40+ Hebrew Summer Words & Phrases

Want to learn Hebrew?

Then you’ll want to learn some Hebrew summer words and phrases… because you’ll want to talk about summer.

Oh, what a coincidence… here I have a list of useful Hebrew summer words and phrases. All explained and ready for ya.

Want to learn Hebrew 2x faster with 30+ Hebrew Cheat Sheets? Download your free HebrewPod101 Cheat Sheets – click here.

1. Kayitz

Kayitz is the Hebrew word for the Summer…

And the first word you need to know on this list of Hebrew Summer Words.

2. Hufshat Kayitz

This phrase literally means “summer vacation.”

You combine hufsha (vacation) with kayitz (summer). Summer vacation starts in late June and lasts until end of August. This time is peak summer and perfect for travel, camps, and going to the beach.

3. Cham

Cham is an adjective meaning hot or warm. It can describe weather, objects, food, or even a person feeling warm. For example, yam cham would mean “hot sea water,” and yam itself is a noun.

4. It’s hot

If you want to say, “it’s hot” in Hebrew, this is the closest phrase.

Literally, the phrase means, “the day is hot”

Cham means “hot,” yom means “day,” and ha is “the.”

Another Hebrew phrase you can use is…

Here, Mamash means “really” or “truly.”

Or, you can try…

Eizeh means “what” or “such,” and chom means “heat,” so the phrase literally means “What heat!” It’s a very natural way to say “It’s so hot!”

5. Sea / Beach

While it literally means “sea,” yam is commonly used to mean “beach” in Hebrew.

Which brings us to the next Hebrew Summer phrase…

6. Let’s go to the beach

This phrase means “let’s go to the beach” and comes from bo’u (come/let’s go) and la-yam (to the sea/beach).

It’s a casual phrase, used among friends when making summer plans.

Another casual variation is…

Yalla is a slang term meaning “let’s go” or “come on,” borrowed from Arabic, and la-yam means “to the sea/beach.”

7. I’m sweating

As you may know, in Hebrew, the verb changes to match the speaker’s gender… so there are 2 ways to say this.

Ani means “I,” while mezia (מזיע) is the masculine form of “am sweating” and meziah (מזיעה) is the feminine form. The verb changes ending (-a) to agree with the speaker’s gender.

8. Lehishtazef

Le- is the infinitive marker “to,” and hishtazef comes from the reflexive verb meaning “to tan oneself.”

It’s commonly used for sunbathing or intentionally getting a suntan during summer.

8. I’m thirsty

Here are the 2 ways to say I’m thirsty in Hebrew… on a very hot summer.

Again, different versions depending on who you are / who the speaker is.

9. Suntan

The word for “suntan,” shizuf comes from the root meaning “to scorch” or “to darken.”

Earlier you learned Lehishtazef which is a verb, so you would Lehishtazef to get a shizuf.

10. Sun

This is the Hebrew word for sun.

It’s a feminine noun and is commonly used in summer phrases like משקפי שמש (mishkafei shemesh) for “sunglasses” or קרם שמש (krem shemesh) for “sunscreen.” It can also appear in expressions like שמש חזקה (shemesh chazaka) meaning “strong sun.”

Now speaking of shemesh and its variations…

11. Sunburn

This phrase means “sunburn,” where kvi’yat means “burn” and shemesh means “sun.” It is commonly used to describe the red, irritated skin caused by too much sun.

12. Sunglasses

This term means “sunglasses,” made of mishkafay (glasses) and shemesh (sun). It’s an essential summer item for eye protection and comfort during bright days.

13. Air conditioner

The word for “air conditioner,” mazgan is derived from a root that implies controlling or regulating.

13.Ice Cream

The Hebrew word for ice cream comes from Italian and Ladino (Judeo-Spanish)

Both of these languages use similar forms like “gelato” (Italian) and “helado” (Spanish).

14. I want ice cream

As you may know….

Ani means “I.” Rotzeh/rotzah is the verb “want” in masculine/feminine form.

Though the Hebrew spelling for both is identical (רוצה), the pronunciation changes depending on the speaker’s gender. (rotzeh for male, rotzah for female.)

Glidah means “ice cream” as you already know.

15. Can I have ice cream?

This phrase is gender-neutral, so anyone can use it…

And yes, both kids and adults will say it.

Because it’s a shorthand way of asking “Can I have ice cream?” without a subject or verb, there’s no need to change it based on gender.

16. Waves

Galim means “waves”… and would be useful if you go to the “yam”/beach.

You might hear “הגלים גבוהים היום” (The waves are high today).

18. Israeli Summer

So, what’s an Israeli summer? Well, it carries a bit of cultural weight… instead of just saying, “hey it’s summer here.”

This phrase refers to the dry heat and strong sunlight from June to August.

And, the phrase can also carry feelings tied to life in Israel during summer. Which means… beach trips, festivals, and so on. Referring to the whole summer vibe.

19. I don’t feel like doing anything

This phrase literally means… “Nothing is coming to me,” but in natural English it means “I don’t feel like doing anything.”

It’s commonly used when you’re tired, lazy, or just not in the mood, especially on a hot summer day when energy feels drained.

20. To burn time

This is the Hebrew variation of “to kill time.” Which you’d do during the summer… when it’s super hot.

This is used when you’re just hanging out and passing time.

• לשרוף – Lisrof – to burn
• את הזמן – et ha-zman – the time (object of the verb)

21. Blazing summer

This phrase is used in both spoken and written Hebrew.

It’s a bit poetic, so you might hear it in ads, headlines, or when someone’s being dramatic or expressive about the summer heat.

22. This heat is a nightmare/unbearable

This phrase is informal, a bit dramatic, and very much a complaint in Hebrew.

You’ll use it when the weather is unbearably hot that it feels like a nightmare…. and you groan as you say it.

Think of it like saying “This heat is killing me, Bob,” in English.

Al tishkach krem haganah – “Don’t forget sunscreen”

23. “It’s insanely hot today” or “Scorching hot day.”

Literally “hot fire day.” This is another an exaggerated, slangy way to say it’s hot in Hebrew. Young people especially use this kind of phrasing.

You may also hear it shortened to חם אש (cham esh) -> “fire hot.”

24. The weather’s nice today.

It’s a neutral and widely used phrase to describe pleasant, comfortable weather, often said in casual chat.

• Mezeg = mixture or temperament
• Avir = air
• Together, Mezeg avir = “weather”
• Tov = good

25. Turn on the air conditioner.

We can’t have a list of Hebrew summer words and phrases without this.

And to break it down…

• תדליק = turn on (literally “light” or “switch on”)
• את המזגן = the air conditioner

Another useful variation would be…

Extra Summer Words

Just to cover a bit more, here are some Hebrew summer words that don’t need much explanation.

Back to You

Well, now you know a whole bunch of Hebrew summer words.

Am I missing any?

Or is the Lachut melting your brain?

– The Main L. J.