# התחלה



## dukaine

In my workbook, this word means "beginning", but I have yet to see it used. I do see תחלה quite a bit, though.  When would you use התחלה?


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## anipo

You use it a lot. As you said, it means beginning (noun).  
.כל ההתחלות קשות.
.בהתחלה חשבתי שלא אדע עברית
.ההתחלה של הסיפור מעניינת

What do you mean by תחלה ?


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## dukaine

תחלה was one of the words given in one of my dictionaries for "beginning"; also entered was אתחלה and פתילה.


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## Egmont

dukaine said:


> תחלה was one of the words given in one of my dictionaries for "beginning"; also entered was אתחלה and פתילה.


Could it have been תחילה (t'chila)? And could פתילה have been פתיחה (p'ticha, opening)? אתחלה is, I think, an alternate form of התחלה.


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## dukaine

Maybe. The way I typed it was how it was in the dictionary.


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## Saritdiisraele

Hi Dukaine did you handled the word in the end? or anything else that is not clear?


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## dukaine

I understand about פתיחה, because I recognize the שרש פ-ת-ח.  I don't know what the difference is among תחילה, אתחלה, and תחילה.


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## tFighterPilot

אתחלה isn't a word, תחילה usually means "first of all".


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## Carrot Ironfoundersson

> אתחלה isn't a word



Well, Even Shoshan does recognize it.


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## dukaine

Carrot Ironfoundersson said:


> Well, Even Shoshan does recognize it.



Does it mean the same as התחלה?  Maybe a colloquial version?


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## origumi

dukaine said:


> Maybe a colloquial version?


Not exactly. This is under Aramaic influence. Hebrew התחלה is derived from binyan התפעל. In Aramaic there are several binyanim similar to התפעל, all are אתפעל (each with different vowels), and Aramaic אפעל is equivalent to Hebrew הפעיל. Therefore אתחלה is an alternative form to התחלה. See also the Aramaic idiom אתחלתא דגאולתא, in use also by Hebrew speakers.


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## Egmont

Then there's the computer-age verb      לאתחל, "to boot" or "to initialize" in computer technology, for which the usual noun is אתחול - but once in a while I see אתחלה in this context as well.


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## tFighterPilot

Carrot Ironfoundersson said:


> Well, Even Shoshan does recognize it.


And that is one of the many reasons why one should not learn a language by reading a dictionary.


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## dukaine

tFighterPilot said:


> And that is one of the many reasons why one should not learn a language by reading a dictionary.



I'm in a class; that's where I learned התחלה.  I looked it up in my dictionary because I wanted to use it in a sentence, and an automated translator gave me תחילה.  That's where I found the other words, leading me to come here to ask about them.


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## dukaine

Egmont said:


> Then there's the computer-age verb      לאתחל, "to boot" or "to initialize" in computer technology, for which the usual noun is אתחול - but once in a while I see אתחלה in this context as well.



Good to know.  Thanks everyone.


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## OsehAlyah

tFighterPilot said:


> And that is one of the many reasons why one should not learn a language by reading a dictionary.


Yes but people come here to discuss *all* aspects of the Hebrew language. Often used and seldom used. No?


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## tFighterPilot

OsehAlyah said:


> Yes but people come here to discuss *all* aspects of the Hebrew language. Often used and seldom used. No?


People who learn Hebrew should first know words that are actually used in Hebrew. There are tons of Hebrew words that exist only in theory, many of which in Aramaic.


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## dukaine

tFighterPilot said:


> People who learn Hebrew should first know words that are actually used in Hebrew. There are tons of Hebrew words that exist only in theory, many of which in Aramaic.



Had I known it was Aramaic at the time, I probably wouldn't have asked about it.  I'm glad I have a resource that makes me aware of all possible things that I might come across, and I'm glad for a place I can come to gain additional education about obscure words.  English has many borrowed words and phrases from other languages, both common and obscure, and I'm glad to help any person who would ask about them.


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## Aoyama

But then, the initial question probably and simply may come from the fact that התחלה starts with a ה that can be taken as an article. ההתחלה has also the unsual particularity to start with two ה in a row.


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