How learning Yiddish can get you a free bagel next Tuesday

Learn Yiddish, get a free bagel.

By David Ian Klein March 31, 2021

If you weren’t already interested in learning Yiddish, Duolingo may have given you another reason, — free bagels!

That’s right, in honor of the launch of a new Yiddish course on the popular language-learning platform, Duolingo is offering to pay for your bagel order at a handful of stores around the country when the course goes live on April 6.

They include Katz’s Deli in New York City, Factor’s Famous Deli in Los Angeles, Chicago’s Manny’s Cafeteria, as well as Pittsburgh’s Pigeon Bagels and Miami’s Zak the Baker, which are both certified kosher.

However, there’s a catch. You have to order in Yiddish.

Since the deal is only available on launch day, you probably won’t have much time to verse yourself in the traditional language of Ashkenazi Jewry before breakfast, so here are a few terms with which to familiarize yourself. Consider this cheat sheet our gift to you.

Can I have a bagel — Ken ikh hubn a beygl

Toasted — Tsubroynte

With — Mitn

Cream Cheese — Shmirkez

Butter — Puter

Onions — Tsibele

Garlic — Knobl

Tomato — Pomidor

Lox — Loks (it’s an easy one)

Egg — Eyer

Everything bagel — Altsding-beygl

So how to put it all together at the counter?

“Can I have an onion bagel with cream cheese, lox and tomato?” would be “Ken ikh hobn a tsibele beygl mitn Skmirkez, loks un Pomidorn?”

Or, my go-to order, a toasted everything bagel with butter, would be: “Ken ikh hobn an altsding-beygl tzubroyntn mit puter”.

David Ian Klein covers breaking news and international Jewish communities for the Forward. You can reach him at Klein@forward.com and on Twitter @davidianklein.

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