אין מצב
Ein matzav
/eyn maht-ZAV/
No way, absolutely not, impossible (literally: "there is no situation")
💬What does Ein matzav mean in Hebrew?
Ein matzav (אין מצב, pronounced eyn maht-ZAV) literally means "there is no situation" but functions as a flat, emphatic "no way" or "absolutely not" in Israeli Hebrew. It's used to refuse a request outright or express disbelief at something surprising. Its mirror-image counterpart, yesh matzav ("there's a situation"), means the opposite — "there's a chance" or "it's possible". Together they form one of the most common yes/no idiom pairs in spoken Hebrew.
🔊How to pronounce Ein matzav
אין מצב
Ein matzav
eyn maht-ZAV
Capitals = stressed syllable
The Hebrew script reads right-to-left. The English transliteration uses the Israeli Sephardic pronunciation standard.
🇮🇱When do Israelis use Ein matzav?
A strong, flat refusal or expression of disbelief. Its exact mirror-image opposite, "yesh matzav" ("there's a situation"), means the opposite — "there's a chance" or "it's possible".
📝Ein matzav in a sentence — examples
תעזוב אותי לישון עוד שעה? אין מצב, יש לנו פגישה.
Ta'azov oti lishon od sha'a? Ein matzav, yesh lanu pgisha.
Let me sleep another hour? No way, we have a meeting.
אין מצב שהוא אמר את זה.
Ein matzav shehu amar et ze.
There's no way he said that.
תלווה לי אלף שקל? אין מצב.
Talve li elef shekel? Ein matzav.
Lend me a thousand shekels? Not a chance.
אין מצב שאני מגיע בזמן, יש פקק ענק.
Ein matzav she'ani magi'a bazman, yesh pkak anak.
There's no way I'm arriving on time, there's a huge traffic jam.
יש מצב שתבואי? — אין מצב, אני עובדת עד מאוחר.
Yesh matzav shetavo'i? — Ein matzav, ani ovedet ad me'ukhar.
Is there a chance you'll come? — No way, I'm working late.
📖Origin of Ein matzav
A modern Hebrew construction combining "ein" (אין — there is no) with "matzav" (מצב — situation, state). Popularized through army and youth slang in the 1990s–2000s as a blunt way to shut down a request or express disbelief; its positive counterpart "yesh matzav" is used just as often.
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