At a counter, knowing the nouns is not enough: you need the short turns that move the transaction forward. The most reusable pattern is אפשר + infinitive or bare noun phrase—אפשר תפריט?, אפשר עוד מים?, אפשר חשבון?—followed by future request forms such as תוסיף “add” and תפעיל “turn on.”
The dialogues below keep each expression inside a full exchange. They do not assume that service Hebrew is inherently rude, that a customer must bargain, or that one script describes every business.
Entering an unmarked queue
מי אחרון? mi akharón?—literally “who is last?”—is a widely described practical way to locate your place when no physical line is obvious. The source review for this guide did not identify published research establishing a special Israeli speech act or documenting general queue behaviour, so treat this as useful observed practice, not a scientific claim about what will happen in every shop.
סליחה, מי אחרון בתור?
slikhá, mi akharón batór?
Excuse me, who's last in the queue? (neutral-polite)
אני, אבל הגברת עם התיק הייתה לפניי.
aní, avál hagvéret im hatík haytá lefanái
I am, but the woman with the bag was ahead of me. (neutral)
מעולה, אז אני אחריך.
me'ulé, az aní akharékha
Great, then I'm after you. (to a man; informal-neutral)
When the queue is explicitly managed, הבא בתור! means “next!” (neutral service call). תור means both a turn and a queue position; in other contexts it also means an appointment.
Exchange one: at a falafel counter
The customer is a woman and the server is a man. חצי מנה is a half portion. עם הכול accepts the standard additions; בלי excludes an ingredient. The future-form request תוסיף is not the true imperative הוסף: modern speech commonly recruits the future form for a direct but ordinary request.
מה בשבילך, מנה בפיתה או בצלחת?
ma bishvilékh, maná befitá o betsalákhat?
Server: What can I get you, a portion in a pita or on a plate? (to a woman; informal-neutral)
חצי מנה בפיתה, בבקשה, בלי חצילים.
khatsí maná befitá, bevakashá, bli khatsilím
Customer: Half a portion in a pita, please, without aubergine.
הכול? חריף?
hakól? kharíf?
Server: Everything on it? Spicy sauce? (compact service questions; informal-neutral)
עם הכול, אבל רק קצת חריף.
im hakól, avál rak ktsat kharíf
Customer: Everything, but only a little spicy sauce.
להוסיף לך טחינה למעלה?
lehosíf lakh tkhiná lemála?
Server: Shall I add tahini on top? (to a woman; infinitive as a compact service offer)
כן, תוסיף לי קצת, וזהו.
ken, tosíf li ktsat, vezéhu
Customer: Yes, add a little for me, and that's it. (to a man; direct everyday future request)
בכיף. עוד משהו לשתות?
bekhéif. od máshehu lishtót?
Server: Sure. Anything else to drink? (informal-friendly)
לא, תודה, זהו להיום.
lo, todá, zéhu lehayóm
Customer: No thanks, that's all for today.
Exchange two: in a taxi
The destination can appear without an opening verb: לרחוב… בבקשה “to … Street, please.” מונה is the meter. Requests with אפשר + infinitive avoid choosing the driver's gender and remain conventionally indirect.
לרחוב אלנבי, ליד השוק, בבקשה.
lirekhóv Álenbi, leyád hashúk, bevakashá
Passenger: To Allenby Street, near the market, please. (neutral)
אין בעיה, בערך עשרים דקות.
ein be'ayá, be'érekh esrím dakót
Driver: No problem, about twenty minutes. (informal-neutral)
אפשר להפעיל מונה, בבקשה?
efshár lehaf'íl moné, bevakashá?
Passenger: Could you turn on the meter, please? (neutral-polite)
בטח. המזגן בסדר לך?
bétakh. hamazgán beséder lakh?
Driver: Sure. Is the air conditioning OK for you? (to a woman; informal-friendly)
קצת חם לי. אפשר לפתוח חלון?
ktsat kham li. efshár liftóakh khalón?
Passenger: I'm a little hot. Can I open a window? (neutral)
כן, ברור. תגידי לי איפה לעצור.
ken, barúr. tagídi li éifo la'atsór
Driver: Yes, of course. Tell me where to stop. (to a woman; informal-neutral)
אפשר לעצור כאן, לפני הכניסה?
efshár la'atsór kan, lifnéi haknisá?
Passenger: Can you stop here, before the entrance? (neutral)
בטח. זה יוצא שישים ושניים שקל.
bétakh. ze yotsé shishím ushnáyim shékel
Driver: Sure. That comes to sixty-two shekels. (everyday spoken price form)
כמה זה יוצא עם הטיפ?
káma ze yotsé im hatip?
Passenger: How much does that come to with the tip? (neutral)
The standalone עצור כאן “stop here” (direct, to a man) is grammatically available when timing is urgent. In the script, אפשר לעצור כאן? turns the same desired action into an impersonal request. Do not call one “Israeli” and the other “English”; both belong to Hebrew and differ in force.
Exchange three: café and checkout
אני אקח…—literally “I will take”—is an everyday (neutral) ordering frame. The server's questions ביחד או בנפרד? and במזומן או באשראי? offer two compact alternatives.
סליחה, אפשר תפריט לשניים?
slikhá, efshár tafrít lishnáyim?
Customer: Excuse me, can we have a menu for two? (neutral-polite)
בטח, והנה גם מים. מה תרצו להזמין?
bétakh, vehiné gam máyim. ma tirtsú lehazmín?
Server: Sure, and here is some water too. What would you like to order? (to a group; neutral-friendly)
אני אקח קפה הפוך וסלט קטן.
aní ekákh kafé hafúkh vesalát katán
Customer: I'll have a latte and a small salad. (neutral)
ואני רק תה עם נענע. זה הכול כרגע.
va'aní rak te im na'aná. ze hakól karéga
Friend: And just mint tea for me. That's everything for now. (neutral)
אפשר את החשבון כשיהיה לך רגע?
efshár et hakheshbón ksheyihyé lekhá réga?
Customer: Could we have the bill when you have a moment? (to a man; neutral-polite)
בשמחה. ביחד או בנפרד?
besimkhá. beyákhad o benifrád?
Server: Gladly. Together or separately? (neutral service question)
בנפרד, בבקשה. אני באשראי והיא במזומן.
benifrád, bevakashá. aní ba'ashrái vehi bimzumán
Customer: Separately, please. I'm paying by card and she's paying cash. (neutral)
אתם צריכים קבלה? שקית?
atém tsrikhím kabalá? sakít?
Cashier: Do you need a receipt? A bag? (to a mixed/male group; neutral)
Counter vocabulary around the scripts
| Hebrew | Meaning | Register/use |
|---|---|---|
| תור tor | queue; turn; appointment | neutral |
| הבא בתור habá batór | next in line | neutral service call |
| קבלה kabalá | receipt | neutral |
| שקית sakít | bag | neutral |
| בתשלומים betashlumím | in instalments | neutral retail/financial |
| אפשר החזר? efshár hekhzér? | is a refund possible? | neutral service request |
אפשר לקבל החזר לכרטיס ששילמתי בו?
efshár lekabél hekhzér lakartís sheshilámti bo?
Can I get a refund to the card I paid with? (neutral-polite retail request)
Why אפשר fits the counter
In CCSARP's elicited Hebrew data, 59% of requests were conventionally indirect. Bar On and Meir (2022) found imperatives nearly absent—18 among 2,160 elicited scenarios. Those studies used written elicitation rather than natural recordings at counters, so they do not give a transcript-level frequency for falafel stands or taxis. They do, however, support the grammatical choice modeled here: אפשר + noun/infinitive is a central natural request frame, not an imported English courtesy formula.
See making requests politely for the full evidence and money expressions for prices, payment and any carefully qualified treatment of bargaining.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting את before an indefinite order. A new, nonspecific coffee takes no definite-object marker.
❌ אני אקח את קפה הפוך.
Incorrect—קפה הפוך is indefinite here, so it cannot follow definite-object marker את.
✅ אני אקח קפה הפוך בלי סוכר.
aní ekákh kafé hafúkh bli sukár
I'll have a latte without sugar. (neutral ordering frame)
2. Copying English “a little of” with של. A quantity word stands directly before the substance.
❌ אפשר קצת של טחינה בצד?
Incorrect—קצת directly modifies טחינה; של does not belong between them.
✅ אפשר קצת טחינה בצד, בבקשה?
efshár ktsat tkhiná batsád, bevakashá?
Can I have a little tahini on the side, please? (neutral-polite)
3. Forgetting gender agreement in a complaint. מנה is feminine, so the adjective must be feminine too.
❌ המנה הזאת חריף מדי בשבילי.
Incorrect—מנה and הזאת are feminine, so חריף must agree as חריפה.
✅ המנה הזאת חריפה מדי בשבילי.
hamaná hazót kharifá midái bishvilí
This portion is too spicy for me. (neutral)
4. Putting a present participle after אפשר. An action after אפשר takes the infinitive.
❌ אפשר פותח את החלון?
Incorrect—after אפשר, the action is לפתוח, not present participle פותח.
✅ אפשר לפתוח את החלון מאחור?
efshár liftóakh et hakhalón me'akhór?
Can we open the window in the back? (neutral)
Key Takeaways
- Enter an unmarked queue with מי אחרון?, while treating its wider social function as described practice rather than a researched universal.
- Build counter requests with אפשר + noun/infinitive: אפשר תפריט, אפשר לפתוח חלון, אפשר חשבון.
- At a food counter, עם הכול, בלי…, קצת…, תוסיף לי… and זהו shape the order.
- In a taxi, use לרחוב… בבקשה, מונה, אפשר לעצור כאן? and כמה זה יוצא?
- At checkout, expect ביחד או בנפרד? and במזומן או באשראי?
Now practice Hebrew
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