מה נשמעMa nishma

Ma nishma (מה נשמע, pronounced mah neesh-MAH) means "what's up?" or "how are you?" in Israeli casual speech. Literally translating to "what is heard?", it's the go-to informal greeting between friends, much more common than the formal "ma shlomkha". A typical response might be "beseder, stam" (fine, just hanging) or "sababa, ma itkha?" (cool, what about you?).

The most common Israeli greeting among friends, far more casual than "ma shlomkha?" (the formal "how are you?"). "Ma nishma" invites a real answer, not just a polite "fine". You might hear "ma nishma, akhshav?" (what's up lately?) from someone you haven't seen in a while.

Unique Israeli Hebrew construction: literally "what is heard?" A playful twist on asking how someone is.