Let’s learn Hebrew with the song Abba by Shlomi Shabbat. This is a song about the singer’s father, it shows emotions of love, nostalgia, regret and desire to reconnect.
To get the most out of this lesson, first read the vocabulary list, then follow the translation section to see how the words are used in context. Finally, listen to the song while following along to reinforce your learning. Repeating this will help the words and expressions stick naturally!
What Is the Song About?
The song is about a person reflecting on their relationship with their father—past, present, and future. Through memories of childhood, the calm and loving presence of the father, and the paths the father tried to teach, the narrator realizes how deeply shaped they were by him. As time passed, distance and silence grew between them, and the narrator acknowledges their own struggles, differences, and similarities to the father. Ultimately, the song expresses longing, regret, and a heartfelt desire to reconnect, speak openly, and restore the bond that has always existed between them.
Abba Hebrew Vocabulary Breakdown
Let’s first have a quick look at all of the vocabulary in the song.
Vocabulary Table
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| אבא | aba | Dad / Father |
| חבר | chaver | Friend |
| אמר לי | amar li | Told me |
| לכתוב שיר | lichtov shir | To write a song |
| עליך | alecha | About you |
| כל מה | kol ma | Everything that |
| שראיתי | she’ra’iti | That I saw |
| בפניך | befanecha | In your face / expression |
| שלווה | shalva | Calmness |
| ללא מילים | lelo milim | Without words |
| ניחוחות | nichochot | Scents |
| צלילים | tzlilim | Sounds |
| יפה | yafe | Beautiful |
| בעיניך | be’einecha | In your eyes |
| זוכר | zocher | Remember |
| שבילים | shvilim | Paths |
| בית הספר | beit hasefer | School |
| מנגינות | manginot | Melodies |
| חדר | cheder | Room |
| הקשבת | hikshavta | You listened |
| שר | shar | To sing |
| מבט מאושר | mabat me’ushar | Happy look |
| חיוך | chiyuch | Smile |
| מתחבא | mitchabeh | Hiding |
| בין שפתיך | bein sefatecha | Between your lips |
| דרכים | derachim | Ways / paths |
| אהבת | ahavta | You loved |
| לטפח | letape’ach | To nurture / care for |
| הלכתי | halachti | I walked |
| ניסיתי | nisiti | I tried |
| לנצח | lenatze’ach | To win / succeed |
| לא תמיד | lo tamid | Not always |
| הבנתי | hevanti | I understood |
| כי | ki | Because |
| לא הכל הולך | lo hakol holech | Not everything works out |
| אני שונה | ani shoneh | I am different |
| אבל | aval | But |
| מאוד כמוך | me’od kamocha | Very much like you |
| הבית הישן | habayit hayashan | The old house |
| מזמן איננו | mizman einenu | Has long been gone |
| עברנו | avarnu | We moved / passed |
| התקדמנו | hitkadamnu | We progressed |
| השתנינו | hishtaninu | We changed |
| ממלאים את החסר | memal’im et hachaser | Filling the missing part |
| פרצופים | partzufim | Faces |
| דומים | domim | Similar |
| יותר | yoter | More |
| חשב | chashav | Thought |
| חסר לו | chaser lo | Was missing for him |
| הזמן עבר | hazman avar | Time passed |
| ולא דיברנו | velo dibarnu | And we didn’t talk |
| סלח לי | salach li | Forgive me |
| לקח לי זמן | lakach li zman | It took me time |
| להבין | lehavin | To understand |
| אתה שייך לי | ata shayach li | You belong to me |
| כמו שאני | kmo she’ani | As I |
| שייך לך | shayach lecha | Belong to you |
| אוהב אותך | ohev otcha | Love you |
| בוא | bo | Come |
| לא נשמור בפנים | lo nishmor bifnim | Let’s not keep it inside |
| ונדבר | venedaber | And talk |
Hebrew Lyrics Breakdown by Phrases
Verse 1
אבא
aba
Dad.
חבר אמר לי לכתוב שיר עליך
chaver amar li lichtov shir alecha
A friend told me to write a song about you.
על כל מה שראיתי בפניך
al kol ma she’ra’iti befanecha
About everything I saw in your face.
על השלווה ללא מילים
al ha-shalva lelo milim
About the quiet calmness without words.
הניחוחות והצלילים
ha-nichochot ve’ha-tzlilim
The scents and the sounds.
הכל היה כל כך יפה בעיניך
hakol haya kol kach yafe be’einecha
Everything looked so beautiful in your eyes.
Verse 2
אבא, זוכר את השבילים לבית הספר
aba, zocher et ha-shvilim le’beit ha-sefer
Dad, do you remember the paths to school?
את כל המנגינות מתוך החדר
et kol ha-manginot mitoch ha-cheder
All the melodies coming from the room.
כשהקשבת איך אני שר
k’she’hikshavta eych ani shar
When you listened to me singing.
עם המבט המאושר
im ha-mabat ha-me’ushar
With that happy look.
והחיוך המתחבא בין שפתיך
ve’ha-chiyuch ha-mitchabeh bein sefatecha
And the smile hiding between your lips.
Refrain
אבא, על הדרכים שכה אהבת לטפח
aba, al ha-drachim she’ko ahavta letape’ach
Dad, the paths you loved to nurture.
אני הלכתי וניסיתי לנצח
ani halachti ve’nisiti lenatze’ach
I walked them and tried to succeed.
ולא תמיד הבנתי איך
velo tamid hevanti eych
And I didn’t always understand how.
כי לא הכל הולך
ki lo hakol holech
Because not everything works out.
אני שונה ממך אבל מאד כמוך
ani shoneh mimcha aval me’od kamocha
I’m different from you, but also very much like you.
Verse 3
אבא, הבית הישן מזמן איננו
aba, habayit hayashan mizman einenu
Dad, the old house has long been gone.
עברנו, התקדמנו, השתנינו
avarnu, hitkadamnu, hishtaninu
We moved on, progressed, changed.
וממלאים את החסר
umemal’im et hachaser
And we fill what’s missing.
בפרצופים דומים יותר
be’partzufim domim yoter
With faces that look more similar.
למה שכל אחד חשב שחסר לו
le’ma she’kol echad chashav she’chaser lo
To what each person thought they lacked.
Refrain (again
Same as before:
ani shoneh mimcha aval me’od kamocha
I’m different from you, but very much like you.
Final Verse
אבא, הזמן עבר ולא דיברנו
aba, hazman avar velo dibarnu
Dad, time passed, and we didn’t talk.
אבא, סלח לי
aba, salach li
Dad, forgive me.
לקח לי זמן כדי להבין – אתה שייך לי
lakach li zman kdei lehavin – ata shayach li
It took me time to understand — you belong to me.
כמו שאני שייך לך
kmo she’ani shayach lecha
Just as I belong to you.
כמו שאני אוהב אותך
kmo she’ani ohev otcha
Just as I love you.
בוא לא נשמור בפנים יותר ונדבר
bo, lo nishmor bifnim yoter — venedaber
Come, let’s not keep things inside anymore — let’s talk.
