Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods

Yiddish - whether you want to read it, hear it, learn it, ask a question about it, curse in it, wear it or even send a talking e-card to a friend in it - you've come to the right part of Michael Wex.com.

Remember - you don't have to be Jewish to use this part of the site. We have plenty of non-Jewish subscribers to our newsletter and fans who contact us through this website. As Wex always says - previous knowledge is unnecessary and possibly dangerous.

One of the first things people want to learn in another language is how to swear. Rude stuff. Naughty words. The names of various intimate body parts. What Mrs. Wex's grandmother used to refer to simply as "language". We can't promise you dirty words or phrases (you'll need to comb through Born to Kvetch and Just Say Nu to find those) but we can teach you some great Yiddish curses. Really long and involved ones. Ones that will leave the cursee well and truly gobsmacked. Whatever, you can definitely learn to diss someone here.

If you're looking for a place to learn the alef beys (Hebrew alphabet) and the language itself, find an online dictionary, helpful hints on using Hebrew characters on your computer, news from Israel read in Jewish, and much more, try our Yiddish resources page.

Would you like to show your love of the language by wearing a garment emblazoned with a great phrase you've learned from this site? Then be sure to check out the Kvetchco store for all your Jewish-themed clothing needs.

Do you have a question about a phrase you heard from a parent or grandparent? Not sure what an expression means in English? Wondering if your pronunciation is even half-way there? Then try our FAQs page - that's your first port of call for any kind of inquiry about the language - we get a lot of questions all every day and we've replied to most of them before!

If you're interested in finding a translator who can decipher old letters, a song or something more substantial like a whole play or a book, please contact us via our Yiddish Translation page where we'll be able to hook you up for the right price.

If you'd like to hear Wex speaking the language online, go to our Wex in Action page where you can find links to all his pieces recorded for The Forward Hour and also see him on stage singing his Jewish version of I'm Too Sexy - oy vey iz mir.

To hear the differences in "standard" pronunciation and how Wex grew up speaking the language (Polish Yiddish) you may want to compare the audio versions of Born to Kvetch and Just Say Nu - click on the links below to buy copies from Amazon.

To understand the two different types of transliteration used on this site, go to our Transliteration page.

And finally, if you really want to send a talking e-card to a friend in Yiddish, click here.