Glossary entry

Hebrew term or phrase:

החמצתי את החיים

English translation:

missed the boat

Added to glossary by Mary Jane Shubow
Jul 20, 2009 03:36
14 yrs ago
Hebrew term

איך החמצתי את החיים שלי

Hebrew to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Any ideas on how to translate this into idiomatic English? I'm thinking of saying "How lIfe has passed me by." All suggestions will be appreciated. The context is
איך החמצתי את החיים שלי...יכולתי להיות רקדנית
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): Lingopro

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Proposed translations

+1
30 mins
Selected

Missed out on life

Your suggestion is good Mary Jane.
Mine is just another option, which is also idiomatically correct.
Peer comment(s):

agree Lingopro : I think Keren's suggestion is more appropriate, and should say: **I** missed... In your suggestion the person isn't taking responsibility for the missed life (whereas in Heb she does).
4 hrs
Thanks!
disagree Yaron Dahan : Correct reasoning, but somewhat stilted translation. I think colloquially its more appropraite to say messed up or screwed up, and hit has a braoder sense than "missed out on life" which is quite narrow
8 hrs
agree Iris Bat-Or : להחמיץ is both "turn sour" and "miss" as in miss a train, miss out on, etc.
12 hrs
Thanks!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks, in the end I translated it missed the boat but this helped me get there."
+1
4 hrs

How I've messed up my life

Literally how I've soured my life.
Peer comment(s):

disagree Lingopro : החמצת חיים is not "a messed or a soured life". If anything it's "missed" life
50 mins
Disagree with your disagree. Comes from Chometz - vinegar.
agree Yaron Dahan : well, actually as far as word origin, this is probably a less good explanation (I beleived it comes from missed and not soured) but as a colloquialism, It most definitely means "I screwed up my life"
4 hrs
Thanks Yaron. If you let something sit, Lehacahmitz, it turns sour (ferments). Hechematzti et hachayim sheli means messed up my life through what I failed to do as opposed to what I did. Stronger than missed out on life.
agree Yvette Neisser Moreno
5 hrs
Thanks, Yvette
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