noamאני מרגיש שכלום לא מצליח לי.ani margish she'klum lo matzliach li.I feel like nothing is working out for me.
- רוטם Rotemנועם, קודם כל תאהב את עצמך.Noam, kodem kol te'ahav et atzmecha.Noam, first of all, love yourself.
- נועם Noamזה נשמע קצת קשה עכשיו.ze nishma ktzat kashe achshav.That sounds a bit difficult right now.
- רוטם Rotemזה יקרה עם הזמן, תראה.ze yikre im hazman, tir'e.It will happen with time, you'll see.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries את, CC BY-SA 4.0.
