Hebrew - תגיד לי VS אמור לי

Ask specific questions about your target languages. Beginner questions welcome!
User avatar
cjareck
Brown Belt
Posts: 1047
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:11 pm
Location: Poland
Languages: Polish (N) English, German, Russian(B1?) French (B1?), Hebrew(B1?), Arabic(A2?), Mandarin (HSK 2)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8589
x 2979
Contact:

Hebrew - תגיד לי VS אמור לי

Postby cjareck » Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:20 pm

I am doing an FSI Hebrew Basic Course, and I found as well אמור לי as תגיד לי used in more or less the same context. Since no explanation was provided, I would like to ask if they are exchangeable or there are some differences in meaning.

(edit:)
I saw that I had written מור לי instead of אמור לי. I corrected this now.
Last edited by cjareck on Tue Apr 25, 2017 7:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
0 x
Please feel free to correct me in any language


Listening: 1+ (83% content, 90% linguistic)
Reading: 1 (83% content, 90% linguistic)


MSA DLI : 30 / 141ESKK : 18 / 40


Mandarin Assimil : 62 / 105

User avatar
tarvos
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2889
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 11:13 am
Location: The Lowlands
Languages: Native: NL, EN
Professional: ES, RU
Speak well: DE, FR, RO, EO, SV
Speak reasonably: IT, ZH, PT, NO, EL, CZ
Need improvement: PO, IS, HE, JP, KO, HU, FI
Passive: AF, DK, LAT
Dabbled in: BRT, ZH (SH), BG, EUS, ZH (CAN), and a whole lot more.
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/fo ... PN=1&TPN=1
x 6093
Contact:

Re: Hebrew - תגיד לי VS מור לי

Postby tarvos » Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:38 pm

They both mean "tell me", but I am not sure whether they are interchangeable - you need to ask someone more experienced with Hebrew than I am. There may be a difference in register I am not aware of. (I think the basic meaning is the same).
1 x
I hope your world is kind.

Is a girl.

User avatar
CurlySue
White Belt
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2017 6:43 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
Languages: English (N), Russian (N), French (advanced fluency), Japanese (JLPT N2), Spanish (intermediate), Hebrew (beginner)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5609
x 47

Re: Hebrew - תגיד לי VS אמור לי

Postby CurlySue » Tue Apr 25, 2017 8:06 pm

תגיד לי

Or

תגידי לי

Is actually the future tense.

However, in casual Hebrew (which is almost always, because Israeli culture tends toward the casual), the future tense is used for the imperative.

In other words, תגיד / תגידי לי is used waaay more than אמור לי. Just use the former unless there's an exceptional circumstance as to why you need to use the actual imperative.
1 x
: 3 / 16 Pimsleur Conversational Hebrew
: 2 / 9 Hebrew: A Language Course 1
: 0 / 10Hebrew: A Language Course 2
: 0 / 12Hebrew: A Language Course 3
: 4 / 500 Hebrew Comprehensible Input (500 Hours)

User avatar
cjareck
Brown Belt
Posts: 1047
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:11 pm
Location: Poland
Languages: Polish (N) English, German, Russian(B1?) French (B1?), Hebrew(B1?), Arabic(A2?), Mandarin (HSK 2)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8589
x 2979
Contact:

Re: Hebrew - תגיד לי VS אמור לי

Postby cjareck » Wed Apr 26, 2017 2:12 pm

Thank you for explaining the matter. I have one more question to the topic. Is there a difference in meaning - like one say תגיד to a friend as a polite request and אמור during an interrogation or even tortures, demanding the other person to speak?
0 x
Please feel free to correct me in any language


Listening: 1+ (83% content, 90% linguistic)
Reading: 1 (83% content, 90% linguistic)


MSA DLI : 30 / 141ESKK : 18 / 40


Mandarin Assimil : 62 / 105

User avatar
CurlySue
White Belt
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2017 6:43 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
Languages: English (N), Russian (N), French (advanced fluency), Japanese (JLPT N2), Spanish (intermediate), Hebrew (beginner)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5609
x 47

Re: Hebrew - תגיד לי VS אמור לי

Postby CurlySue » Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:08 pm

cjareck wrote:Thank you for explaining the matter. I have one more question to the topic. Is there a difference in meaning - like one say תגיד to a friend as a polite request and אמור during an interrogation or even tortures, demanding the other person to speak?


Not sure about that? Sorry.
0 x
: 3 / 16 Pimsleur Conversational Hebrew
: 2 / 9 Hebrew: A Language Course 1
: 0 / 10Hebrew: A Language Course 2
: 0 / 12Hebrew: A Language Course 3
: 4 / 500 Hebrew Comprehensible Input (500 Hours)

somename
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:34 pm
Languages: Hebrew (N), English (who knows), Korean (beginner)
x 1

Re: Hebrew - תגיד לי VS אמור לי

Postby somename » Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:49 pm

As for as I'm aware, they are interchangeable.
However, "אמור לי" is rarely if at all used in real life.
1 x

User avatar
cjareck
Brown Belt
Posts: 1047
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:11 pm
Location: Poland
Languages: Polish (N) English, German, Russian(B1?) French (B1?), Hebrew(B1?), Arabic(A2?), Mandarin (HSK 2)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8589
x 2979
Contact:

Re: Hebrew - תגיד לי VS אמור לי

Postby cjareck » Thu Apr 27, 2017 7:07 am

Thank you very much! Now everything is clear :)
0 x
Please feel free to correct me in any language


Listening: 1+ (83% content, 90% linguistic)
Reading: 1 (83% content, 90% linguistic)


MSA DLI : 30 / 141ESKK : 18 / 40


Mandarin Assimil : 62 / 105


Return to “Practical Questions and Advice”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests