# Yiddish: Oyfn



## Bartocus123

Hi everybody!

I know that it means *way*, *manner* and so on, but apparently it has other sense, too. I've heard phrases such as Oyfn hoyz..., Oyfn shul..., Oyfn oyto..., etc.

Am I wrong? Please, help me out!

Thank you in advance


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## origumi

I don't speak Yiddish, yet I can try.

It seems that two different words are mixed here:
* One means _to open_, as in German _offen_. Thus "open house", "open school", "open car" in your examples.
* The other comes from Hebrew _ofen_ and means _way_, _manner_.


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## berndf

It is a contraction of _oyf den_ =_ on/upon the _(אױפן < אױף דען) in dative or accusative, German equivalent is _auf dem _(dative) or_ auf den _(accusative).

Example (from a song):
*אױפן* װעג שטײט א בױם (Yiddish, in Aramaic letters)
_*Oyfn* Veg shteyt a Boym_ (Yiddish, Latin transcription)
_*Auf dem *Weg steht ein Baum_ (German)
=
_*On the* way there is a tree._


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## Bartocus123

Thanks a lot!


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