שלום לך
shalom lakha
The Hebrew phrase "peace to you" is translated as שלום לך (shalom lakha).
This phrase is used as a greeting to wish someone peace and well-being.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun שלום (peace) and the prepositional pronoun לך (to you).
Which one should you use?
The form שלום לך is used when addressing a male, while שלום לכם is the plural form.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form שלום לך is used when addressing a male. The plural form of the phrase is שלום לכם.
How do you pronounce it?
shalom lakha
Did you know?
- In Hebrew, the word שלום shares a root with the word for 'complete' or 'whole'. To wish someone peace is linguistically similar to wishing that they be made whole.
- The word שלום is a cognate of the Arabic word 'salām', showing that the greeting for peace is linguistically linked across the Middle East.
- Because of its weight and poetic nature, using the full phrase שלום לך in a modern Israeli supermarket might be perceived as ironic or even jokingly dramatic.
Example conversation
Rotem greets Noam at a community gathering.
- רוטם Rotemשלום לך, נועם!Shalom lecha, Noam!Peace to you, Noam!
- נועם Noamשלום לך, רוטם. נעים לראות אותך.Shalom lach, Rotem. Na'im lir'ot otach.Peace to you, Rotem. It is nice to see you.
- רוטם Rotemגם אני שמחה לראות אותך.Gam ani smicha lir'ot otcha.I am also happy to see you.
- נועם Noamבוא נשב יחד.Bo neshev yachad.Let's sit together.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries שלום, CC BY-SA 4.0.
