Knowing how to say goodbye is a key skill in any language. In Hebrew, as in most languages, the way we say goodbye depends on a number of factors, such as the particular situation we’re in, the person or people we’re addressing, and the time of day. Just as it’s crucial to leave a good first impression by saying hello and introducing yourself, it’s equally important to leave a good last impression by taking your leave in a manner suitable to the circumstances. Farewells are precisely the opportunity to do so; correctly using Hebrew goodbye phrases will show that you’re sensitive to the nuances of the language and culture.
In this article, we’ll look at the top ten ways to say goodbye in Hebrew. We’ll cover day-to-day goodbyes, goodbyes for different times of day, and goodbyes to be used in specific situations. By the end of today’s lesson, you should be well-equipped to say adieu to Hebrew-speakers in a number of the most common everyday situations. Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE!(Logged-In Member Only)
First, let’s have a look at the most common ways to say goodbye. Each word and phrase listed here is pretty versatile, though they do vary in terms of their respective levels of formality. One of the great things about these expressions is that you don’t need to conjugate or modify them depending on the person or people you’re talking to. Each one is ready to go as-is!
You’ll notice that the first Hebrew word for goodbye here is just taken à la carte from English. While it could be considered slang, it’s so commonly used by now (as is the greeting “Hi”) that you can use it in any casual setting without fear.
1. ביי
Bay “Bye”
As mentioned, this one is pretty much a catchall. Because this word is obviously “borrowed,” it’s important to note that Israelis pronounce it slightly differently than English-speakers do, elongating the diphthong (or mixed vowel sound). Also note that, in Hebrew, we use “bye” but not “goodbye.” For example:
היה לי ממש כיף היום. ביי!
Hayah li mamash keyf hayom. Bay! “I had a really good time today. Bye!”
תודה שבאתם לבקר. ביי!
Todah she-batem levaker. Bay! “Thanks for coming to visit. Bye!”
2. להתראות
Lehitra’ot “See you (later).”
When it comes to saying goodbye in Hebrew, lehitra’ot is perhaps the most common expression. It’s literally just the unconjugated (infinitive) reflexive verb that means “to see one another.” You can use it in pretty much any situation.
שיהיה לכם יום נעים. להתראות!
She-yihiyeh lakhem yom na’im. Lehitra’ot! “Have a nice day. See you!”
להתראות! אל תשכח להתקשר.
Lehitra’ot! Al tishkakh lehitkasher. “See you later! Don’t forget to call.”
3. שלום, שלום
Shalom shalom “Farewell.” (Literally: “Peace, peace.”)
This one is a bit more old-fashioned, and it’s more commonly used among older generations. However, it’s still a perfectly acceptable way of saying goodbye, even among younger folks, albeit a bit more formal. Note that we typically use a single “Shalom” for greeting and two for a farewell.
תודה על הארוחה הטעימה, סבתא. שלום, שלום!
Todah ‘al ha-arukhah ha-te’imah, Savtah. Shalom, shalom! “Thank you for the delicious meal, Grandma. Farewell!”
שלום, שלום! ד”ש חמה להורים שלך.
Shalom, shalom! Dash khamah la-horim shelkha. “Farewell! Warm regards to your parents.”
2. Saying Goodbye at Different Times of Day
We can also say goodbye by referencing the time of day or night. Don’t get too caught up on the precise time of day here. Just keep in mind that, like in English, we generally have different greetings for people depending on whether it’s morning (before noon), afternoon (after noon, but while it’s still light out), evening (dark out, but still not very late), or night.
Also note that in some cases, there’s some variation between how we use time references in greetings versus how we use them in farewells. For example, we usually say בוקר טוב (Boker tov), or “Good morning,” as a form of salutation, but we don’t typically use it as a farewell.
Below is an appropriate farewell to use any time in the morning (i.e. before noon).
4. יום טוב
Yom tov “[Have] a nice day.”
תודה על הייעוץ, דוקטור. יום טוב!
Todah ‘al ha-ye’utz, Doktor. Yom tov! “Thank you for the advice, Doctor. Have a nice day!”
יום טוב לך, גבירתי. התחדשי על הכובע החדש.
Yom tov lakh, gvirti. Hitkhadshi ‘al ha-kova’ he-khadash. “Have a nice day, ma’am. Enjoy the new hat.”
The next Hebrew goodbye is used in the afternoon (after twelve o’clock noon, but before it gets dark). Note that the word for “afternoon” is plural, and conjugated accordingly. So, the word “good” will be טובים (tovim), and not טוב (tov).
5. צהריים טובים
Tzohorayim tovim “[Have a] good afternoon.”
תודה על הקפה. היה כיף לראות אותך, אבל אני חייב לחזור לעבודה. צהריים טובים!
Todah ‘al ha-kafeh. Hayah keyf lir’ot otakh, aval ani khayav lakhzor la-’avodah. Tzohorayim tovim! “Thanks for the coffee. It was nice seeing you, but I have to get back to work. Have a good afternoon!”
צהריים טובים. כבר אכלתם?
Tzohorayim tovim. Kvar akhaltem? “Good afternoon. Did you eat yet?”
Once the sun starts going down, but before around nine or ten o’clock, we can use the following phrase to say goodbye.
נהיה כבר מאוחר ובעלי בטח מחכה לי בבית. ערב טוב!
Neheyah kvar me’ukhar u-va’ali betakh mekhakeh li ba-bayit. ‘Erev tov! “It’s late already, and my husband is surely waiting for me at home. Have a good evening!”
ערב טוב. כנסו בבקשה, ארוחת הערב כבר מוכנה.
‘Erev tov. Kansu be-vakashah, arukhat ha-’erev kvar mukhanah. “Good evening. Please, come in. Dinner is ready.”
This last phrase should be reserved for the later hours of the day, typically after nine or ten o’clock.
7. לילה טוב
Laylah tov “Goodnight.”
אני ממש עייף, אז אני אלך לישון. לילה טוב! נתראה בבוקר.
Ani mamash ayef, az ani elekh lishon. Laylah tov! Nitra’eh ba-boker. “I’m really tired, so I’m going to go to bed. Goodnight! See you in the morning.”
לילה טוב. היזהר בכבישים! יורד גשם.
Laylah tov. Hizaher ba-kvishim! Yored geshem. “Goodnight. Be careful on the road. It’s raining.”
Ways of Saying Goodbye in Specific Situations
For our final category, let’s look at some common ways of saying goodbye in Hebrew that are particular to specific situations. Be careful not to use these as liberally as those in our first category; you should only use them when the situation warrants it. It’s worth mentioning that there are many more condition-specific forms of goodbye than those listed here, but these are the most common ones.
The first farewell is used whenever we’re sending someone off on a journey. For example, when we’re taking someone to the airport to go on a trip to another country, or as that person is getting into their car to drive home.
8. נסיעה טובה
Nesi’ah tovah “[Have a] nice trip.”
נסיעה טובה! אני מקווה שתהנו באמסטרדם!
Nesi’ah tovah! Ani mekaveh she-tehanu be-Amsterdam! “Have a nice trip! I hope you have fun in Amsterdam!”
רוץ מהר שלא יסעו בלעדיך. נסיעה טובה!
Rutz maher she-lo yis’u bil’adekha. Nesi’ah tovah! “Hurry up now so they don’t leave without you. Have a nice trip!”
The next Hebrew goodbye is for the Sabbath, which, in Judaism, begins Friday at sundown and ends a little after sundown on Saturday (specifically when three stars are visible in the night sky). This is more or less the Jewish equivalent of “Have a nice weekend.” Note that we can use this one as a greeting or a farewell, with no changes. We should also point out that this phrase is not limited to religious speakers or communities, but rather, it’s used by all to refer to what in Israel is the day of rest, separate from the workweek. Incidentally, the Israeli workweek is six days, beginning on Sunday.
9. שבת שלום
Shabbat shalom “[Have a] peaceful Sabbath.”
שבת שלום! אני מקווה שתנוחו אחרי שבוע ארוך של עבודה.
Shabbat shalom! Ani mekavah she-tanukhu akharey shavu’ah arokh shel ‘avodah. “Have a peaceful Sabbath! I hope you rest after a long week of work.”
שבת שלום לכל המשפחה. נתראה ביום ראשון.
Shabbat shalom le-khol ha-mishpakhah. Nitra’eh be-Yom Rishon. “A peaceful Sabbath to all the family. See you on Sunday.”
Our last Hebrew goodbye is used on holidays, whether religious (e.g. Shavuot) or secular (e.g. Independence Day). As you’ll see in the two examples below, this can be used with or without specifying the particular holiday that’s being celebrated. Note that we don’t use this phrase on fast days or other solemn commemorative occasions, such as Yom Ha-Zikaron (Memorial Day).
שתהיה לכם אחלה חופשת פסח בצרפת. חג שמח!
She-tihiyeh lakhem akhlah khufshat Pesakh be-Tzarfat. Khag same’akh! “Have a great Passover break in France. Happy holidays!”
חג פורים שמח! נתראה במסיבה.
Khag Purim same’akh! Nitra’eh ba-mesibah. “Happy Purim! See you at the party.”
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We hope you’ve found this lesson helpful, and that you can see how important it is to be prepared for different situations and the specific phrases they call for. There are obviously many other forms of farewell in Hebrew, but you now have a fair cross-section of words and phrases to help you say goodbye in any situation.
Is there a particular Hebrew goodbye phrase we didn’t cover that you would like to know? Unclear about one of the farewells we did cover? As always, we would love to hear from you with any questions or doubts you may have. Get in touch and let us know how we can help! That’s what we’re here for.
Let’s face it. Hebrew is not the most popular language choice for those seeking to acquire a new one. It’s not as sexy-sounding as, say, French or Spanish. It doesn’t have international status as a lingua franca for culture or commerce. It’s spoken by a mere nine million people worldwide.
Yet there are a number of great reasons to make it your next language undertaking. In this article, we’ll answer the question “Is Hebrew hard to learn?” and talk about its simpler and more complex aspects. But first, we’ll show you why you should learn this beautiful language.
The number-one reason is that Hebrew is, quite simply, unique among all languages, and for more than one reason. It’s the language of nearly the entire Old Testament (the Book of Daniel is written in Aramaic, a closely related Semitic language that’s very similar to Hebrew). When God said, “Let there be light,” he said it in Hebrew! So when you learn Hebrew, you’re connecting yourself to a primal part of history. Indeed, the earliest examples of Paleo-Hebrew date back to the tenth century BCE, making Hebrew at least 3,000 years old!
Obviously, the Hebrew language has contributed greatly to Western civilization through the vast literary works in the Hebrew language that are part of the Biblical canon. Just as interesting is the fact that Hebrew ceased to be used as a spoken language between the third and fifth centuries. During this time, it was relegated to לשון הקודש (leshon ha-kodesh), or the Language of Holy Matters, used for Bible study, prayer, and religious poetry—but not for everyday communication.
It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that Hebrew was revived as a spoken language. In fact, this was achieved through a linguistic enterprise, the likes of which had never been seen before and which has not been replicated since. A number of highly motivated and impressively talented individuals, most prominently Eliezer Ben Yehuda, set about coining Hebrew words to describe the modern world, so removed as it was from the ancient context of Biblical Hebrew.
They began publishing Hebrew dictionaries and periodicals, codifying grammatical rules, putting on Hebrew-language theater productions, founding Hebrew schools and clubs, and generally revitalizing the language as an everyday tongue equal to any other spoken language. In fact, Eliezer Ben Yehuda is credited with raising the first child to speak Hebrew as his native (and at least initially exclusive) tongue, keeping his son Itamar under something like house arrest in his early years so he wouldn’t be exposed to other languages, which he felt might confuse the child.
Today, Hebrew is the State of Israel’s official language. It’s the mother tongue of millions of people, used in newspapers, books, TV programs, movies, music, poetry, food labels, websites, legislation, advertisements, and any other use you can think of for a language. So when you learn and speak it, you’re participating in what could be argued to be the most successful linguistic experiment in history—the revival of a language that had not been spoken for over a thousand years!
What’s more, just as Hebrew is unique among languages, Israel is a country unlike any other. Geographically at the crossroads of three continents—Europe, Asia, and Africa—Israel is a true melting pot of cultures, with immigrants and their descendants from literally all four corners of the globe. It’s also a fascinating meld of ancient culture with cutting-edge modernity. Learning Hebrew gives you direct access to all of this rich diversity, and to a wealth of unique and interesting literature, art, music, cuisine, and people.
So why should you learn Hebrew? Perhaps the real question is why not?!
So you’re interested in the possibility of studying Hebrew, but before you take the plunge, you just have one big question: Is Hebrew hard to learn? This question is easier asked than answered, as it depends on many factors. For instance, if you know another Semitic language, such as Arabic, this will give you a number of advantages as you’ll already be familiar with the basics of vocabulary and grammar.
If you speak a language with gutturals, such as French or German, this will go a long way toward helping your Hebrew pronunciation. If you’ve studied the Hebrew Bible at all, this can also be of help, though it can also cause confusion due to the divergence of modern Hebrew from Biblical Hebrew.
And overall, how hard it is to learn Hebrew will depend on how good your ear is, how willing you are to make and learn from mistakes, and how much effort you put in.
All that being said, learning Hebrew is definitely a manageable task. It’s not the hardest language to learn by a long shot, though we’ll admit it’s not the easiest either. We’re going to take an honest look at various features that might make the Hebrew language hard for some learners, and other features that make Hebrew relatively easy.
In this author’s opinion, while Hebrew does present some key obstacles, especially in the very early stages, it’s an extremely logical and economical language overall. For this reason, I believe anyone with the right attitude absolutely can and should learn Hebrew with the certainty that success will come if you invest in your studies.
At HebrewPod101.com, we’re committed to your language-learning success. To that end, we have created a vast library of fun, engaging, and enriching material, both written and in audio format, to help and guide you in your Hebrew language endeavors. So don’t stress! While learning any language comes with difficulties, you can take comfort in the knowledge that we are here to help you along the way!
Without further ado, let’s get into the thick of it and see which features of Hebrew will likely present a challenge and which are more inviting. We’re confident that once you see the breakdown, you’ll be inspired to go for it and study Hebrew in earnest.
2. The Hardest and Easiest Aspects of the Hebrew Language
Let’s start with the good news and take a look at some of the ways in which Hebrew is, in fact, one of the easier languages to pick up. You may actually be surprised by some of them!
The top five easiest aspects of learning Hebrew
1. It’s phonetic.
Like Spanish and Italian—and unlike English and French—Hebrew is phonetic. This means that, with a few exceptions, the sounds that Hebrew letters make are constant and don’t change depending on their location in a word. That makes learning new vocabulary a whole lot easier, as you can pronounce new words with confidence, as long as you know the sound each Hebrew letter makes.
What’s more, there are only five voiced vowel sounds and one unvoiced vowel sound. No diphthongs (vowel combinations, like the “ou” in the English word “mouse”) to complicate matters. It’s just as simple as learning six vowels, and you’re set!
To make things even easier in terms of proper pronunciation, there are only two possible ways to stress syllables: either the last syllable or the penultimate syllable gets stressed. There are some imported words, mostly from English, where this is not the case, but the vast majority of Hebrew words do follow this rule.
2. It’s root-based.
While this may sound like something you would find printed on a bottle of vegetable juice, “roots” here refer to verb stems, or שורשים (shorashim). In true testament to its logical nature, Hebrew uses words based on three- or four-letter roots from which various words can be formed using different patterns. There are patterns for verbs of different kinds (e.g. accusative, reflexive, etc.), for nouns of different kinds (describing actions, equipment, diminutives, etc.), as well as for adjectives and adverbs. Words from the same root can be viewed as members of a single family, with a semantic connection (i.e. their individual meanings will all share a common theme).
You may be asking how this makes learning Hebrew easier. The answer is that once you’ve learned a word or two based on a given root, you’ll have more than a fair chance of at least approximating the meaning of another word from the same root. Let’s take a look at an example.
The root ח-ב-ר (kh-v-r) denotes connection or connectivity, so all words deriving from it will have a meaning along those lines. Obviously, once you get to know the conjugation patterns, you’ll also be able to infer meaning with greater accuracy. But even without this knowledge, you can be sure that any word from this root has something to do with connection. So, say you know the word חבר (khaver) means “friend,” and you suddenly see the word חיבור (khibur). You may not know what it means, but you can guess that it has something to do with connection. And you would be quite right! חיבור (khibur) means “connection”!
Here are some other words formed from the same root, along with their meanings. (The root letters have been bolded for easier identification.)
חבורה(khavurah)
“gang,” “pack”
חברה (khevrah)
“company,” “society”
חבר‘ה (khevreh)
“group of people,” “guys,” “folks”
לחבר (lekhaber)
“to connect [one thing to another]”
להתחבר (lehitkhaber)
“to connect [yourself to something]”
מחברת (makhberet)
“notebook” [i.e., a ream of connected pages]
תחביר (takhbir)
“syntax” [i.e., how we connect words to each other]
3. It only has three tenses.
Here’s one that should give you a huge sigh of relief. Unlike many languages, English among them, which have various tenses both simple and complex (e.g. “I have been studying Hebrew for a year.”), Hebrew is content to make do with just three—simple past, simple present, and simple future—the vast majority of the time. You can still express all of the same things as in English, but you would rely on context for the nuances of time. For example:
אני אוכל עכשיו.
Ani okhel akhshav. “I am eating now.”
* The word עכשיו (akhsav), meaning “now,” tells us that this is an ongoing action happening at present, equivalent to the present progressive tense in English.
Contrast this with the following:
אני אוכל במסעדה פעם בשבוע.
Ani okhel be-mis’adah pa’am be-shavu’ah. “I eat at a restaurant once a week.”
* In this case, we’re talking about a general habit, which is equivalent to the simple present tense in English.
4. In simple present, you never need to use the verb “to be.”
That’s right! In the simple present tense (the only present tense Hebrew has), we don’t use the verb להיות (lehiyot), or “to be.” That ought to save you some work! Here are a couple of examples:
אני סוזי.
Ani Suzi. “I [am] Susie.”
אני סטודנטית.
Ani studentit. “I [am] a student.”
האוכל טעים מאוד.
Ha-okhel ta’im me’od. “This food [is] very tasty.”
5. There is only one article.
This is definitely a huge advantage in comparison to other languages. Languages vary widely in their use of articles. For instance, Slavic languages are devoid of articles, while Italian has a whopping twelve types of articles. Spanish has nine, and English, French, and German have three each. But Hebrew only has one article to learn, so that’s one thing you can definitely be grateful for. Whether male or female, singular or plural, Hebrew uses only the prefix ה- (ha-) for all definite nouns.
The top five hardest aspects of learning Hebrew
You’ve seen a number of key ways in which Hebrew learning is facilitated by the language’s logic and economy. Now let’s face the music and confront the big question: Why is Hebrew so hard to learn for many students?
Here’s an overview of the unique challenges Hebrew poses.
1. You have to learn a new alphabet, probably written in the direction opposite of what you’re used to.
This is likely the first thing that may have occurred to you as a potential challenge. And you would be right. This is an obstacle that you wouldn’t face, by and large, if learning any of the Romance or Germanic languages (apart from a few morphemes unique to each language). With Hebrew, you’ll be learning an alphabet completely different from what you know, which is also written from right to left rather than left to right.
That said, the alphabet only contains twenty-two consonants—versus English’s twenty-six—and six vowel sounds. As for the consonants, there’s a further complication in that the letters ב (bet), כ (kaf), and פ (peh), are either plosive or fricative depending on whether they use a דגש קל (dagesh kal), a diacritical point in their center. So, while ב is equivalent to /v/ in English, בּ is equivalent to /b/; כ is pronounced kh, like a Scot pronouncing the “ch” in Loch Ness, but כּ is /k/; and פ is /f/ while פּ is /p/.
Additionally, the letters כ (kaf), מ (mem), נ (nun), פ (peh), and צ (tzadi) all have distinct final forms, meaning they’re written differently when they come at the end of a word. Their final forms are:
ך, ם, ן, ף, and ץ, respectively.
Obviously, apart from learning a new alphabet, you’ll also have to get accustomed to reading and writing from right to left. It may be of interest to know why this is the case. Old as it is, and owing to logistical issues of climate and technology, proto-Hebrew was originally chiseled, carved, or engraved into rock or clay rather than written on animal skin or papyrus, unlike cuneiform. This is because, most people being right-handed, it was easier to hold the chisel in the left hand and hammer with the right. On the other hand (no pun intended), when writing with ink, writing from left to right prevented right-handed people from inadvertently smudging the ink on the scroll or page before it had dried.
2. Say goodbye to written vowels, for the most part.
To complicate matters further, Hebrew is a type of language—like Arabic and Persian—called an abjad. These languages, in written form, by and large only supply the reader with consonants, omitting any diacritical marks (the dots and dashes within, above, below, or next to letters that indicate vowel sounds and other features of pronunciation). These sounds are generally inferred, though there are cases of words with the same consonants and various possible vowels, which can be tricky. Here’s an example:
דָּוִד
David “David” (the proper name)
דּוֹד
dod “uncle”
דּוּד
dud “boiler”
* Note that the consonants in all three words are the same, with only the vowels changing. Because written Hebrew does not generally supply us with the vowels, these would all appear to be the same word to the uninitiated. Let’s see how this might look in the context of a sentence, first without vowels, then with them.
דוד דוד קנה דוד חדש.
דּוֹד דָּוִד קנה דּוּד חדש.
Dod David kanah dud khadash. “Uncle David bought a new boiler.”
Don’t let this phase you, though. If nine-million Hebrew-speakers can read without the aid of written vowels, you can get there too! There aren’t too many cases where words share the same consonants but differ in vowels alone. And those that do exist are generally quite easy to distinguish from their homographs by using context clues. When this isn’t the case, the author will usually supply the diacritical marks to allay confusion.
3. Hebrew uses a different script for printed letters and written ones.
Continuing in the orthographical vein, printed Hebrew—such as what appears in books, newsprint, most ads, subtitles, and so on—uses block letters, whereas written Hebrew uses cursive. To be fair, though, the case is much the same in English—or at least it traditionally was for those old enough to have been taught to write in cursive when penning letters and so on. In any case, cursive Hebrew is very similar to its printed counterpart. The written form of the letters is actually no more than a matter of convenience, as round letters are easier to write than square ones.
4. There are male and female forms for nouns, pronouns, verbs, AND adjectives.
This one is definitely a challenge, though by no means an insurmountable one. For all of its many complications, English is free of grammatical gender (though, as history buffs will know, this was not always the case). However, many languages have grammatical (versus biological) gender, meaning that even inanimate objects are gendered either masculine or feminine (and in the case of some languages, such as German, they can be neutral, as well).
Hebrew does not have a neutral form, but it does have masculine and feminine forms—both singular and plural—for nouns, pronouns, verb conjugations, and adjectives. While this may seem overwhelming, the good news is that these forms are standardized, meaning that once you learn the right suffixes and conjugation forms to make a word either masculine or feminine, and plural or singular, you’ll be able to apply the same pattern over and over to different words.
There are, of course, irregulars, but not many. And they’re only irregular in that they use the masculine form for a feminine word or vice-versa, rather than having a totally non-sequitur plural form as is often the case in English (e.g. man, men). For example, -ים (-im) is the plural suffix for masculine nouns, while -ות (-ot) or -יות (-iyot) is the plural suffix for feminine nouns.
5. There are seven binyanim (verb conjugation patterns).
There’s no way around this one. There are seven distinct types of verbs in Hebrew, each with its own pattern of conjugation. Compare that to, say, Spanish or Italian, where there are just three basic patterns, or English where there is only one basic pattern (which is chock-full of irregulars).
That being said, these binyanim, or conjugation patterns, are here to help you. They’re not mere morphological patterns, but have semantic meaning as well. In layman’s terms, whereas the conjugation patterns in Spanish and Italian are linked to their orthographic endings (the letters they terminate in), Hebrew binyanim tell you the character of the verb.
For instance, the binyan התפעל (hitpa’el) indicates a reflexive verb, meaning that when we learn how to use and identify this conjugation pattern, we also learn how to change an indicative (a regular statement or question) verb into a reflexive one (meaning it’s either acting on itself or on its agent). This also means that even if we’re not completely sure of a verb’s meaning, we can surmise something about the situation or relationship being described based on its binyam: Is something or someone acting on something or someone else? Is something happening passively to something or someone? Is someone or something activating or animating something or someone else to do something?
So yes, while the binyanim are tricky and take plenty of practice to master, they give you something you won’t find in many other languages: an understanding of the logical relationship between words. This will help you immensely as you progress with your studies, so look at it as a challenge that is well worth tackling!
3. I Want to Learn Hebrew, But Don’t Know Where to Start
Considering that Hebrew is a very logical, even mathematical, language, it’s best to get a good foundation when you first start your studies. While some may consider this dull, you can be certain that any seeming drudgery will pay off in dividends later on.
A good recommendation is to begin by learning the alphabet, as well as the correct pronunciation of all the consonants and vowels. Remember that Hebrew is phonetic, so once you learn these sounds, you only need to be able to reproduce them wherever they appear. There’s no variation as in English or French. With only a few exceptions, the same grapheme (written unit) will correspond to the same phoneme (sound unit) anywhere it appears.
From there, you would want to focus on learning at least the more common binyanim, or verb conjugation patterns, so you can use verbs freely. You could start by focusing on just one tense and look at various verbs in this tense. Or you could focus on one binyan, tackling its forms in all three tenses. Any way you choose to go about it is fine, as long as you’re systematic.
This is key to any language you’re trying to learn. Rather than focusing solely on technical issues like grammar and pronunciation, make sure you spend a lot of time building your vocabulary. Start with simple, everyday words that would be useful in common situations. Think of how children learn a language: they start with the most basic building blocks before they ever move on to forming sentences and questions. This should be your guiding principle. You have to crawl before you can walk, after all.
When undertaking any language endeavor, exposure is key. You want to flood yourself with as much authentic Hebrew language as you can. If you’re in Israel or know a group of Israelis living abroad where you are, try to hang out with them and practice any vocabulary you can. Listen attentively to their conversations and take part as much as possible. To this end, it’s best to identify patient native speakers who will be willing to help and encourage you.
No matter where you are, the Internet is a wonderful resource full of endless opportunities to expose yourself to authentic native Hebrew. Whether through music, movies, TV shows, or any other medium, Israel is a true powerhouse of media production, so you have your pick. No matter what your tastes are, you’re sure to find something to your liking in the Hebrew language. Use these media to learn new words, practice your comprehension, or work on pronunciation.
Work with smaller chunks at first before you try to take on, say, translating an entire song from Hebrew to your native language. Focus on individual words first, then word combinations, then sentences, then paragraphs (or stanzas), and only then entire works. Keep your goals realistic and achievable so that you’ll not only succeed in reaching them, but feel positive about your progress.
It’s worth noting that, as a country of mass immigration from countries the world over, Israel produces material specifically designed to help עולים חדשים (‘olim khadashim), or “new immigrants,” learn Hebrew. This even includes simplified newspapers that print stories on current affairs and cultural interest stories in basic Hebrew to facilitate easy reading for non-native speakers.
Make sure you’re consistent in your studies. Dedicate time every week to your language studies, and try your best to stick to it, even if it’s only a couple of hours. Practice the words or grammar points you’ve learned until you’re sure you have dominated them. Go back and review previous lessons every now and again to refresh your memory. Most of all, don’t give up! Results are the direct product of your commitment to your goals!
4. What Makes HebrewPod101 Your Partner in Learning Hebrew with Success?
HebrewPod101’s raison d’être is to make your language-learning experience a success, and to make sure you have fun along the way. We offer a wealth of audio, video, and written lessons designed and delivered by native Hebrew-speakers. These lessons focus on real-life topics, ranging from using public transportation to asking someone out on a date.
We also offer a multitude of learning materials, all designed with both the general difficulties of language-learning and the particular difficulties of Hebrew in mind. With HebrewPod101, you can build your vocabulary with our Free Word of the Day, practice grammar with our free mobile apps, track your progress online, and benefit from a vast array of study tools. These include flashcards, word banks, and even a voice recorder for working on your pronunciation.
With HebrewPod101, you’ll have access to lesson notes which accompany our audio and video lessons. You can also repeat any lesson at any time and check your knowledge using our quizzes. The best part of all is that, unlike in a classroom setting, you can learn at your own pace. This gives you the flexibility to work your studies in around your personal schedule and progress according to your drive, availability, and needs.
At HebrewPod101.com, we’re committed to making the challenges of learning Hebrew not only surmountable, but welcome. After all, nothing feels better than setting your sights on the summit, scaling the mountain step-by-step, and finally standing way above, looking out at the expanse below, knowing you got there thanks to your commitment and hard work. Let us be your partner in success. Sign up today to start getting new Hebrew lessons for free every single week!
Before you go, we would love to hear your thoughts on learning Hebrew. Are you ready to start after reading this article, or do you still have questions or concerns? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll do our best to help you out!
It’s more than expected to make mistakes when learning a new language, particularly when that language is quite different from your mother tongue. Whether in terms of correct pronunciation, the right word for the right situation, or the small differences that can make the difference between an idiomatic phrase and an idiotic one, languages are full of traps that only native speakers can navigate with ease.
With all that in mind, it’s perfectly normal for a language-learner to make the occasional mistake in Hebrew. But we here at HebrewPod101.com are here to help you avoid the worst of them.
Today’s lesson will cover the top ten most common Hebrew mistakes. While there are some mistakes in life that one must make in order to learn from, we like to think that in language we can minimize mistakes. To that end, we’ll look at issues of pronunciation, word choice (vocabulary), grammar, and even spelling. We’ll also include some mistakes that even native speakers have been known to make, leading to further confusion among language-learners.
Together, we’ll see what the common mistakes in learning Hebrew are, why they’re mistakes, and what we can do to avoid making them. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
Hebrew seems to be among the more challenging languages for native speakers of a range of languages. English-speakers in particular tend to have difficulty producing some of the sounds that are natural to the Hebrew tongue.
Hebrew, like Arabic or German, is a language that relies heavily on guttural sounds—sounds we produce using the back of the throat—and these can pose a challenge to the uninitiated. Let’s see what these sounds are and how to avoid mispronouncing them.
1 – ח (khet) and כ/ך (khaf)
Let’s start with the good news. In modern Hebrew, the vast majority of native speakers pronounce these two letters identically. (In the past, they were distinguished by how far back in the throat you would pronounce each letter’s sound.)
To make this sound correctly, you can think about the movement you make when you’re trying to clear your throat. The sound is similar to the “ch” in Loch Ness, as pronounced by a native Scot, or to the jota in the Spanish name Juan.
Many non-native Hebrew-speakers take the easy way out on this sound and, rather than producing it correctly, “fudge” it with a soft “H” sound. This not only sounds bad, but it can lead to confusion, as sometimes this substitution can actually mean that we’re saying a totally different word. For example, לך (lakh) is the second person feminine singular form of “to/for you,” whereas לה (lah) is the third person singular form of the same pronoun.
To avoid this mistake in Hebrew, practice these sentences. Focus on distinguishing between the different sounds (ה [heh] vs. ח/כ/ך, khet/khaf/khaf).
אני הולך להרים מחר.
Ani holekh la-harim makhar. “I am going to the mountains tomorrow.”
אני אוכל מהר בהיכל.
Ani okhel maher ba-heykhal. “I am eating quickly in the auditorium.”
2 – ר (resh)
Technically, this letter is a voiced uvular fricative rather than a guttural. But for our purposes, the important thing to note is that most modern Hebrew-speakers produce the “ר” sound from the back of the throat and top of the palette, rather than by using the tip of the tongue or the teeth.
As this sound is totally different from most English-speakers’ “R” sound, it takes a bit of practice to get it right. The sound is similar to how the “R” sound is produced by many French-speakers. The best way to get it right is to listen to how Israelis say it, and to practice the sound to get it as close as possible.
Here are some tongue-twisters to help:
רק רגע, מור, אני כבררושם את מה שאתה אומר.
Rak rega’, Mor, ani kvarroshem et mah she-atah omer. “Just a moment, Mor, I’m just about to write down what you say.”
הרוחות רשרשו כשהשתחררתי מחיל האוויר.
Ha-rukhot rishreshu keshe-hishtakhrarti mi-Kheil ha-Avir. “The winds rustled when I was discharged from the Air Force.”
2. Word Choice Mistakes
Another category of common Hebrew mistakes is that of incorrect word choices. Obviously, this is a huge category, as the opportunities for vocabulary mishaps lie everywhere. But here, we’ll only focus on the top three commonly confused words.
It’s a good idea here to practice each word and to internalize how and where to use it. To this end, feel free to practice with the sample sentences provided below, and avoid these Hebrew word mistakes in the future.
אח -1 (akh) – “brother” / “male nurse” / “fireplace” / “ouch” vs. אך (akh) – “but”
In modern Hebrew pronunciation, the two words above sound identical, but note that each spelling has multiple meanings, so it’s easy to get confused here. The first one, אח (akh), most commonly means “brother,” and, in fact, the “male nurse” definition is merely a derivative of the same (just as in the past, female nurses in English were referred to as “sisters”). It’s also used to spell out the exclamation for pain, basically Hebrew’s version of “ouch.”
On the other hand, אך (akh) with a ך is a conjunction, meaning it links two words or phrases. In this case, it marks a contrast between them.
Note the differences between the examples below:
אח (akh)–“brother” / “fireplace” / “ouch”
זה אח שלי, ירון.
Zeh akh sheli, Yaron. “This is my brother, Yaron.”
יש לך אח גדול, נכון?
Yesh lekha akh gadol, nakhon? “You have an older brother, don’t you?”
האח שטיפל בי בבית החולים היה נחמד מאוד.
Ha-akh she-tipel bi be-veyt ha-kholim hayah nekhmad me’od. “The male nurse who treated me at the hospital was very kind.”
קר בחוץ! בא נשב מול האח כדי להתחמם.
Kar ba-khutz! Bo neshev mul ha-akh kedey lehitkhamem. “It’s cold outside! Let’s go sit by the fireplace to warm up.”
אח! דבורה בדיוק עקצה אותי בגב!
Akh! Devorah bidiyuk aktzah oti ba-gav. “Ouch! A bee just stung me in the back.”
אך (akh) – “but”
רצינו לשחות בים אך הגלים היו חזקים מדי.
Ratzinu liskhot ba-yam akh ha-galim hayu khazakim miday. “We wanted to go swimming in the ocean, but the waves were too strong.”
אני לא אוהב ארטישוק אך אח שלי מת על זה.
Ani lo ohev artishok akh akh sheli met al zeh. “I don’t like artichokes, but my brother is crazy about them.”
2- קרה (karah) – “happened” / “occurred” vs. קרא (kara) – “read” vs. קרע (kara’) – “ripped” / “tore”
Here we have three words that, in modern Hebrew pronunciation, sound identical or close to it, but which nevertheless have significantly different meanings. Note that all three are the male singular first person past tense form of a verb. Here are some examples of how their meanings differ:
קרה (karah) – “happened” / “occurred”
מה קרה? הכל בסדר כאן?
Mah karah? Ha-kol be-seder kan? “What happened? Is everything okay here?”
אף פעם לא קרה לי נס, אבל אני עוד מחכה.
Af pa’am lo karah li nes, aval ani od mekhakeh. “A miracle has never happened to me, but I’m still waiting.”
קרא (kara) – “read”
אני מקווה שהוא קרא את ההוראות לפני שהוא התחיל לעבוד.
Ani mekavah she-hu kara et ha-hora’ot lifney she-hu hitkhil la’avod. “I hope he read the instructions before he started working.”
אבא שלי קרא לי מליון ספרים בילדות שלי.
Abba sheli kara li milyon sefarim ba-yaldut sheli. “My father read me a million books in my childhood.”
This is another pair that’s easy enough to confuse, as they sound almost the same, particularly to the untrained ear. Note that, in addition to the difference in vowels, צבע is stressed on the first syllable (TZEva’), whereas צבא is stressed on the second syllable (tzaVA). Here are some examples to help you practice:
צבע (tzeva’) – “color” / “paint”
איזה צבע את הכי אוהבת?
Eyzeh tzeva’ at ha-khi ohevet? “What is your favorite color?”
הצבע הזה ממש מבליט את העיניים שלך!
Ha-tzeva’ ha-ze mamash mavlit et ha-eynayim shelkha! “This color really brings out your eyes!”
אל תיגע בזה. הצבע עוד טרי!
Al tiga’ be-ze. Ha-tzeva’ od tari! “Don’t touch that. The paint is still wet!”
צבא (tzava) – “army” / “military”
איפה שירתת בצבא?
Eyfoh shirateta ba-tzava? “Where did you serve in the army?”
לישראל יש את הצבא הכי מנוסה בעולם!
Le-Yisrael yesh et ha-tzava hakhi menuseh ba-’olam. “Israel has the most experienced military in the world.”
אחרי הצבא אני טס לארגנטינה.
Akharey ha-tzava ani tas le-Argentina. “After the army, I am flying to Argentina.”
3. Word Order Mistakes
Another area that commonly invites mistakes among non-native speakers is syntax, or word order. Particularly for English-speakers—though not for most Romance language-speakers—it can get tricky to remember to do the reverse of what you’re used to, which is often the case with Hebrew.
Let’s look at the two most common issues Hebrew-learners are likely to face in this regard, namely adjective-noun combinations and possessive nouns.
1- Noun-adjective combinations
It’s important to remember that in Hebrew, adjectives always come after the nouns they describe. This is the exact opposite of what we’re used to in English, so it’s best to give this language feature plenty of practice to avoid making this kind of Hebrew mistake. Here are some examples of mistakes, followed by the correct forms.
MISTAKE הגדול הכלב הוא פיטבול.
CORRECTION הכלב הגדול הוא פיטבול.
Ha-kelev ha-gadol hu pitbul. “The big dog is a pit bull.”
MISTAKE זה טוב חבר שלי מאוסטרליה.
CORRECTION זה חבר טוב שלי מאוסטרליה.
Zeh khaver tov sheli me-Ostraliyah. “This is my good friend from Australia.”
MISTAKE בא לך קר קפה?
CORRECTION בא לך קפה קר? Ba lakh kafeh kar? “Would you like an iced coffee?”
2- Possessive adjectives
In Hebrew, the correct syntax for expressing possessives is for the noun to precede the possessive adjective. While this form does exist in English—think of “child of mine”—it’s definitely not the usual order we use, which is the other way around (think “my child”). Therefore, it’s worth practicing this one as well. Let’s see some examples.
MISTAKE הנה, זה שלי האוטו.
CORRECTION הנה, זה האוטו שלי.
Hineh, zeh ha-oto sheli. “Here is my car.”
MISTAKE השלנו מורה יודע הכל על הכל.
CORRECTION המורה שלנו יודע הכל על הכל.
Ha-moreh shelanu yode’a ha-kol ‘al ha-kol. “Our teacher knows everything about everything.”
MISTAKE השלך מפתחות תלויות ליד הכניסה.
CORRECTION המפתחות שלך תלויות ליד הכניסה.
Ha-maftekhot shelakh tluyot leyad ha-knisah. “Your keys are hanging by the entrance.”
4. Grammar Mistakes
Let’s take a look at a couple of common grammar mistakes. These mistakes are, in fact, not limited to Hebrew students alone. These common mistakes in Hebrew are even made among native Hebrew-speakers, so why not master them and show off to your Israeli friends? After all, there’s nothing more authentically Israeli than showing someone you know more than he or she does!
This one is a rather straightforward distinction between the past form and present form of the same verb. נִרְאֶה (nir’eh) is the present form of the verb להיראות (leheyra’ot), meaning “to seem” or “to look,” whereas נִרְאָה is the past tense. Israelis, as well as students, are wont to use the past form where they should use the present one. Let’s see some examples.
MISTAKE בא לי לאכול כבר! האוכל נִרְאָה ממש טעים.
CORRECTION בא לי לאכול כבר! האוכל נִרְאֶה ממש טעים.
Ba li le’ekhol kvar! Ha-okhel nir’eh mamash ta’im. “I feel like eating already! The food looks truly delicious.”
MISTAKE הסרט הזה נִרְאָה לי משעמם.
CORRECTION הסרט הזה נִרְאֶה לי משעמם.
Ha-seret ha-zeh nir’eh limesha’amem. “That movie looks boring to me.”
2- Using the wrong gender adjective/number/verb/etc. for irregular nouns
Another common grammar issue arises with irregular nouns, when the plural form doesn’t correspond to the grammatical gender of the singular noun. For example, though the word חלון (khalon), meaning “window,” is masculine, it uses the feminine suffix -ות (-ot) instead of the masculine suffix -ים (-im) to form the plural. Thus, it’s easy to get confused and use a feminine adjective if you’re referring to various windows. Watch out for this! Here are some examples, along with the correct forms:
MISTAKE מי יושב מאחורי החלונות הגבוהות?
CORRECTION מי יושב מאחורי החלונות הגבוהים?
Mi yoshev me’akhorey ha-khalonot ha-gevohim? “Who sits behind the high windows?”
MISTAKE קנינו שלוש ארונות ספרים חדשות לסלון.
CORRECTION קנינו שלושה ארונות ספרים חדשים לסלון.
Kaninu shloshah aronot sfarim khadashim la-salon. “We bought three newbookcases for the living room.”
MISTAKE הנשים האלה שרים יפה מאוד.
CORRECTION הנשים האלה שרות יפה מאוד.
Ha-nashim ha-eleh sharot yafeh me’od. “Those women sing very nicely.”
5. The Biggest Mistake of All
In this teacher’s opinion, the biggest mistake any of us can make when trying to speak a new language is to rely on word-for-word translation. The perils in doing so can be great as, very often, one language simply will not line up with the other one on a word-by-word basis. There’s not really any one surefire way to avoid these kinds of mistakes in Hebrew, apart from adopting an attitude of trying to really think in Hebrew. In addition, be wary of dictionaries, and make sure you’ve found the right definition of the word you wanted to translate.
These tips will help you focus less on how the language you’re learning differs from your native tongue, and allow you to absorb the way it works in a more natural, organic way. Just remember that you’ll make mistakes, and the best thing to do when that happens is laugh at yourself and learn from your errors. And, as always, there’s no substitute for practice.
Now, take a look at some of the ways word-to-word translation can fail us. Check the following sentences and see if you can find the mistake (keeping in mind that these are the results of too literal a translation from Hebrew to English). Then, check your guess using the key provided below.
סליחה על האיחור. התגעגעתי לאוטובוס.
Slikha ‘al ha-ikhur. Hitga’aga’ti la-otobus.
לא אוכל לבוא לשיעור. אני מרגיש מתחת למזג האוויר.
Lo ukhal lavo la-shi’ur. Ani margish mitakhat le-mezeg ha-avir.
מאז שאני בן 13, אני מנגן בחביות.
Me-az she-ani ben shlosh-’esreh, ani menagen be-khaviyot.
אם אין לך חבר, אני מזמין אותך לצאת החוצה מתישהו.
Im eyn lakh khaver, ani mazmin otakh latzet ha-khutzah matayshehu.
אין לי רמז מה קורה כאן.
Eyn li remez mah koreh kan.
CORRECTIONS WITH EXPLANATIONS
סליחה על האיחור. פספסתי את האוטובוס.
Slikha ‘al ha-ikhur. Fisfasti et ha-otobus. “Sorry I’m late. I missed the bus.”
The word התגעגעתי (hitga’aga’ti) means “I missed” in the sense of longing for something that is absent, rather than in the sense of not making it to something on time.
לא אוכל לבוא לשיעור. אני מרגיש חולה.
Lo ukhal lavo la-shi’ur. Ani margish kholeh. “I won’t be able to make it to class. I am feeling sick.”
The idiomatic phrase “under the weather” has no direct equivalent in Hebrew, so we should just say that we’re sick or unwell.
מאז שאני בן 13, אני מנגן בתופים.
Me-az she-ani ben shlosh-’esreh, ani menagen be-tupim. “I’ve been playing drums since I was thirteen.”
The word we want here is תופים (tupim), meaning “drums” as in the musical instrument, rather than חביות (khaviyot), drums as in the large cylindrical recipients like those used for storing oil.
אם אין לך חבר, אני מזמין אותך לצאת מתישהו.
Im eyn lakh khaver, ani mazmin otakh latzet matayshehu. “If you don’t have a friend, I’d like to ask you out sometime.”
In this case, we probably want to ask a girl out on a date, or לצאת (latzet), and not to go outdoors, or לצאת החוצה (latzet ha-khutzah). This is a good example of a too-literal translation.
אין לי מושג מה קורה כאן.
Eyn li musag mah koreh kan. “I have no idea what’s going on here.”
The correct word here is מושג (musag), meaning “notion.” Using the word רמז (remez), or “clue,” sounds entirely non-idiomatic in Hebrew, even though this is the word used in the English phrase.
6. Let HebrewPod101 Help You Learn Correct Hebrew and Avoid Mistakes
We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s lesson on the top ten Hebrew mistakes. As always, we welcome you to get in touch with us and let us know if there’s anything we covered that you’re unsure of, or anything we didn’t cover that you would like us to add information on.
Language-learning is not an easy undertaking, but with the right folks to guide you, it can not only be painless but even fun. Our team of language experts at HebrewPod101.com take pride in offering you enjoyable, engaging, and useful learning materials so you can learn Hebrew at your own pace and according to your own personal needs.
Voltaire once famously said: “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”
In Jewish tradition, in particular, questions are of immense importance.
For instance, the Passover Seder invites the children to participate by asking Four Questions in Hebrew about the traditions particular to that meal. There’s another point in the Seder where we talk about the four types of children. The first three are the Good, the Wicked, and the Simpleton; each is characterized by the nature and content of the questions he asks about Passover. The final child is called He Who Does Not Know to Ask Questions, and we’re encouraged to ask the questions for him.
So, you can see that questions are powerful and important in Judaism.
On a more basic level, questions are a frequent part of interpersonal communication, so they should certainly be considered an essential element in any language-learning endeavor. Whether introducing yourself or asking for the price of an item you’re interested in purchasing, it’s crucial to know not only how to ask a variety of questions, but also to be familiar with the most common answers to them.
Luckily, unlike in English, the form of Hebrew questions generally follows the same form as statements, without any tricky grammar points.
In today’s lesson, we’re going to examine the top ten most common questions you might hear or want to ask of others. We’ll look at the form of each question, possible variations, and, as mentioned, the most common answers. As always, we need to keep in mind the necessary grammatical adjustments depending on who we’re addressing in terms of gender, as well as our own gender.
Let’s have a look now at our list of common Hebrew questions and answers.
Perhaps the most common questions are those we use to ask for someone’s name. In Hebrew, there are actually a number of ways we can ask this. Note the difference between asking this question to a male versus a female.
מה שִׁמְךָ/שְׁמֵךְ?
Mah shimkha/sh’mekh? “What’s your name?”
שמי דניאל.
Shmi Daniel. “My name is Daniel.”
שמי דניאלה.
Shmi Daniela. “My name is Daniela.”
We can also ask the same question using the longer possessive form, as follows. Both forms of this Hebrew question are common and completely acceptable, with no difference in formality between them.
מה השם שֶׁלְּךָ/שֶׁלָּךְ?
Mah ha-shem shelkha/shelakh? “What’s your name?”
Here’s another common way to formulate this question, along with example answers:
איך קוראים לְךָ/לָךְ?
Eykh kor’im lekha/lakh? “What’s your name?” [Literally: “What are you called?”]
קוראים לי שלומי.
Kor’im li Shlomi. “My name’s Shlomi.”
קוראים לי יפעת.
Kor’im li Yif’at. “My name’s Yifat.”
2: Where are you from?
Another common question, often used as a follow-up to asking someone’s name, is asking where they’re from. This is a pretty straightforward question in Hebrew, though we do have to choose the right pronoun depending on the gender of the person we’re asking.
מאיפה אתה/את?
Me-eyfoh atah/at? “Where are you from?”
אני מקנדה.
Ani mi-Kanadah. “I’m from Canada.”
אני מפריז.
Ani mi-Pariz. “I’m from Paris.”
אני מווירג’יניה שבארה”ב.
Ani mi-Virjinyah she-be-Artzot ha-Brit. “I’m from Virginia, USA.”
3: Do you speak ___?
This can be a very important question in Hebrew, particularly if you don’t know a word or phrase. Knowing if your Hebrew interlocutor speaks your language can be a lifesaver. Alternatively, native Hebrew-speakers may wish to ask a foreigner if he or she speaks Hebrew. Again, this is a very simple structure, as follows:
*Note that the Hebrew question word האם (ha’im) is entirely optional.
Following are a few examples of how we might answer these questions.
כן, אני מדבר אנגלית שוטפת.
Ken, ani medaber Anglit shotefet. “Yes, I speak fluent English.”
בטח, הצרפתית שלי מצויינת.
Betakh, ha-Tzarfatit sheli metzuyenet. “Sure, my French is great.”
אני יודעת קצת ספרדית.
Ani yoda’at ktzat Sfaradit. “I know a bit of Spanish.”
לא, אני לא יודעת עברית.
Lo, ani lo yoda’at Ivrit. “No, I don’t know Hebrew.”
4: How are you?
As anyone with the slightest of manners knows, it’s customary to ask someone how he or she is as a matter of courtesy. In fact, this type of language has a word—phatic communication—which is basically a fancy way of saying “small talk.” Just as in English, in Hebrew, it’s customary to ask about someone’s well-being when first greeting them. Following are the most common Hebrew questions to do so, and the kinds of answers you can expect.
מה שְׁלוֹמְךָ/שְׁלוֹמֵךְ?
Mah shlomkha/shlomekh? “How are you?”
Obviously, we can answer in any number of ways, depending on our mood. Here are some of the more typical forms to answer this question.
שלומי טוב.
Shlomi tov. “I’m good.”
אני בסדר.
Ani be-seder. “I’m alright.”
לא רע.
Lo ra’. “Not bad.”
הכל דבש.
Ha-kol dvash. “Everything is great.” [Literally: “Everything is honey.”]
Here are some other common ways to ask someone how he or she is.
איך אתה/את?
Eykh ata/at? “How are you?”
איך אתה/את מרגיש/מרגישה?
Eykh ata/at margish/margishah? “How do you feel?”
5: What do you do?
Another frequent question one may wish to ask is what someone does for a living. Note that there are a number of ways to ask this in Hebrew. Let’s have a look at the most common ones.
מה אתה/את עוֹשֶׂה/עוֹשָׂה בחיים?
Mah atah/at oseh/osah ba-khayim? “What do you do in life?”
במה אתה/את עוסק/עוסקת?
Be-mah atah/at osek/oseket? “What do you do for a living?”
במה אתה/את עובד/עובדת?
Be-mah atah/at oved/ovedet? “What do you work in?”
There are a variety of possible answers, as well:
אני עובד במפעל.
Ani oved be-mif’al. “I work in a factory.”
אני שוטרת.
Ani shoteret. “I am a police officer.”
אני לומד באוניברסיטה.
Ani lomed ba-universitah. “I study at university.”
6: Do you have ___?
Over the course of many different conversations, you may wish to ask if someone has someone or something. For instance, we may wish to ask if someone has a car, a pet, a hobby, children, and so on. As in English, the pattern for this is constant.
יש לְךָ/לָךְ 10 שקלים?
Yesh lekha/lakh ‘asarah shekalim? “Do you have ten shekels?”
יש לְךָ/לָךְ ילדים?
Yesh lekha/lakh yeladim? “Do you have children?”
יש לְךָ/לָךְ אוטו?
Yesh lekha/lakh oto? “Do you have a car?”
To answer these questions, we can just affirm or negate with “yes” or “no” (כן [ken] or לא [lo], respectively), or we can elaborate. Here are a couple of examples.
לא, אין עליי שקל.
Lo, eyn alay shekel. “No, I don’t even have one shekel.”
כן, יש לי שני בנים ובת אחת.
Ken, yesh li shney banim u-bat akhat. “Yes, I have two boys and a girl.”
7: Do you like ___?
It’s certainly quite common to ask someone whether he or she likes something or someone. Note that in Hebrew, there’s no separate word for “like” versus “love.” Rather, the context and intonation generally determine the intensity. Here are some examples of how to ask if someone likes something or someone.
אתה/את אוהב/אוהבת אוכל סיני?
Atah/At ohev/ohevet okhel sini? “Do you like Chinese food?”
אתה/את אוהב/אוהבת לרכוב על אופניים?
Atah/At ohev/ohevet lirkov ‘al ofanayim? “Do you like riding a bicycle?”
אתה/את אוהב/אוהבת את האנשים שאתה/שאת עובד/עובדת איתם?
Atah/At ohev/ohevet et ha-anashim she-atah/she-at oved/ovedet itam? “Do you like the people you work with?”
Here are some possible answers, more elaborate than just a simple “yes” or “no.”
אני ממש אוהב אוכל סיני.
Ani mamash ohev okhel sini. “I really like Chinese food.”
אני בכלל לא אוהבת לרכוב על אופניים.
Ani bikhlal lo ohevet lirkov ‘al ofanayim. “I don’t like riding a bicycle at all.”
אני מאוד אוהבת את האנשים שאני עובדת איתם.
Ani me’od ohevet et ha-anashim she-ani ovedet itam. “I like the people I work with very much.”
8: What are you doing?
This is another simple question, but one that can come in handy in all manner of situations. This can be a casual question to find out what someone is up to in a given moment, or even a question of annoyance or anger if we don’t like what another person is doing. Obviously, the way one asks this question will make one’s intention clear, just as in English.
מה אתה/את עוֹשֶׂה/עוֹשָׂה?
Mah atah/at oseh/osah? “What are you doing?”
We can also tag on a time indicator. For instance:
מה אתה/את עוֹשֶׂה/עוֹשָׂה כרגע?
Mah atah/at ‘oseh/’osah karega’? “What are you doing right now?”
Answers to this question can vary greatly, depending on what the other person is doing.
אני נוסע לתל אביב עם חברים.
Ani nose’a le-Tel Aviv ‘im khaverim. “I’m headed to Tel Aviv with friends.”
אני מכינה לעצמי ארוחת ערב.
Ani mekhinah le-’atzmi arukhat ‘erev. “I’m making myself some dinner.”
אני לומדת למבחן מחר.
Ani lomedet la-mivkhan makhar. “I’m studying for tomorrow’s exam.”
אני לא עושה כלום.
Ani lo ‘oseh klum. “I’m not doing anything.”
9: Is everything okay?
Sometimes, you may wish to see if everything is alright with someone. For example, to check that something we’ve done or said is alright with them, or to check on someone who seems upset, in distress, or in need of help. Let’s look at some of the most common ways to ask this sort of question.
הכל בסדר?
Ha-kol be-seder? “Is everything okay?”
האם) אתה/את בסדר)?
(Ha’im) atah/at be-seder? “Are you okay?”
קרה משהו?
Karah mashehu? “Did something happen?”
אתה/את צריך/צריכה עזרה?
Atah/at tzarikh/tzrikhah ‘ezrah? “Are you in need of assistance?”
Here, too, answers can run the gamut. But to answer that everything’s fine, one would answer as follows:
הכל בסדר.
Ha-kol be-seder. “Everything is fine.”
10: How much does _____ cost?
This is the type of question and answer in Hebrew you’ll want to become familiar with right away. In Israel, in particular, prices aren’t always printed, even in restaurants. Therefore, you’re more than likely to find yourself wanting to ask the price of something that interests you. By doing so in English, you run the risk of invoking the “foreigner tax,” by way of which prices are inflated with the assumption that foreigners won’t know how much a fair price for a given item or service might be.
Therefore, it’s wise to practice these questions so you can ask in Hebrew without breaking a sweat. Note that you’ll need to change the verb לעלות (la’alot), meaning “to cost,” depending on the grammatical gender of the item or service in question.
כמה עוֹלֶה המעיל הזה?
Kamah ‘oleh ha-me’il ha-zeh? “How much does this jacket cost?”
כמה עוֹלָה השמלה הזאת?
Kamah ‘olah ha-simlah ha-zot? “How much does this skirt cost?”
כמה עולה כרטיס הלוך ושוב לעפולה?
Kamah oleh kartis halokh va-shov le-’Afulah? “How much is a roundtrip ticket to Afulah?”
כמה זה יעלה לי עם ביטוח?
Kamah ze ya’aleh li ‘im bitu’akh? “How much will that cost me with insurance?”
Obviously, the answer to any question will be given using numbers and often the currency being used, which is almost always New Israeli Shekels, but sometimes also dollars or euros. Here are some examples of the different possible forms for expressing price in Hebrew:
מחיר כרטיס הלוך ושוב הוא 13.50.
Mekhir kartis halokh va-shov hu shlosh-’esreh khamishim. “The price of a roundtrip ticket is 13.50.”
עם ביטוח זה ייצא לך 327 דולר.
‘Im bitu’akh ze yeytzeh lekha shlosh-me’ot ‘esrim-ve-sheva’ dolar. “With insurance, it will come to $327.”
11: HebrewPod101 is Here to Clear Up All Your Questions About Hebrew
We hope you found today’s lesson useful. We can surely all appreciate the huge importance of being able to ask and answer basic questions in any language. Luckily, as mentioned, there’s no complex grammar to learn related to formulating questions. So go ahead and practice these top ten questions and answers in Hebrew so you’re fully equipped to deal with any basic situation that may arise.
Any questions you would like to ask in Hebrew that we left out? What about answers? We’re always happy to hear from you, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and let us know how we can help you! Shalom!
One of the most helpful things to keep in mind when acquiring an additional language is the importance of picking up patterns. Our brains, in a way, are very much like computers. They work much more efficiently if we can program them with patterns that have versatile applications, instead of trying to memorize every single instance of a given task.
In the case of learning Hebrew, picking up simple Hebrew sentence patterns is essential. This is because the task at hand is that of either producing or comprehending information (very often both), noting and correctly applying the ways in which it’s organized according to the patterns used in that language.
Hebrew sentence patterns, much like the בניינים (binyanim), or verb conjugation patterns, are certainly among the most useful building blocks you can acquire to help you as you work toward dominating the language. By learning how words are organized and combined to express different kinds of information, you’ll be able to plug the vocabulary you pick up into meaningful sentences and questions. In addition, you’ll be able to understand the same from Hebrew speakers in real life, or from texts, video, and audio.
In today’s lesson, we’re going to show you the top ten Hebrew sentence patterns most commonly used in everyday language. To keep it simple, we’ll focus on present tense only. If you master these easy Hebrew sentence patterns, you’ll quickly find yourself with a new given confidence in both speaking and understanding Hebrew.
Perhaps the most common sentence is that for linking two nouns (remember: people, places, and things).
Think of sentence patterns in English such as “I am Jon,” or “Jon is my neighbor.” These sentences are almost like a mathematical equation, where the verb “to be” is roughly equivalent to an “equal” sign (=).
Of course, this pattern is just as frequently used in Hebrew. However, there is an interesting difference. In Hebrew, we don’t use the verb להיות (lehiyot), or “to be,” in present tense. That being so, you merely need to say the two nouns you want to link, one after the other. Here are a few examples:
אני דניאלה.
Ani Daniela. “I am Daniela.”
אני תלמיד.
Ani talmid. “I [am] a student.”
*Note that Hebrew does not use indefinite articles, so, for instance, “a student” is just “student.”
In the case of the third person, there’s a variation worth noting in this pattern, in which we insert a personal pronoun between the two nouns we’re linking. This pattern is an acceptable alternative to that shown above, and doesn’t change the meaning at all. Using the last of the above Hebrew sentence examples, we can see the slight change:
הכלב שלי הוא לברדור.
Ha-kelev sheli hu Labrador. “My dog [is] a labrador.”
A similar pattern is where we link two nouns by way of a linking verb and what is called a predicative adjective. Think of these as a “roughly equivalent to” sign (≈). In this case, we’ll indeed use that verb in Hebrew. Here are a couple of examples:
אתה נשמע כמו חייל.
Ata nishma kemo khayal. “You sound like a soldier.”
הכלב ההוא דומה לכלב שלי.
Ha-kelev ha-hu domeh la-kelev sheli. “That dog looks like mine.”
הסלט נראה טעים!
Ha-salat nireh ta’im. “The salad looks tasty.”
2. Using Adjectives to Describe Nouns
Another very common sentence pattern in Hebrew is that which uses predicative adjectives to describe nouns with the verb “to be” linking the noun and the adjective. In this case, we’re not saying that one thing equals another; rather, we’re linking a certain attribute to it. Again, we’ll find that in Hebrew, unlike in English, the verb “to be” is absent in this pattern. Here are some examples:
אתה גבוה מאוד.
Atah gavoha meod. “You [are] really tall.”
השירים האלה נעימים.
Ha-shirim ha-eleh ne’imim. “These songs [are] pleasant.”
הקפה טרי מאוד.
Ha-kafeh tari me’od. “The coffee [is] very fresh.”
3. Expressing Wants
Another basic Hebrew sentence structure is that for expressing wants. In fact, there are two subcategories to look at here, specifically dealing with whether we want nouns or verbs. This is simply the difference between wanting a person, place, thing, or idea versus wanting to do, to have, etc.
In both cases, Hebrew uses the same main verb, לִרְצוֹת (lirtzot), meaning “to want.” Don’t confuse this with לְרַצּוֹת (leratzot), which means “to please” or “to satisfy.” Let’s have a look at both patterns, along with some helpful examples:
A. Want + Noun
אני רוצה בירה.
Ani rotzeh birah. “I want a beer.”
אמא רוצה תה צמחים.
Ima rotzah teh tzmakhim. “Mom wants an herbal tea.”
B. Want + Verb
אנחנו רוצים לראות סרט.
Anakhnu rotzim lir’ot seret. “We want to see a movie.”
שלומי רוצה להזמין אותך לדייט.
Shlomi rotzeh lehazmin otakh le-deyt. “Shlomi wants to ask you on a date.”
We can make these negative by simply inserting the word לא (lo) in front of the verb לרצות(lirtzot):
אני לא רוצה בירה.
Ani lo rotzeh birah. “I don’t want a beer.”
אנחנו לא רוצים לראות סרט.
Anakhnu lo rotzim lir’ot seret. “We don’t want to see a movie.”
4. Expressing Needs
We all know that sometimes we don’t just want something, we need it. This is certainly an essential pattern to learn for whenever you need to express an urgent necessity, or even an emergency. Again, we’ll look at two subcategories here, namely those for needing nouns and needing verbs. Once more, the verb is going to be the same in both cases: להצטרך (lehitztarekh), meaning “to need” or “to have to.” Here are some examples of both patterns:
A. Need + Noun
רונית צריכה את העזרה שלך.
Ronit tzrikhah et ha-ezrah shelkha. “Ronit needs your help.”
אני צריך אוטו חדש.
Ani tzarikh oto khadash. “I need a new car.”
B. Need + Verb
הממשלה צריכה לעזור לנזקקים.
Ha-memshalah tzrikhah la’azor la-nizkakim. “The government has to help the impoverished.”
אני צריך לאכול עכשיו.
Ani tzarikh le’ekhol akhshav. “I need to eat now.”
Again, making a negative statement is as simple as inserting the word לא (lo) before the verb להצטרך (lahitztarekh):
רונית לא צריכה את העזרה שלך.
Ronit lo tzrikhah et ha-ezrah shelkha. “Ronit doesn’t need your help.”
אני לא צריך לאכול עכשיו.
Ani lo tzarikh le’ekhol akhshav. “I don’t need to eat now.”
5. Expressing Likes/Dislikes
Another pattern you’re more than likely to find yourself wanting to use in Hebrew is that for expressing your likes and dislikes. Again, we have two subcategories: like/love + noun and like/love + verb.
One interesting, and perhaps rather strange, aspect of the Hebrew language is that it doesn’t use different verbs to distinguish between liking something/someone and loving it or him/her. So just keep that in mind when you use this pattern. Generally, the context and/or the tone of voice you employ will make the degree of your enthusiasm clear. However, when you use the verb in question, לאהוב (le’ehov), meaning “to like” or “to love,” with a person as the object, it almost always means “to love.” So make sure you mean it if you’re going to say it!
A. Like/Love + Noun
אני אוהבת שוקולד.
Ani ohevet shokolad. “I like/love chocolate.”
הילדים שלי אוהבים סרטי דיסני.
Ha-yeladim sheli ohavim sirtey Disni. “My kids like/love Disney movies.”
B. Like/Love + Verb
חברה שלי אוהבת לאפות לחם.
Khaverah sheli ohevet le’efot lekhem. “My girlfriend likes/loves to bake bread.”
דני אוהב לשחק שחמט.
Dani ohev lesakhek shakhmat. “Danny likes/loves to play chess.”
And you guessed it! To make these statements negative, all we need to do is add the word לא (lo) before the verb לאהוב (le’ehov). Note that, as in English, we don’t usually say that we don’t love, but rather that we don’t like either a noun or a verb:
אני לא אוהבת שוקולד.
Ani lo ohevet shokolad. “I don’t like chocolate.”
דני לא אוהב לשחק שחמט.
Dani lo ohev lesakhek shakhmat. “Danny doesn’t like to play chess.”
Yet another common pattern that can be immensely helpful is that for making polite requests. This is particularly helpful when we’re asking something of a person we don’t know well, such as asking a stranger for directions or the time.
Let’s look at two Hebrew language sentence structure possibilities here: one using an imperative with the word בבקשה (be-vakashah) or “please” attached to it, and the other an indirect question.
A. Imperative + בבקשה (be-vakashah)
אמור לי בבקשה מהו שמך.
Emor li be-vakashah mahu shimkha. “Please tell me what your name is.”
העבר לי בבקשה את המלח.
Ha’aver li be-vakasha et ha-melakh. “Please pass me the salt.”
* An important note here is that many, if not most, speakers of modern Hebrew use the future form instead of the imperative. While this isn’t technically correct from a grammatical standpoint, it’s so prevalent that one might even say it’s more natural-sounding than the correct form. Here’s what the above examples would look like using this variation:
תאמר לי בבקשה מהו שמך.
Tomar li be-vakashah mahu shimkha. “Please tell me your name.” (Literally: “Please, you will tell me your name.”)
תעביר לי בבקשה את המלח.
Ta’avir li be-vakasha et ha-melakh. “Please pass me the salt.” (Literally: “Please, you will pass me the salt.”)
As in English, we can also shift the position of the word בבקשה (be-vakashah) to the end of the sentence, without changing the meaning in any way:
אמור לי מהו שמך בבקשה.
Emor li mahu shimkha be-vakashah. “Tell me your name, please.”
העבר לי את המלח בבקשה.
Ha’aver li et ha-melakh be-vakasha. “Pass me the salt, please.”
B. Indirect Question Using the Future Tense
האם תוכל לומר לי מה השעה?
Ha’im tukhal lomar li mah ha-sha’ah? “Could you tell me the time?”
האם תוכלי לעזור לי עם שיעורי המתמטיקה?
Ha’im tukhli la’azor li im shi’urey ha-matematikah? “Could you help me with the math homework?”
There are a couple of possible variations here. For one thing, the word האם (ha’im), roughly equivalent to the modal “could” or “would” in English, is optional. Additionally, for extra politeness, we can add in the word בבקשה (be-vakashah) to the same pattern, generally at the very end of the question:
תוכל לומר לי מה השעה, בבקשה?
Tukhal lomar li mah ha-sha’ah, be-vakashah? “Could you tell me the time, please?”
תוכלי לעזור לי עם שיעורי הבית במתמטיקה, בבקשה?
Tukhli la’azor li im shi’urey ha-bayit be-matematikah, be-vakashah? “Could you help me with the math homework, please?”
7. Asking Whether Something is Possible or Permitted
Needing to ask permission is yet another situation that’s bound to come up in daily language usage. Let’s take a look at two types of Hebrew phrases for doing this. The first pattern, using אפשר (efshar), is more general, and can be used for asking about whether something is possible (though in certain contexts, it’s also used to ask about permissibility). The second, using מותר (mutar), is used specifically to ask if something is permitted.
A. Asking Whether Something is Possible
We can use the word אפשר (efshar) before a noun to make a basic request, or before a longer question for more complex requests. This form is rather flexible, and can even be used as an alternative way of making a polite request. This is similar to saying “Would it be possible…” in English.
אפשר אש?
Efshar esh? “Might I have a light?” (Literally: “Is a light possible?”)
אפשר לקבל מים בבקשה?
Efshar lekabel mayim be-vakashah? “Could I have some water, please?”
אפשר פיצה גדולה עם הכל?
Efshar pitzah gedolah im hakol? “Could I have a large pizza to go?”
אפשר להזמין את הפריט במשלוח מהיר?
Efshar le-hazmin et ha-parit be-mishlo’akh mahir? “Is it possible to order the item with express shipping?”
אפשר לומר לך משהו בארבע עיניים?
Efshar lomar lakh mashehu be-arba eynayim? “Could I tell you something in private?” (Literally: “Could I tell you something with four eyes?”)
B. Asking Whether Something is Permitted
מותר לצלם כאן?
Mutar letzalem kan? “Are pictures allowed here?” (Literally: “Is it permissible to take pictures here?”)
מותר להשתמש במילון בזמן המבחן?
Mutar lehishtamesh be-milon bi-zman ha-mivkhan? “Are we allowed to use a dictionary during the exam?” (Literally: “Is it permissible to use a dictionary during the exam?”)
מותר לנסוע באוטו בשבת אם אני לא נוהג?
Mutar linso’a’ be-oto be-Shabat im ani lo noheg? “Is it permissible to travel by car on Shabbat if I am not driving?”
8. Asking for Basic Information
Being able to ask for information is, of course, always useful—and in many cases, vital. Luckily, this is another very simple Hebrew sentence structure that’s easy enough to internalize so that you can use it when you need to.
All we need here is to know our interrogative and personal pronouns in Hebrew to form quick and simple questions for asking basic information. Note, again, the absence of the verb “to be” in these questions. Let’s see some examples:
מה זה הדבר הזה?
Ma zeh ha-davar ha-zeh? “What [is] that thing?”
מה זה להתבונן?
Mah zeh lehitbonen? “What [is] ‘contemplating’?” / “What does ‘to contemplate’ mean?”
מי זה הבחור ההוא?
Mi zeh ha-bakhur ha-hu? “Who [is] that guy?”
מי זאת ריהאנה?
Mi zot Rihana? “Who [is] Rihanna?”
Note that when referring to a single person by a description rather than a proper name, we can use either the pronoun זה/זאת (zeh) or הוא/היא (hu/hi), depending on gender. That said, we generally use the second option for males, and not very often for females. For example:
מיהו הבחור ההוא?
Mihu ha-bakhur ha-hu? “Who [is] that guy?”
Additionally, when asking questions about people, we can omit the personal pronoun entirely without changing the meaning of our question. For instance:
מי הבחור ההוא?
Mi ha-bakhur ha-hu? “Who [is] that guy?”
It’s quite common to find ourselves asking the time, say, if our phone’s battery dies or if we’re visiting Israel and haven’t yet adjusted our clocks to the local time zone. Let’s look at a basic pattern for asking the time. In addition, we’ll see another pattern we can use to ask for the time that something is set to occur.
The final pattern that we’ll look at today is useful for asking for information pertaining to the location of something (or directions, if that place or thing is far from our current location). Once again, the verb “to be” is omitted.
איפה השירותים?
Eyfoh ha-sheyrutim? “Where [is] the bathroom?”
איפה התחנה המרכזית?
Eyfoh ha-takhnah ha-merkazit? “Where [is] the central bus depot?”
איפה המפתחות שלי?
Eyfoh ha-maftekhot sheli? “Where [are] my keys?”
An alternative pattern we can use here is created by simply adding the verb להימצא (lehimatze), meaning “found” or “located,” after the question word איפה (eyfoh), meaning “where.”
איפה נמצאים השירותים?
Eyfoh nimtza’im ha-sheyrutim? “Where [is] the bathroom found?”
איפה נמצאת התחנה המרכזית?
Eyfoh nimtzet ha-takhnah ha-merkazit? “Where [is] the central bus depot located?”
11. Turn Your Hebrew Lessons into a Pattern with HebrewPod101
We really hope you’ve found these common Hebrew sentences and question patterns informative and useful. By simply picking up a few patterns, you can go ahead and plug in the vocabulary you want to create myriad sentences and questions of your own. To use them correctly, just focus on which elements are fixed, which need to be conjugated or gendered, and which are totally free to be replaced with the information you wish to insert.
So go ahead and start by practicing the examples given here, then use them to make your own examples for each of the ten categories we’ve seen. In no time, you’ll have added a huge amount of variety and flexibility to your Hebrew skills, thanks to these handy patterns.
Our goal, as always, is to make your learning experience fun, effective, and interesting. Feel free to get in touch with us and let us know if there are any other Hebrew sentence patterns you want to know, or if you need any further examples in the categories we covered. HebrewPod101 is here to help you develop your Hebrew and enjoy yourself as you progress! We’re always happy to hear from you along the way.
Have you seen HebrewPod101’s lessons on 100 Nouns and 100 Adjectives? Today, we’re going to take a look at the top 100 Hebrew verbs! Today’s lesson will both offer you an introduction to the unique grammar of Hebrew verb conjugation, as well as help you to arm your language toolkit with essential verbs.
Verbs are simply a necessity, moreso perhaps in Hebrew than in any other language. In fact, many sentences and questions in Hebrew are actually nothing more than conjugated verbs, so it’s not uncommon to hear one-word sentences and questions.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of Modern Hebrew verbs, which, it should be noted, differ significantly from verb usage in the Bible. We’ll look at the ways a verb’s declension changes depending on what relationship we want to form between it and the agent and/or object of our sentence. And we’ll get a nice, useful list of the most common Hebrew verbs along the way!
For the purpose of getting a solid grasp on the verb patterns, we’ll look at conjugation in the past tense only, using third-person singular masculine to keep things simple. Once you’ve mastered the past tense, it will be easy enough to build the present and future tenses on that foundation and to apply grammatical gender and number.
Remember that this is one aspect of Hebrew you can breathe easy about. In most language applications, we essentially only use three tenses: simple past, simple present, and simple future.
1. Introduction to the Binyanim, or Hebrew Verb Conjugation Patterns
Similar to other languages, the Hebrew verb system uses patterns to help us conjugate verbs. Luckily for Hebrew language learners, these patterns are pretty strictly followed, with few exceptions. Also to your advantage as a student of Hebrew is the fact that there’s a logical division of verbs into these different conjugation patterns. In fact, the conjugation pattern tells us the verb’s function. For example, it tells us if it’s an active verb, a passive verb, or a reflexive verb.
Additionally, remember that the entire Hebrew language is built on the shoresh, or “root” system. So we’ll see that most verbs will be represented in different conjugation patterns that will use the meaning of the root word in different relationships. Hebrew verb roots will, for example, indicate if the verb represents doing something to something or someone else, doing something to ourselves, or having something done to us, etc.
Here are the different Hebrew verb categories according to their conjugation patterns:
HEBREW ACTIVE VERBS
• פעל
Pa’al
• פיעל
Piel
• הפעיל
Hif’il
HEBREW PASSIVE VERBS
• הופעל
Huf’al
• פועל
Pual
• נפעל
Nif’al
HEBREW REFLEXIVE VERBS
• התפעל
Hitpael
2. Paal Verbs
To make more sense of the Hebrew verb types, let’s start by taking a look at the root פ״ע״ל (peh-ayin-lamed). This word always has something to do with action, and its various conjugations are not only verbs unto themselves, they’re also the names for the other verbs in Hebrew that follow the same pattern. For example, פעל (paal) means “worked” or “performed,” but it’s also the name for the category of verbs that follow the same pattern, with the vowels קמץ (kamatz) and then פתח (patakh), both of which sound like the “a” in the word “father.” These verbs are general action verbs.
Here’s a list of paal verbs with example sentences:
אמר
Amar
“Said”
דוד אמר שלום לחברים שלו.
David amar shalom la-khaverim shelo.
“David said hello to his friends.”
שאל
Sha’al
“Asked”
הוא שאל אותי איפה התחנה המרכזית.
Hu shaal oti eyfoh hatakhanah hamerkazit.
“He asked me where the central bus station is.”
כתב
Katav
“Wrote”
הוא כתב לי מכתב באנגלית.
Hu katav li mikhtav be-Anglit.
“He wrote me a letter in English.”
בנה
Banah
“Built”
אבא בנה בית מעץ.
Aba banah bayit me-etz.
“Father built a wooden house.”
גמר
Gamar
“Finished”
הוא גמר את שיעורי הבית שלו מיד אחרי שחזר הביתה.
Hu gamar et shiurey habayit shelo miyad akharey shekhazar habaytah.
“He finished his homework right after he got home.”
שלח
Shalakh
“Sent”
בועז שלח לי מייל לגבי העסקה.
Boaz shalakh li meyl legabey ha-iskah.
“Boaz sent me an email about the deal.”
סגר
Sagar
“Closed”
הוא סגר את הדלת מאחוריו.
Hu sagar et ha-delet me’akhorav.
“He closed the door behind him.”
ראה
Raah
“Saw”
משה ראה את השמיים האפורים ולבש מעיל גשם.
Mosheh raah et hashamayim haaforim velavash meil.
“Moshe saw the gray sky and put on a coat.”
חשב
Chashav
“Thought”
הוא חשב על הבחורה הכי יפה בכיתה והסמיק.
Hu khashav al habakhurah hakhi yafah bakitah vehismik.
“He thought about the prettiest girl in the class and blushed.”
זכר
Zakhar
“Remembered”
הוא לא זכר את שמו של האיש הזקן.
Hu lo zakhar et shmo shel ha-ish ha-zaken.
“He didn’t remember the old man’s name.”
בחר
Bakhar
“Chose”
רם בחר את הגלידה בטעם וניל.
Ram bakhar et ha-glidah be-ta’am vanil.
“Ram chose the vanilla-flavored ice cream.”
שמע
Shama
“Heard”
הוא לא שמע את השעון המעורר שלו.
Hu lo shama et ha-shaon ha-meorer shelo.
“He didn’t hear his alarm clock.”
חלם
Khalam
“Dreamt”
דניאל חלם על אי יפה באוקיינוס השקט.
Daniel khalam al ee yafeh ba-okiyanus ha-shaket.
“Daniel dreamt of a beautiful island in the Pacific Ocean.”
שמר
Shamar
“Kept” / “Guarded” / “Put away”
אריק שמר את השאריות במקרר.
Arik shamar et ha-she’eriyot ba-mekarer.
“Arik put away the leftovers in the refrigerator.”
מכר
Makhar
“Sold”
סבא שלי מכר את האוטו הישן שלו.
Saba sheli makhar et ha-oto ha-yashan shelo.
“My grandfather sold his old car.”
3. Piel Verbs
Similar to paal verbs, piel verbs also describe general action verbs and don’t necessarily involve or mention the object of the action being described. They simply follow a different conjugation pattern, which we must learn by practicing. Note that the vowels here are חיריק (khirik) and צירי (tzeyrey), equivalent to the “ee” in “tree” and the “ay” in “tray,” respectively.
The following is a list of essential Hebrew verbs that fall under the piel category, along with example sentences.
נישק
Nishek
“Kissed”
אבא נישק את אמא לכבוד שבת.
Aba nishek et ima likhvod Shabat.
“Father kissed mother for the Sabbath.”
שילם
Shilem
“Paid”
הבחור הנדיב שילם על ההזמנות של כולם.
Ha-bakhur ha-nadiv shilem al ha-hazmanot shel kulam.
“The generous fellow paid for everyone’s orders.”
מילא
Mile
“Filled (out)”
השוטר מילא את הדו״ח עם פרטי התאונה.
Ha-shoter mila et haduakh im pirtey ha-teunah.
“The police officer filled out the report with the details of the accident.”
דיבר
Diber
“Spoke”
הילד דיבר בקול חזק מאוד.
Ha-yeled diber bekol khazak meod.
“The boy spoke in a very loud voice.”
לימד
Limed
“Taught”
אבא שלי לימד אותי לנהוג.
Aba sheli limed oti linhog.
“My father taught me to drive.”
טאטא
Tita
“Swept”
העובד טאטא את הרצפה בחנות.
Ha-oved tita et ha-ritzpah ba-khanut.
“The employee swept the floor in the store.”
ביטל
Bitel
“Canceled”
ראש הממשלה ביטל את הנסיעה שלו לחו״ל.
Rosh ha-memshalah bitel et ha-nesiah shelo le-khu”l.
“The prime minister canceled his visit abroad.”
חיבר
Khiber
“Connected”
הטכנאי חיבר לי אינטרנט בדירה.
Ha-tekhnay khiber li internet ba-dirah.
“The technician connected the internet in my apartment.”
סיפר
Siper
“Told”
החייל סיפר לנו על המבצע המסוכן.
Ha-khayal siperlanu al ha-mivtza ha-mesukan.
“The soldier told us about the dangerous mission.”
מיהר
Miher
“Rushed”
השחקן מיהר לתפוס את הכדור.
Ha-sakhkan miher litfos et ha-kadur.
“The player rushed after the ball.”
לכלך
Likhlekh
“Dirtied”
הילד ליכלך את המכנסיים שלו בבוץ.
Ha-yeled likhlekh et ha-mikhnasayim shelo ba-botz.
“The boy dirtied his pants in the mud.”
חייך
Khiyekh
“Smiled”
הוא חייך לי מבעד לחלון.
Hu khiyekh li mibead lakhalon.
“He smiled at me through the window.”
טייל
Tiyel
“Traveled”
שלמה טייל שנה בהודו אחרי הצבא.
Shlomoh tiyel shanah be-Hodu akharey ha-tzava.
“Shlomo traveled for a year in India after the army.”
ניצח
Nitzeach
“Won”
הצבא ניצח במלחמה מול האויב.
Ha-tzava nitzeakh ba-milkhamah mul haoyev.
“The army won the war against the enemy.”
סימן
Simen
“Marked” / “Highlighted / “Mentioned”
המורה סימן את הדוגמה במאמר.
Hamoreh simen et hadugmag bamaamar.
“The teacher marked the example in the article.”
4. Hif’il Verbs
Hebrew Hif’il verbs are also action verbs, but these specifically describe something done to something or someone, like a transitive verb in English with an object. For example, in the case of הפעיל (Hif’il), the name of this verb conjugation pattern, the verb of the same name means “to operate something or someone.”
These are very handy verbs to know as they will help us describe all sorts of interactions in day-to-day life. Note that they mostly use the vowel חיריק (khirik) twice, equivalent to the “ee” in “tree,” though some also use צירי (tzeyrey) and חיריק (khirik), equivalent to the “ay” in “tray” and the “ee” in “tree,” respectively.
The following is a list of some of the most common Hif’il verbs, along with example sentences.
הפעיל
Hif’il
“Activated” / “Turned on”
הנהג הפעיל את המזגן באוטובוס.
Hanahag Hif’il et hamazgan baotobus.
“The driver turned on the air conditioner on the bus.”
“The taxi driver brought me back home from the train station.”
החביא
Hekhbi
“Hid”
הקוסם החביא את הקלף בשרוול שלו.
Hakosem hekhbi et haklaf basharvul shelo.
“The magician hid the card up his sleeve.”
5. Huf’al Verbs
Huf’al verbs can be thought of as the passive or past participle of Hif’il verbs. In other words, we’re thinking of the same meaning of the shoresh and the same interaction, just described from the perspective of the object and not the agent.
To this end, in our examples we’ll look at the Huf’al form of some of the same Hif’il verbs we just saw above. Note that these verbs use the vowels שורוק (shuruk)or קובוץ (kubutz), and then פתח (patakh), like “oo” in “cool” and “a” in “father,” respectively.
הופעל
Huf’al
“Was operated” / “Was activated”
השעון המעורר הופעל לשש בבוקר.
Hashaon hameorer Huf’al leshes baboker.
“The alarm clock was activated for six in the morning.”
הושמע
Hushma
“Was played” / “Was heard” / “Was sounded”
השיר היפה הושמע ברדיו.
Hashir hayafeh hushma baradiyo.
“The pretty song was played on the radio.”
הוכנס
Hukhnas
“Was brought in” / “Was put in”
התלמיד החדש הוכנס למשרד המנהל.
Hatalmid hakhadash hukhnas lemisrad hamenahel.
“The new student was brought in to the principal’s office.”
הוצע
Hutza
“Was proposed” / “Was suggested”
הרעיון הוצע על ידי איש צוות מירושלים.
Haraayon hutza al yedey ish tzevet meYerushalayim.
“The idea was proposed by a staff member from Jerusalem.”
הובא
Huva
“Was brought”
החומר לבניין הובא לאתר במשאית.
Hakhomer lebinyan huva laatar bemasait.
“The building material was brought to the site by truck.”
הוצל
Hutzal
“Was saved” / “Was rescued”
הילד הוצל מהזרם על ידי המציל.
Hayeled hutzal mehazerem al yedey hametzil.
“The boy was rescued from the current by the lifeguard.”
הובטח
Huvtakh
“Was promised” / “Was guaranteed”
המקום שלי במשרד הובטח על ידי הבוסית.
Hamakom sheli bamisrad huvtakh al yedey habosit.
“My position in the office was guaranteed by the boss.”
הוחזר
Hukhzar
“Was returned” / “Was brought back”
הכלב שלי הוחזר הביתה על ידי שכן שהכיר אותו ברחוב.
Hakelev sheli hukhzar habaytah al yedey shakhen shehekir oto barekhov.
“My dog was brought back home by a neighbor who recognized him in the street.”
הוקם
Hukam
“Was established” / “Was founded” / “Was erected”
התיאטרון הוקם לפני יותר ממאה שנה.
Hateatron hukam lifney yoter memeah shanah.
“The theater was founded more than 100 years ago.”
“The internet service was disconnected for failure to pay.”
הוצב
Hutzav
“Was placed” / “Was set up”
הבסיס הוצב קרוב לגבול.
Habasis hutzav karov lagvul.
“The base was set up near the border.”
הושג
Husag
“Was achieved”
השלום עם מצרים הושג על ידי מנחם בגין.
Hashalom im Mitzrayim husag al yedey Menakhem Begin.
“Peace with Egypt was achieved by Menachem Begin.”
הועבר
Huavar
“Was transferred”
המכתב שלך הועבר ישר למנהל.
Hamikhtav shelkha huavar yashar lamenahel.
“Your letter was transferred directly to the manager.”
הושם
Husam
“Was applied”
למה מחייבים אותי עוד פעם אם המס כבר הושם?
Lamah mekhayvim oti od paam im hamas kvar husam?
“Why are you charging me again if the tax was already applied?”
6. Pual Verbs
Pual verbs can be thought of as the past participle of piel verbs. So once again, we’re thinking of the same meaning of the shoresh and the same interaction, but described from the perspective of the object. Again, in our examples, we’ll look at the pual form of some of the same piel verbs we looked at earlier.
Note that these verbs use the vowels שורוק (shuruk)or קובוץ (kubutz), and then פתח (patakh), like “oo” in “cool” and “a” in “father,” respectively.
שולם
Shulam
“Was paid”
החשבון שולם מראש.
Hakheshbon shulam merosh.
“The bill was paid in advance.”
בוטל
Butal
“Was canceled”
הקונצרט בוטל בשל מזג האוויר.
Hakontzert butal beshel mezeg haavir.
“The concert was canceled due to the weather.”
חובר
Khubar
“Was connected”
החשמל חובר לפני שבוע.
Hakheshmal khubar lifney shavua.
“The electricity was connected a week ago.”
סופר
Supar
“Was told”
הסיפור המפורסם הזה סופר בספר הזכרונות של סבא שלי.
Hasipur hamefursam hazeh supar besefer hazikhronot she saba sheli.
“That famous story was told in my grandfather’s memoirs.”
גודל
Gudal
“Was raised” / “Was cultivated”
במקור הפלפל גודל במקסיקו.
Bamakor hapilpel gudal beMeksiko.
“Originally, pepper was cultivated in Mexico.”
דובר
Dubar
“Was spoken”
היידיש דובר על ידי יהודי אירופה לפני מלחמת העולם השנייה.
Hayidish dubar al yedey yehudey Eyropah lifney Milkhemet Haolam Hashniyah.
“Yiddish was spoken by European Jews before World War II.”
יושב
Yushav
“Was settled”
הגליל יושב בעיקר על ידי חקלאים.
HaGalil yushav beikar al yedey khaklaim.
“The Galil was settled mostly by farmers.”
כונה
Kunah
“Was called” / “Was nicknamed”
דוד בן ישי כונה גם דוד המלך.
David ben Yishay kunah gam David Hamelekh.
“David son of Jesse was also called King David.”
טופל
Tupal
“Was handled” / “Was treated”
התיק שלך כבר טופל.
Ha-tik shelkha kvar tupal.
“Your case was already handled.”
זומן
Zuman
“Was invited”
יעקב זומן להשתתף בחידון התנ״ך.
Yaakov zuman lehishtatef beKhidon Hatana”kh.
“Yaakov was invited to take part in the Bible Contest.”
7. Nifal Verbs
Nifal verbs are a bit trickier to describe because they’re used in a diverse set of circumstances. Like Huf’al and Pual verbs, they can sometimes be passive; however, they can sometimes also be active or even be used in situations where they’re something akin to the progressive tense in English.
We can make more sense of this by seeing some examples. Note that these verbs use different vowel combinations in addition to the חיריק (khirik) and פתח (patakh), like “ee” in “tree” and “a” in “father,” respectively, of the category name נפעל (nifal).
נכנס
Nikhnas
“Came in” / “Went in”
הרופא נכנס לבית החולים להתחיל את המשמרת שלו.
Harofe nikhnas leveyt hakholim lehatkhil et hamishmeret shelo.
“The doctor went in to the hospital to start his shift.”
נודע
Noda
“Made aware of” / “Became known”
מתי נודע לך על מות השכן?
Matay noda lekha al mot hashakhen?
“When were you made aware of your neighbor’s death?”
נראה
Nir’eh
“Look” / “Appear”
אני נראה טוב עם עניבה?
Ani nireh tov im anivah?
“Do I look good in a tie?”
נשמע
Nishma
“Sound”
נשמע לך כמו רעיון טוב?
Nishma lekha kemo raayon tov?
“Does that sound like a good idea to you?”
נרדם
Nirdam
“Fall asleep”
הכלב שלי תמיד נרדם ליד הכיסא שלי.
Ha-kelev sheli tamid nirdam leyad ha-kise sheli.
“My dog always falls asleep beside my chair.”
נמצא
Nimtza
“Is found” / “Is encountered” / “Is located”
איפה נמצא הקניון, בבקשה?
Eyfoh nimtza ha-kanyon be-vakasha?
“Where is the mall located,please?”
נמשך
Nimshakh
“Continue” / “Last”
הגשם נמשך כל היום.
Ha-geshem nimshakh kol ha-yom.
“The rain lasted all day.”
נשאר
Nish’ar
“Remain” / “Stay”
למה אתה לא נשאר אצלי בדירה?
Lamah atah lo nishar etzli badirah?
“Why don’t you stay at my apartment?”
נגמר
Nigmar
“Finish” / “Be over”
הסרט כבר נגמר?
Ha-seret kvar nigmar?
“Is the movie already over?”
נעצר
Ne’etzar
“Stop” / “Get arrested”
פתאום השעון שלי נעצר!
Pitom hashaon sheli neetzar!
“My watch suddenly stopped!”
נסתר
Nistar
“Hidden”
מה שנסתר בלב הוא תמיד מסתורין.
Mah shenistar balev hu tamid mistorin.
“What’s hidden in the heart is always a mystery.”
נלווה
Nilveh
“Accompany”
אני מחפש אביזר נלווה לתיק הזה.
Ani mekhapes avizar nilveh latik hazeh.
“I am looking for an accessory to accompany this bag.”
נזכר
Nizkar
“Mentioned”
זה אותו המקום הנזכר בתנ״ך.
Zeh oto hamakom hanizkar baTana”kh.
“This is the same place that is mentioned in the Bible.”
נשלח
Nishlakh
“Sent”
המסרון שלך נשלח בהצלחה.
Ha-misron shelkha nishlakh be-hatzlakhah.
“Your message was sent successfully.”
נקרא
Nikra
“Called”
המקום הזה נקרא עמק השלום.
Ha-makom hazeh nikra Emek Hashalom.
“This place is called The Valley of Peace.”
8. Hitpael Verbs
Hitpael verbs are definitely one of the coolest features of Hebrew. This is the reflexive form of a verb, meaning it describes something that an agent does to him- or itself. This form is used very commonly in Hebrew.
Note that it uses three vowels: חיריק (khirik), like “ee” in “tree,” פתח (patakh), like “a” in “father,” and צירי (tseyrey), like “ay” in “tray.”
התקרר
Hitkarer
“Got cold”
האוכל שלך התקרר.
Ha-okhel shelkha hitkarer.
“Your food got cold.”
התחמם
Hitkhamem
“Got warm”
הוא התחמם מול האח.
Hu hitkhamem mul ha-akh.
“He got warm in front of the fireplace.”
הסתכל
Histakel
“Looked at”
הוא הסתכל על כל התמונות אבל זיהה את גנב.
Hu histakel al kol ha-tmunot aval lo zihah et ha-ganav.
“He looked at all the pictures, but didn’t recognize the thief.”
הסתובב
Histovev
“Turned around”
הוא הסתובב וראה שמישהו עוקב אחריו.
Hu histovev ve-ra’ah she-mishehu okev akharav.
“He turned around and saw that someone was following him.”
הסתדר
Histader
“Worked out” / “Came together”
הכל הסתדר לי אחרי שסיימתי את הצבא.
Hakol histader li keshe-siyamti et ha-tzava.
“Everything worked out for me after I finished the army.”
הסתבך
Histabekh
“Got into a bind” / “Had trouble”
הוא הסתבך בכבישים עם ההנחיות הבלתי ברורות.
Hu histabekh ba-kvishim im ha-hankhayot ha-bilti brurot.
“He had trouble on the road with the unclear directions.”
“The driver got confused at the intersection and turned right instead of left.”
התגעגע
Hitga’agea
“Missed”
היפני התגעגע לסושי אמיתי כמו בבית.
Ha-Yapani hitga’agea lesushi amiti kemo ba-bayit.
“The Japanese missed real sushi like back home.”
התעורר
Hitorer
“Woke up”
הספורטאי תמיד התעורר לאימון בוקר מוקדם.
Ha-sportai tamid hit’orer le-imun boker mukdam.
“The athlete always woke up for an early morning workout.”
9. Conclusion: Verbs are where the action’s at!
I hope you’ve had fun learning the top 100 Hebrew verbs today. As you can see, Hebrew verbs are a huge topic, so it’s best to take it a portion at a time. For example, you could start by tackling just one binyan or, if you’re a bit more courageous, possibly studying all the active verb forms first, then moving on to the passive ones later. In any case, don’t stress about trying to dominate all of these all at once!
Remember that HebrewPod101 is here to help you grow your Hebrew skills at your own pace. Use this lesson as an introductory guide, and then delve deeper into the topics you wish to study more.
And take comfort in the fact that if you start recognizing the roots in a verb, as well as the conjugation patterns, you can actually start understanding verbs even if you’ve never seen them before, just by recognizing the root letters and the relationship the vowels indicate!
Have fun, and let us know if you’re still a bit unsure about any of the topics we discussed today, or if we left something out about Hebrew verbs that you would really like to know. Also keep an eye out for our upcoming article on how to conjugate Hebrew verbs, where we’ll further discuss how this works.
Hebrew pronouns, just like those in English, are one of the seven parts of speech in Hebrew. It goes without saying that knowing the Hebrew pronouns is essential in being able to speak the language with comfort and ease. Even if you’re unsure of what a pronoun is, you can be sure that you use pronouns all the time.
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. Often, though not always, they’re used in order to avoid the awkward repetition of proper nouns. So, every time you say “I,” you’re using a pronoun. And when you ask, “What is that?” you’ve just used two pronouns! So you can see that pronouns are a very basic and common language element, and one it’s wise to master.
Hebrew pronouns fall into four basic categories: personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, interrogative pronouns, and indefinite pronouns. Don’t get scared off by these fancy names, though! It’s really quite simple.
Personal and demonstrative pronouns represent a specific person or thing, and indefinite pronouns are used for non-specific nouns. All of these pronouns have gender and are countable. Interrogative pronouns, on the other hand, are simply pronouns used in asking questions. These include “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where.”
In this lesson, we’re going to break things down and look at a nice Hebrew pronouns list so you have all the knowledge you’ll need to speak and understand Hebrew pronouns in context. Here we go!
Let’s begin with the most common Hebrew pronouns first: the personal pronouns. As you may have guessed from their name, these pronouns describe people (although in some cases, we also use them for animals as well). Remember that Hebrew uses different grammar for masculine and feminine, and this is true for pronouns as well.
So as you’re learning these, make sure to pay attention to the fact that a feminine pronoun will be used to substitute, not surprisingly, a female; it will also go along with feminine verbs and adjectives. The same, of course, is true in terms of masculine pronouns for males, along with masculine verbs and adjectives.
Also note that we want to be careful to ensure we have number agreement. This means that if our pronoun is plural, our verbs and adjectives must be as well.
The following section will also include the Hebrew possessive pronouns, the reflexive forms, and the subject/object forms. Now, let’s take a closer look at personal pronouns in Hebrew.
1- Hebrew Singular Pronouns
1st Person Singular
1. Subject
אני
Ani “I”
Note that this pronoun is the same for male and female speakers. However, the verbs and adjectives we use with it must conform to the correct gender. Here are some examples:
אני נוסע היום לירושלים.
Ani nose’a hayom le-Yerushalayim. “I am going to Jerusalem today.” [male speaker]
אני נוסעת היום לירושלים.
Ani nosa’at hayom le-Yerushalayim. “I am going to Jerusalem today.” [female speaker]
2. Object
אותי
Oti “Me”
אתה שומע אותי?
Ata shome’a oti? “Do you hear me?”
3. Possessive
שלי
Sheli “My” / “Mine”
זה הכלב שלי, ליל.
Zeh ha-kelev sheli, Layil. “This is my dog, Layil.”
הכלב הזה שלי.
Ha-kelev hazeh sheli.” “This dog is mine.”
4. Reflexive
עצמי
Atzmi “Myself”
אני סגור על עצמי שאני צודק.
Ani sagur al atzmi she-ani tzodek. “I am sure of myself that I am right.”
2nd Person Singular – Male
1. Subject
אתה
Ata “You”
אתה חכם.
Ata chakham. “You are smart.”
2. Object
אוֹתְךָ
Otkha “You”
אני מכיר אותך.
Ani makir otkha. “I know you.”
3. Possessive
שֶׁלְךָ
Shelkha “Your(s)”
הנה הקפה שלך.
Hine ha-kafeh shelkha. “Here is your coffee.”
הקפה הזה שלך.
Ha-kafeh hazeh shelkha. “This coffee is yours.”
4. Reflexive
עַצְמְךָ
Atzmekha “Yourself”
איפה אתה רואה את עצמך בעוד 10 שנים?
Eifoh atah ro’eh et atzmekha be’od eser shanim? “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
2nd Person Singular – Female
1. Subject
את
At “You”
את חכמה.
At chakhama. “You are smart.”
2. Object
אוֹתָךְ
Otakh “You”
אני מכיר אותך.
Ani makir otakh. “I know you.”
3. Possessive
שֶׁלָּךְ
Shelakh “Your(s)”
הנה הקפה שלך.
Hine ha-kafeh shelakh. “Here is your coffee.”
הקפה הזה שלך.
Hakafeh hazeh shelakh. “Yourself”
4. Reflexive
עַצְמֵךְ
Atzmekh “Yourself”
איפה את רואה את עצמך בעוד 10 שנים?
Eifoh at roah et atzmekh be’od eser shanim? “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
3rd Person Singular – Male
1. Subject
הוא
Hu “He”
הוא אח שלי, יונתן.
Hu ach sheli, Yonatan. “He is my brother, Jonathan.”
2. Object
אותו
Oto “Him”
אתה רואה אותו שם?
Ata roeh oto sham? “Do you see him there?”
3. Possessive
שלו
Shelo “His” / “Its”
זה העיתון שלו.
Zeh ha-iton shelo. “This is his newspaper.”
העיתון הזה שלו. השם שלו הארץ.
Ha-iton hazeh shelo. Ha’shem shelo Haaretz. “This newspaper is his. Its name is Haaretz.”
4. Reflexive
עצמו
Atzmo “Himself”
מה הוא חושב על עצמו?
Mah hu choshev al atzmo? “What does he think of himself?”
3rd Person Singular – Female
1. Subject
היא
Hi “She”
היא אחות שלי, מירב.
Hi achot sheli, Meirav. “She is my sister, Merav.”
2. Object
אותה
Ota “Her”
אתה רואה אותה שם?
Atah roeh ota sham? “Do you see her there?”
3. Possessive
שלה
Shelah “Her” / “Hers”
זה העיתון שלה.
Zeh ha-iton shelah. “This is his newspaper.”
העיתון הזה שלה.
Ha-iton hazeh shelah. “This newspaper is his.”
4. Reflexive
עצמה
Atzmah “Herself”
מה היא חושבת על עצמה?
Mah hi choshevet al atzmah? “What does she think of herself?”
Note that this pronoun is the same for male and female speakers. However, the verbs and adjectives we use with it must conform to the correct gender. Here are some examples:
אנחנו משחקים כדורגל היום בצהריים. Anachnu mesachakim kaduregel hayom ba-tzohorayim. “We are playing soccer today in the afternoon.” (male or mixed gender speakers)
אנחנו משחקות כדורגל היום בצהריים.
Anachnu mesachakot kaduregel hayom ba-tzohorayim. “We are going to play soccer today in the afternoon.” (female speakers)
2. Object
אותנו
Otanu “Us”
תוכל לקחת אותנו לתחנת הרכבת?
Tukhal lakachat otanu le-tachanat ha-rakevet? “Can you take us to the train station?”
3. Possessive
שלנו
Shelanu “Our” / “Ours”
הגיע האוטובוס שלנו.
Higia ha-otobus shelanu. “Our bus has arrived.”
זה האוטובוס שלנו.
Ze ha-otobus shelanu. “This bus is ours.”
4. Reflexive
עצמנו
Atzmenu “Ourselves”
נצטרך לעזור לעצמנו!
Nitztarekh la’azor le-atzmenu! “We will have to help ourselves.”
Note that עצמנו (atzmenu), meaning “ourselves,” is interchangeably used to refer to male, female, or mixed gender groups of people and things in the plural form.
ראיתי אתכן בפארק אתמול.
Ra’iti etkhen ba-park etmol. “I saw you in the park yesterday.”
3. Possessive
שלכן
Shelakhen “Your” / “Yours”
ההורים שלכן גרים בניו יורק?
Ha-horim shelakhen garim be-Nyu York? “Do your parents live in New York?”
הכסף הזה שלכן?
Hakesef hazeh shelakhen? “Is this money yours?”
4. Reflexive
עצמכן
Atzmekhen “Yourselves”
הסתכלו על עצמכן.
Histaklu al atzmekhen. “Look at yourselves.”
3rd Person Plural – Male
1. Subject
הם
Hem “They”
הם גרים לא רחוק מכאן.
Hem garim lo rachok mi-kan. “They live not far from here.”
2. Object
אותם.
Otam “Them”
אני לא מכיר אותם.
Ani lo makir otam. “I don’t know them.”
אלה
Eleh “These (ones)” / “Those (ones)”
אלה הדברים שלי או שלך?
Eleh ha-dvarim sheli o shelkha? “Are these my things or yours?”
We can also use this variation:
אלו
Elu “These (ones)” / “Those (ones)”
אלו הדברים שלי או שלך?
Elu ha-dvarim sheli o shelkha? “Are these my things or yours?”
Note that אלה (eleh), meaning “these” / “those” and אלו (elu), meaning “these” / “those,” are used as both subject and object. Also note that both are interchangeably used to refer to male, female, or mixed gender people and things in plural.
3. Possessive
שלהם
Shelahem “Their” / “Theirs”
איפה הבית שלהם?
Eifoh ha-bayit shelahem? “Where is their house?”
הבית הזה שלהם.
Ha-bayit hazeh shelahem. “This house is theirs.”
4. Reflexive
עצמם
Atzmam “Themselves”
הם לא מרגישים כמו עצמם היום.
Hem lo margishim kemo atzmam hayom. “They don’t feel themselves today.”
3rd Person Plural – Female
1. Subject
הן
Hen “They”
הן גרות לא רחוק מכאן.
Hen garot lo rachok mi-kan “They live not far from here.”
2. Object
אותן
Otan “Them”
אני לא מכיר אותן.
Ani lo makir otan. “I don’t know them.”
3. Possessive
שלהן
Shelahen “Their” / “Theirs”
איפה הבית שלהן?
Eifoh ha-bayit shelahen? “Where is their house?”
הבית הזה שלהן.
Ha-bayit hazeh shelahen. “This house is theirs.”
4. Reflexive
עצמן
Atzman “Themselves”
הן לא מרגישות כמו עצמן היום.
Hen lo margishot kemo atzman hayom. “They don’t feel themselves today.”
2. Hebrew Demonstrative Pronouns
Another type of pronoun is the Hebrew demonstrative pronouns. These are used to make reference to nouns or to distinguish specific people, places, or things from others. Whenever we talk about “this” and“that,” we’re using demonstrative pronouns. So let’s see some Hebrew demonstrative pronouns, along with examples.
אני לא אוהב את המסעדה ההיא. אני אוהב את זאת.
Ani lo ohev et ha-mis’adah hahi. Ani ohev et zot. “I don’t like that restaurant. I like this one.”
זאת חברה שלי, רוני.
Zot chaverah sheli, Roni. “This is my girlfriend, Roni.”
We can also use this variation:
זו
Zu “It” / “This (one)”
זו חברה שלי, רוני.
Zu chaverah sheli, Roni. “This is my girlfriend, Roni.”
Note that זאת (zot), meaning “it” and זו (zu), meaning “it,” are used as both subject and object.
3- Plural
אלה
Eleh “These (ones)” / “Those (ones)”
אלה הדברים שלי או שלך?
Eleh ha-dvarim sheli o shelkha? “Are these my things or yours?”
We can also use this variation:
אלו
Elu “These (ones)” / “Those (ones)”
אלו הדברים שלי או שלך?
Elu ha-dvarim sheli o shelkha? “Are these my things or yours?”
Note that אלה (eleh), meaning “these” / “those” and אלו (elu), meaning “these” / “those,” are used as both subject and object. Also note that both are interchangeably used to refer to male, female, or mixed gender groups of people and things in plural.
3. Hebrew Interrogative Pronouns
As mentioned earlier, one of the two basic categories of pronouns are interrogative pronouns. To refresh your memory, these are the ones we use in questions, and they’re words that become the grammatical subject of the question.
For example, when we ask “Where are you?” the word “where” is the subject of the sentence, substituting the name of a place, which we don’t know—hence the question!
Let’s see what these are and how they look in the next section of our Hebrew pronouns list.
מה
Mah “What”
מה אתה עושה בסוף השבוע?
Mah atah oseh besof hashavua? “What are you doing this weekend?”
איזה
Eyzeh “Which” (male)
באיזה שולחן בא לך (לשבת)?
Eyzeh shulchan ba lekha (lashevet)? “Which table do you feel like [sitting at]?”
איזו
Eyzo “Which” (female)
איזו רכבת מגיעה לעכו?
Eyzo rakevet megia le-Ako? “Which train goes to Akko?”
מי
Mi “Who” / “Whom”
מי אמר גלידה ולא קיבל?
Mi amar glidah ve-lo kibel? “Who said ‘ice cream’ and didn’t get any?”
עם מי אכלת ארוחת בוקר?
Im mi akhalta aruchat boker? “Whom did you have breakfast with?”
מתי
Matay “When”
אתם יודעים מתי מתחיל הסרט?
Atem yodim matay matchil haseret? “Do you know when the movie starts?”
למה?
Lamah “Why”
אתן יודעות למה לא טוב לאכול לפני השינה?
Aten yodot lamah lo tov leekhol lifney hasheyna? “Do you know why it’s not good to eat before sleeping?”
4. Hebrew Indefinite Pronouns
The final category of pronouns in Hebrew are the indefinite pronouns. This type of pronoun is used to reference non-specific or general nouns. These pronouns can be very useful when we want to make any sort of generalization. Let’s have a look at them!
כולם
Kulam “Everyone”
כולם יודעים שאין כמו בירה קרה ביום חם.
Kulam yodim sheeyn kmo birah karah beyom cham. “Everyone knows there’s nothing like a cold beer on a hot day.”
כולנו
Kulanu “All of us”
כולנו עייפים אז בואו נישן.
Kulanu ayefim az bou nishan. “All of us are tired, so let’s sleep.”
הכל
Hakol “Everything”
אל תדאג, הכל בסדר.
Al tidag, hakol beseder. “Don’t worry, everything is fine.”
כל דבר
Kol davar “Everything” / “Anything”
כל דבר שאני עושה מצליח!
Kol davar sheani oseh matzliach! “Everything/Anything I do succeeds!”
כל מקום
Kol makhom “Everywhere” / “Anywhere”
אני אשמח להיות בכל מקום חוץ מכאן! יש זבל בכל מקום.
Ani esmach lehiyot bekhol makhom chutz mikan! Yesh zevel bekhol makhom. “I’d be happy to be anywhere but here! There is garbage everywhere.”
The following are common negative indefinite pronouns. Note in the examples that in Hebrew, we use the double negative.
שום דבר
Shum davar “Nothing”
לא עשיתי שום דבר היום.
Lo asiti shum davar hayom. “I did nothing today.”
אף אחד
Af echad “No one”
אף אחד לא הוציא את הזבל?
Af echad lo hotzi et hazevel? “No one took out the trash?”
אף מקום
Af makhom “Nowhere”
אני לא מוצא את הכפכפים שלי באף מקום.
Ani lo motzeh et hakafkafim sheli beaf makhom. “I can’t find my flipflops anywhere.”
משהו
Mashehu “Something”
יש לך משהו קר לשתות?
Yesh lakh mashehu kar lishtot? “Do you have something cold to drink?”
מישהו
Mishehu “Someone”
מישהו הזמין כאן פיצה?
Mishehu hizmin kan pitza? “Did someone here order a pizza?”
איפשהו
Eyfoshehu “Somewhere”
אני בטוח שהשארתי את המשקפיים שלי כאן איפשהו.
Ani batuach shehisharti et hamishkafayim sheli kan eyfoshehu. “I’m sure I left my glasses here somewhere.”
5. Conclusion: Master Hebrew the Fun Way with HebrewPod101.com!
Great job! You’ve made it through this pronoun lesson in one piece. I know that Hebrew language pronouns are a lot to take in, but pronouns are truly part of the backbone of your Hebrew language mastery. So just pick a few at a time and give them some practice. It’s definitely worth it, as you can see how practical these words are, and how often we use them in everyday conversations. Plus, knowing your Hebrew pronouns will help you avoid a whole lot of confusion when you’re conversing with other Hebrew speakers.
So definitely take the time to study this Hebrew pronouns list and the examples, and go ahead and practice using them to talk about yourself, your family, your pets, your home—anything you feel like. As long as it’s a person, place, thing, or idea, it’s a noun. And as long as it’s a noun, it can be replaced by a pronoun!
I hope you found this lesson useful. Feel free to let us know in the comments below how you feel about using pronouns in Hebrew! Feeling confident, or still a bit uncertain? We look forward to hearing from you, and hope that you’ll continue visiting HebrewPod101.com throughout your journey to language mastery! Shalom!
Have you ever found yourself in the following situation?
You’re progressing well with your Hebrew vocabulary and have just picked up a shiny new Hebrew word or two, but you don’t know how to use them correctly in a sentence.
If you’re still left scratching your head about the proper order of words in Hebrew sentences and questions, HebrewPod101 is here to help you make sense of it all and put your thoughts and words in order with our guide on Hebrew sentence structure and word order.
Did you know that the most commonly heard word in Hebrew is בסדר (beseder)? Though it’s usually the equivalent of “OK” in English, it literally means “in order.” This hints at the great importance that Hebrew and Jewish culture in general place on ordering things. And words are no exception. Syntax—the correct order and position of words in sentences and questions—is as important in Hebrew as it is in English (and most other languages) for effective communication.
While Hebrew sentence structure isn’t terribly different from that in English, there are definitely some distinctions we want to be aware of. Luckily, this topic isn’t too complex, so just sit back, relax, and enjoy organizing those words you’ve been studying into structures. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying in language-learning as being able to piece it all together and start speaking full sentences. Here we go!
The truth is that modern Hebrew word order has changed significantly since Biblical times, which is good news for you. Whereas the word order in Biblical Hebrew has verbs coming before both the subject and predicate, modern Hebrew usually follows the same basic sentence structure as English, where the predicate is a verb: Subject-Predicate. Note that this order can be modified in some cases, such as for emphasis, so it’s still possible to have the verb come before the subject. However, as noted, the norm is the same as in English, i.e. the subject will come before the verb.
To be considered complete, a Hebrew sentence will always contain a subject and at least one predicate. However, as hinted above, the predicate is not necessarily always a verb in Hebrew. (We’ll get into specifics a bit later on.) Obviously, Hebrew sentences can, and often do, contain other elements, such as adverbs, conjunctions, and so on. However, the basic minimum structure, as in English, is Subject-Predicate.
2. Basic Word Order with Subject, Verb & Object
Just so we’re clear, let’s define the words “subject,” “verb,” and “object” before we go any further. In the context of grammar, the subject is the agent or the noun that is behind the verb. The verb is the action or condition word. The object is the noun that the subject is acting upon or affecting through the verb. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a simple example of how this plays out:
אני לומד עברית.
Ani lomed Ivrit.
“I study Hebrew.”
Here, you can see the same syntax as in English, and, as mentioned, most sentences will indeed follow this structure.
1. In cases where the conjugated form of a verb clearly indicates who the subject is in terms of gender, number, and person, it’s common to drop the pronoun. Compare these two sentences:
אני לומד עברית כל יום.
Ani lomed Ivrit kol yom.
“I study Hebrew every day.”
למדתי עברית אתמול.
Lamadeti Ivrit etmol.
“I studied Hebrew yesterday.”
In the first sentence, the conjugated form לומד (lomed), meaning “study,” can be used for different singular masculine persons (first, second, or third), so we must use the correct pronoun to indicate which person is being used. However, in the second sentence, the conjugated form למדתי (lamad’ti), meaning “studied,” indicates the first person singular, so we don’t need to use the pronoun אני (Ani), meaning “I.”
2. When the subject is indefinite, i.e. someone or something unknown or nonspecific, we’ll often see the order Verb-Object-Subject. For example:
סיפרו לי שאתה לומד עברית.
Sipru li she-atah lomed Ivrit.
“Someone told me that you are learning Hebrew.”
[Literally: “(They) told me that you are learning Hebrew.”]
הגיע בשבילך משהו בדואר.
Higi’a bishvil’kha mashehu ba-do’ar.
“Something came for you in the mail.”
[Literally: “Came for you something in the mail.”]
3. Another unique feature of Hebrew is that, in the present tense, the verb להיות (lehiyot), meaning “to be,” is omitted. We still have a predicate, but no verb (unless there are additional verbs in the sentence). Compare the following examples:
דניאל היה תלמיד טוב.
Daniel hayah talmid tov.
“Daniel was a good student.”
דניאל תלמיד טוב.
Daniel talmid tov.
“Daniel is a good student.” [Note there is no verb here!]
4. The verb להיות (lehiyot), meaning “to be,” appears in the past and future tenses without a subject to denote existence, or with an adjective used as a predicate, such as in the following examples:
היה לי חבר אמריקאי שלמד עברית בירושלים.
Hayah li khaver Amerika’i she-lamad Ivrit be-Yerushalayim.
“I had an American friend who studied Hebrew in Jerusalem.”
יהיה כיף ללמוד עברית בירושלים.
Yihiyeh keyf lilmod Ivrit be-Yerushalayim.
“It will be fun to study Hebrew in Jerusalem.”
5.Hebrew has no verb for “to have.” In the past and future tenses, we use the verb להיות (lehiyot), meaning “to be,” followed by a possessive pronoun. In the present tense, we use the word יש (yesh), which means “there is/are,” followed by a possessive pronoun. Following are some examples in all three tenses:
היה לי חבר שלמד עברית בירושלים.
Hayah li khaver Amerika’i she-lamad Ivrit be-Yerushalayim.
“I had an American friend who studied Hebrew in Jerusalem.”
יש לי חבר אמריקאי שלומד עברית בירושלים.
Yesh li khaver Amerika’i she-lomed Ivrit be-Yerushalayim.
“I have an American friend who is studying Hebrew in Jerusalem.”
יהיה לי זמן לפגוש חברים בירושלים.
Yehiyeh li zman lifgosh khaverim be-Yerushalayim.
“I will have time to meet friends in Jerusalem.”
6. The opposite of יש (yesh), meaning “there is/are,” is אין (eyn), meaning “there is/are not,” followed by a possessive pronoun. For past and future tenses, we again use לא (lo) to create the negative form of the verb להיות (lehiyot), or “to be,” followed by a possessive:
לא היה לי זמן לבשל משהו טעים.
Lo hayah li zman levashel mashehu ta’im.
“I had no time to cook something tasty.”
אין לי זמן לבשל משהו טעים.
Eyn li zman levashel mashehu ta’im.
“I have no time to cook something tasty.”
לא יהיה לי זמן לבשל משהו טעים.
Lo yehiyeh li zman levashel mashehu ta’im.
“I will not have time to cook something tasty.”
7. Another unique feature of Hebrew is that the particle את (et) must be used prior to all definite direct objects as an accusative marker. Note how this looks in terms of sentence structure:
הוא אכל את הפלאפל.
Hu akhal et ha-falafel.
“He ate the falafel.”
היא מוכרת את האוטו שלה.
Hi mokheret et ha-oto shelah.
“She is selling her car.”
אנחנו נסדר את הספרים.
Anakhnu nesader et ha-s’farim.
“We’ll organize the books.”
3. Word Order with Prepositional Phrases
Now that we’ve looked at basic sentence structures, let’s see how Hebrew word order changes when we add prepositional phrases to our sentences. Prepositions are words that establish a relationship between two other words (an object and an antecedent). But don’t worry if this all sounds too technical, because when you see some examples, you’ll surely recognize just what we’re talking about.
A prepositional phrase is a phrase that employs such a prepositional relationship, and it’s used like an adjective in order to describe a noun or pronoun. As in English, these can come before or after the noun or pronoun they describe. Let’s see some examples to make more sense of it all.
One way to think about prepositions is that they answer information questions, such as “When?” “Where?” and “Why?” Hebrew has eleven types of prepositions, but to simplify matters—and because our focus is on word order—we’ll look at the more common types and see the usual position of the prepositional phrase within the sentence. The prepositional phrases have been bolded to help show their location within the sentence, which is either directly after the noun or pronoun they describe, or either before or after the verb that goes with that noun or pronoun. Most of the time, the logic is the same as in English.
1. Position (answer questions like on what, next to what, under what,etc.)
הספר על השולחן הוא שלי.
Ha-sefer al ha-shulkhan hu sheli.
“The book on the table is mine.”
אכלתי את הפיצה שהייתה על המדף העליון במקרר.
Akhalti et ha-pitzah she-hayitah al ha-madaf ha-elyon bamekarer.
“I ate the pizza that was on the top shelf in the refrigerator.”
2. Direction (answer questions like where [to], from where, toward what,etc.)
רונית רצה לכיוון בית הספר.
Ronit ratzah le-kivun beyt ha-sefer.
“Ronit ran toward the school.”
נסענו באוטו לתוך הלילה.
Nasa’nu ba-oto letokh ha-laylah.
“We drove into the night.”
3.Time (answer questions like before what, after what, during what,etc.)
נאכל אחרי טקס הסיום.
Nokhal akharey tekes ha-siyum.
“We’ll eat after the graduation ceremony.”
בזמן שישנת הכנתי ארוחת בוקר.
Be-zman she-yashanta, hekhanti arukhat boker.
“While you slept, I made breakfast.”
4. Cause, Agency, or Source (answer questions like of what, for what, about what, etc.)
שתינו שתי כוסות יין.
Shatinu shtey cosot yayin.
“We drank two glasses of wine.”
יפעת קוראת ספר על מלחמת העולם השנייה.
Yif’at koret sefer al Milkhemet ha-Olam ha-Shniyah.
“Yifat is reading a book about the Second World War.”
Now, let’s take a look at modifiers, which are just what they sound like: words that modify nouns. These include adjectives, determiners, numbers, possessive pronouns,and relative clauses. We’ll look at each category separately to see where they go in terms of Hebrew word order.
1. Adjectives
Contrary to the rules of English syntax, adjectives in Hebrew will always appear after the noun they describe. Notice that in the case of definite nouns, the article before the adjective (and the one before the noun) describes the noun.
רמון המקסיקני לומד עברית.
Ramon ha-Meksikani lomed Ivrit.
“Mexican Ramón studies Hebrew.”
התלמיד המקסיקני לומד עברית.
Ha-Talmid ha-Meksikani lomed Ivrit.
“The Mexican student studies Hebrew.”
2. Determiners
Determiners, such as “this” or “that,” will likewise always come after the noun they describe.
Yet another difference (and a welcome one this time) between Hebrew and English is that in Hebrew, questions share the same word order as other sentences. This means you don’t need to worry about changing word order when asking questions. It’s simply a matter of adding the relevant question word to precede the rest of your words. Here are some examples of questions and answers to illustrate:
–מתי אתה נוסע לחו”ל?
Matay atah nose’a le-khul?
“When are you traveling abroad?”
-אני נוסע לחו”ל בעוד חודש.
Ani nose’a le-khul be-od khodesh.
“I’m traveling abroad in a month.”
–מי רוצה גלידה?
Mi rotzeh glidah?
“Who wants ice cream?”
-כולנו רוצים גלידה!
Kulanu rotzim glidah!
“We all want ice cream!”
–איפה שמת את הארנק שלי?
Eyfoh samt et ha-arnak sheli?
“Where did you put my wallet?”
-שמתי את הארנק שלך מעל המקרר.
Samti et ha-arnak shelkha me’al ha-mekarer.
“I put your wallet on top of the refrigerator.”
6. Translation Exercises
Now let’s test your knowledge on what we’ve covered here with some translation exercises. We’ll start with simple sentences and work up toward more complex ones. See if you can translate these without looking back to the lesson. The answers are provided below.
1. Ben and Julie study Hebrew.
2. Ben and Julie study Hebrew in Jerusalem.
3. Ben and Julie study Hebrew with two private tutors in Jerusalem.
4. Where do Ben and Julie study Hebrew?
5. With whom do Ben and Julie study Hebrew?
ANSWERS:
בן וג’ולי לומדים עברית.
בן וג’ולי לומדים עברית בירושלים.
בן וג’ולי לומדים עברית אצל שני מורים פרטיים בירושלים.
איפה בן וג’ולי לומדים עברית?
אצל מי בן וג’ולי לומדים עברית?
7. HebrewPod101 is Here to Help You Put Your Hebrew in Order!
Hopefully you feel like we’ve made some order of all the words you had bouncing around in your head. Armed with a better understanding of Hebrew syntax, you can now confidently string your vocabulary into coherent sentences, and even questions.
As you’ve seen, there are some differences between Hebrew and English, but there are also many similarities in how words are ordered. To really hone your skills after reading this article, go out and look for real-world examples. Focus on the order of the words you read or listen to. Read a short Israeli article online or watch Israeli movies with subtitles, and notice how the writer or speaker orders his/her words. Try to take note of the structures you find difficult, and give these extra practice.
Don’t be hard on yourself if you mix up the word order here and there. Remember that mastery takes practice, and that the effort you put into your Hebrew studies will definitely pay off in the long run. HebrewPod101 is here to help you along the way, so as always, let us know if there’s anything you would like us to clear up or any issues you feel we didn’t cover here.
Despite the fact that nowadays most people have their cell phone on them to tell the time—if not a good, old-fashioned watch—you’re likely to find yourself in a situation where you need to know either how to ask the time in Hebrew or how to offer it when someone asks. And you never know when asking someone the time might turn into a longer conversation that may even lead to a friendship at the end of the day!
In a more general sense, being able to tell time in the Hebrew language is hugely helpful in your daily interactions, as time is one of the most universal topics. It helps us make plans, describe experiences, make sense of schedules, and much, much more.
So it’s a good idea to practice telling time in Hebrew, as well as the various words and phrases related to this area of language. Plus, as an added bonus, it provides you with an opportunity to go over your knowledge of numbers, as well.
As mentioned, it’s pretty common to either need to ask the time in Hebrew or for someone to ask us the time. Whether we’re running to catch a bus, trying to get to a meeting on time, or maybe just trying to make sure we set our watch correctly after switching time zones on arriving in Israel, telling time is definitely one of those language essentials you’ll want to practice. The good news is that it isn’t terribly complicated telling time in Hebrew. Let’s have a look.
The first thing we want to know is how to ask the time. Below are a couple of ways to ask the time; the first is simple and direct, and the second is more formal. Remember that you should try to use the formal way if you’re addressing an elderly person or an official, or better yet, when speaking to any stranger.
מה השעה?
Mah ha-sha’ah?
“What time is it?”
האם אתה יודע מה השעה, בבקשה?
Haim atah yode’a ma ha-sha’ah, bevakashah?
“Do you have the time, please?”
If you want to ask not the time on the clock, but rather the time when an event is going to occur, you can ask in the following way:
מתי ה_?
Matay ha_?
“What time is the _?”
For example:
מתי הסרט עם בראד פיט?
Matay ha-seret im Brad Pitt?
“What time is the movie with Brad Pitt?”
מתי האוטובוס לתל אביב יוצא?
Matay haotobus leTel Aviv yotze?
“When does the bus to Tel Aviv leave?”
2. The Hours in Hebrew
Now let’s have a closer look at the clock in Hebrew. We want to be sure we get to know the whole twenty-four hours, which is also a great way for us to practice our numbers!
A couple of important things to note here. First of all, in Hebrew, the notation system for hours is almost always given military style, using twenty-four instead of twelve hours. However, in spoken language, we say the hour using the twelve-hour system, if necessary adding an indicator for the time of day, much like we would use “A.M.” and “P.M.” in English.
I know this may sound a bit confusing at first, but it’s really quite simple once you get used to it. Let’s jump right in and start making some sense of it all.
The first thing we want to know, of course, is the word for “hour,” which we actually just saw. Here it is again, in singular form and then in plural form, followed by an example sentence:
שעה
sha’ah
“Hour”
שעות
shaot
“Hours”
מה יותר נפוץ במדינה שלך, שעון בן 12 שעות או שעון בן 24 שעות?
Mah yoter nafotz bamedinah shelka, shaon ben shteym esrey shaot o shaon ben esrim vearbah shaot?
“What is more common in your country, a 12-hour clock or a 24-hour clock?”
Note that there’s no exact phrase for “o’clock” in Hebrew. However, to avoid confusion and assure that the listener knows you’re talking about the hour, you can add the following before giving the time:
השעה…
Ha-sha’ah…
“The hour is…”
As for how to say time in Hebrew, imagine that the clock reads “13:00.” How do you think we might tell someone the time using the language above? Remember that in Hebrew, we use the twenty-four-hour system when writing, but when speaking we express time using the twelve-hour clock! Got it? Here’s the answer:
Here are some example sentences showing the structure we use to give the time with hours and minutes:
השעה תשע ועשרים.
Ha-sha’ah tesha ve-esrim.
“It’s 9:20.”
השעה שבע שלושלים-ושלוש.
Ha-sha’ah sheva shloshim-veshalosh.
“It’s 7:33.”
4. Hours Divided into Minutes
Great job so far. Now that we’re able to express both times that are on the hour and times that don’t fall right on the hour, let’s look at some of the ways we commonly divide the hour in spoken Hebrew. You’ll note that the divisions are pretty much the same as in English, namely the half hours and quarter hours. Each phrase is followed by an example sentence for you to practice. Once you’ve got them down, go ahead and practice your own examples!
חצי שעה -1 (Chatzi sha’ah) — “Half an hour”
הסרט מתחיל בעוד חצי שעה.
Ha-seret matchil be-od chatzi sha’ah.
“The movie starts in half an hour.”
השעה ארבע וחצי.
Ha-sha’ah arbah vachetzi.
“It’s half past 4:00.”
רבע שעה -2 (Reva sha’ah) — “A quarter of an hour”
בעוד רבע שעה אני נוסע לירושלים.
Be-od reva sha’ah ani nose’a le-Yerushalayim.
“In a quarter of an hour, I’m going to Jerusalem.”
Note the difference in talking about “a quarter after” versus “a quarter to”:
עכשיו רבע לשמונה.
Achshav revah le-shmoneh.
“Right now it’s a quarter to 8:00.”
עכשיו שתים-עשרה ורבע.
Achshav shteym-esreh va-revah.
“Right now it’s a quarter past 12:00.”
5. General Time Reference of the Day
Oftentimes, we may not need or want to use the time shown on the clock, but rather a more general reference to speak about the time of day. This can be very handy when we’re discussing something that doesn’t happen at an exact time, but during a general time of day, such as in the morning or afternoon. Let’s see the more common of these terms, along with example sentences to help us practice.
לפנות בוקר (Lifnot boker) —“In the early morning” [literally, “before morning”]
Apart from knowing how to tell time in Hebrew, both with and without reference to the clock, we’ll want to make sure we round out our language toolkit with some nifty time-related adverbs. These can help us quite a lot when expressing all sorts of activities, so it’s wise to choose the ones you think you’ll be using most and give them some practice. Here are a number of such adverbs and other useful words, along with example sentences and questions.
עכשיו (Akshav) —“Now”
אתה רוצה לאכול עכשיו?
Ata rotzeh le’ekhol akhshav?
“Do you want to eat now?”
מיד (Miyad) — “Right now”
אתה חייב לבוא מיד.
Atah chayav lavo miyad.
“You must come right now.”
כרגע (Karega) — “Currently”
אני עסוקה כרגע.
Ani asukah karega.
“I am busy currently.”
בזמן [ש_]… (Bezman [she_]…) — “While/At the same time [that _]…”
בזמן שישנת עשיתי כושר.
Bezman sheyashant asiti kosher.
“While you were sleeping, I worked out.”
הגיע הזמן ל_ (Higia hazman le_) — “It’s time to _”
הגיע הזמן לקום כבר!
Higia hazman lakum kvar!
“It’s time to wake up already!”
לפני (Lifney) — “Before” & אחר (Acharey) — “After”
“We’ll reach downtown anytime now. I’ll pull over as soon as possible.”
7. Common Hebrew Sayings about Time
Last but not least, let’s end with a bit of fun. Below are a few unique and colorful Hebrew sayings related to time, along with examples of their usage. Spice up your conversation with a couple of these, and you’ll be sure to make a great impression with your Hebrew-speaking friends or colleagues!
חבל על הזמן
Chaval al hazman
“Amazing”
Literally, “It’s a waste of time.” It refers to the fact that it would be a waste of time to tell you just how good something is!
המסעדה הזאת חבל על הזמן!
Hamisadah hazot chaval al hazman!
“That restaurant is amazing!”
בשעה טובה
Besha’ah tovah
“At a good moment.”
This one is basically a way of saying, “Great news!”
את בהריון? בשעה טובה!
At be-heyrayon? Be-sha’ah tovah!
“You’re pregnant? At a good moment!”
בקרוב אצלך
Be-kharov etzlekha!
“Soon it should happen to you!”
לפני שבוע התארסתי. בקרוב אצלך!
Lifney shavua hit’arasti. Bekarov etzlekha!
“I got engaged last week. Soon it should happen to you!”
8. Conclusion: Master Hebrew the Fun Way with HebrewPod101.com!
Whether we happen to believe that time is money or that time is an illusion, we all know the importance of time. And one thing is for certain: time is a topic that comes up all the time in our daily conversations. Whether we want to set a date or a meeting, make sure we don’t miss the next bus to the beach, or talk to a travel agent about the length of a trip we’re planning to the Negev Desert or Nazareth, the language of time is simply an essential part of our Hebrew toolkit.
So take time with the language of time, and I mean quality time. You’ll want to practice telling the time in the Hebrew language, asking for the time in Hebrew, using different ways to talk about time (purely with numbers versus with expressions for the times of day), and certainly make sure you’re comfortable with your numbers in Hebrew.
To practice, write the current time in Hebrew in the comments section!
Once you master this area of the language, you’ll surely find yourself having the time of your life! For now, our time’s up.
As anyone who has ever traveled knows, getting around without getting lost during your stay abroad is an absolute necessity. Without the proper language elements to ask for and understand directions in Hebrew, it can be quite a challenge to get around without confusion. So whether traveling on foot or by vehicle, in a private or rental car, or by bus or train, it’s essential to arm yourself with some basic vocabulary and grammar so you can get from point A to point B while in unfamiliar territory.
This is as true in Israel as anywhere, and in some ways even truer, considering that a wrong turn could lead you to a security checkpoint you never wanted to go through! So let’s take a look at some of the building blocks for asking for and understanding directions in Hebrew—soon you’ll be cruising the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem with no problem!
Let’s begin by looking at some different situations where we may find ourselves asking for, receiving, or even giving directions. Considering that situations involving directions can often feel rather stressful, involving as they do multiple instructions and unfamiliar names of places, it’s a good idea to take the time to learn about directions in Hebrew and get some practice in before using this language in the real world.
One very effective way to do so is to get ahold of a map of the part of the country you plan to visit, and practice with a partner (or multiple partners), taking turns giving and asking for directions with the map in front of you. Maps of most Israeli cities are available for free online via their municipal websites. As you’re practicing, remember to think about masculine versus feminine pronouns and verbs depending on whom you’re speaking to. Further consider whether the noun and adjectives you’re using are masculine or feminine.
The first thing we ought to take note of is that directions in Hebrew, unlike in English, we must choose the correct word for the verb “go,” depending on whether we’re traveling in a vehicle or on foot. ללכת (lalekhet) is the infinitive form of the word “go” if we’re walking. So, for example, if we’re trying to walk to the bus station, we might approach someone and say:
אני רוצה ללכת לתחנה המרכזית.
Ani rotzeh lalekhet la-tachana ha-merkazit.
“I would like to go [walking] to the bus station.”
On the other hand, if we’re traveling by car, taxi, or public transportation, we would use the verb לנסוע (linsoa), which means “go” by vehicle. To use the previous example, in this case we would say:
אני רוצה לנסוע לתחנה המרכזית.
Ani rotzeh linsoa la-tachana ha-merkazit.
“I would like to go [by vehicle] to the bus station.”
Another option we could use, which can also be a go-to word in case we can’t remember or aren’t certain how we plan to travel, is to say “get to” or “reach” without specifying the means of travel. This word is להגיע (lihagia). Again, to use the same example, we would say:
אני רוצה להגיע לתחנה המרכזית.
Ani rotzeh lehagia la-tachana ha-merkazit.
“I would like to get to the bus station.”
The answer to these questions is likely to match the same verb we used in the question. This is because in Hebrew, the verb for “go” depends on how the person is going from point A to point B. For example, if we are trying to get directions for driving to the bus station, we might hear something like:
אתה נוסע שני קילומטרים לכיוון צפון וזה מצד ימין.
Ata nose’a shney kilometrim lekivun tzafon ve-zeh mitzad yemin.
“You go [driving] two kilometers to the north and it’s on the right-hand side.”
On the other hand, if we were walking, we might hear:
אתה הולך שני קילומטרים לכיוון צפון וזה מצד ימין.
Ata holekh shney kilometrim lekivun tzafon ve-zeh mitzad yemin.
“You go [walking] two kilometers to the north and it’s on the right-hand side.”
2. On the Map: Compass Directions in Hebrew
Looking at any map, one of the first things we tend to notice is the compass, which indicates the cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west. Of course, we use these directions often to talk about where we’re headed or where we’ve come from.
We’re also likely to use relative directions, which simply express the location of a place relative to other places, landmarks, or our current location. Let’s take a deeper look at how to use these language elements in the context of directions in Hebrew.
Looking at our compass, we have the cardinal directions in Hebrew:
צפון (tzafon) — “north”
דרום (darom) — “south”
מערב (maarav) — “west”
מזרח (mizrach) — “east”
Note that these are all in nominal (noun) form, but we can also use them as adverbs of direction by just adding ה to the end of the words. For example:
סע צפונה עד הרמזור.
Sa tzafonah ad ha-ramzor.
“Go [by vehicle] north until the stoplight.”
Or:
לך מערבה קילומטר וחצי.
Lekh ma’aravah kilometer va-chetzi.
“Go [walking] west a kilometer and a half.”
Cardinal directions can also be used to describe the general location of something. For example:
“The boardwalk is located in the eastern part of the city.”
אילת נמצאת בדרום ישראל.
Eylat nimzet be-drom Yisrael.
“Eilat is in the south of Israel.”
Notice the importance of the passive verb להימצא (lehimatza), meaning “to be found/located.” In Hebrew, we use this very often to indicate the location of a place, as in the previous example.
In addition to cardinal directions, we often use or hear relative directions or indications when asking for directions in Hebrew on the street. For example:
סע צפונה שני קילומטרים והתחנה המרכזית מול הקניון.
Sa tzafona shney kilometrim ve-haetachanah ha-merkazit mul ha-kenyon.
“Go north two kilometers, and the bus station is opposite the mall.”
Here are some other relative directions we might encounter or want to use:
One of the most common situations in which we’re likely to ask for or give directions in Hebrew is, of course, while on the road. It’s useful to know some of the more common phrases in this context to help us as we try to navigate the highways, streets, and even alleyways of Israel. So let’s take a look at some useful vocabulary and phrases that will help us along the way.
One of the more common things we might hear or say with reference to directions on the road is an indication of how far away something is from where we are or from another point of reference (like a landmark). We might ask, for example:
מה המרחק מכאן לבאר שבע?
Mah ha-merchak mikan le-Be’er Sheva?
“How far is Beer-Sheva?” [Literally: “What is the distance from here to Beer-Sheva?”]
We could also ask the same question like this:
מה המרחק מכאן לבאר שבע?
Ma ha-merchak mi-kan le-Be’er Sheva?
“How far is Beer-Sheva?”
Note that in the answer, we omit the words מרחק (merchak) meaning “distance” and רחוק (rachok) meaning “far.” For instance:
However, if the answer is more general, you’ll hear or say something like this:
לא רחוק.
Lo rachok.
“Not far.”
Or:
רחקה מאוד.
Rchok meod.
“Very far.”
Similarly, we might also get the answer קרובה (krovah) meaning “close” or קרובה מאוד (krovah meod) meaning “very close.”
קרוב and רחוק can also be used to orient us relative to other landmarks. Here are some examples:
שדה התעופה קרוב לצומת.
Sdeh ha-teufah karov la-tzomet.
“The airport is close to the intersection.”
תחנת הרכבת לא רחוקה מהסופר.
Tachanat ha-rakevet lo rechokah me-ha-super.
“The train station is not far from the supermarket.”
Below are examples of other common phrases to encounter when giving or getting directions in Hebrew on the road:
לצד ימין של (litzad yemin shel)— “to the right of”
גן החיות נמצא לצד ימין של הספרייה.
Gan hachayot nimtza litzad yemin shel hasifriyah.
“The zoo is to the right of the library.”
לצד שמאל של (litzad smol shel)— “to the left of”
משרד הדואר נמצא משמאל לאצטדיון.
Misrad ha-doar nimtsa mi-smol la-itzadiyon.
“The post office is to the left of the stadium.”
מסביב לפינה (misaviv lapinah) — “around the corner”
אתה נוסע לצומת הבא וחנות הספרים מעבר לפינה.
Atah nose’a latzmoet haba ve-chanut ha-sfarim me-ever la pinah.
“You go [driving] to the next intersection, and the bookstore is around the corner.”
לפני (lifney)— “before”
אתה עובר שני צמתים והבנק נמצא בדיוק לפני הצומת השלישי.
Atah over shney tzmatim ve-ha-bank nimtsa bediyuk lifney ha-tzomet ha-shlishi.
“You go through two intersections, and the bank is just before the third intersection.”
מאחורי (meachorey)— “behind”
החניה נמצאת מאחורי דוכן הפירות.
Ha-chanayah nimtset me’achorey duchan ha-peyrot.
“The parking lot is behind the fruit stand.”
אחרי (acharey)— “after/past”
סע ישר ופנה ימינה בדיוק אחרי שאתה עובר את הכיכר.
Sa yashar u-pneh yeminah bediyuk acharey she-atah over et ha-kikar.
“Go [driving] straight, and turn right just past the rotary.”
Note two things in the last example. First of all, notice the verb for “turn,” which is לפנות (lifnot). This is obviously very important to know in the context of getting around. Also note that, just as with the cardinal directions, we can turn relative directions into adverbs by adding a ה to the end of them. So:
ימין (yamin) meaning “right” becomes ימינה (yeminah) meaning“to the right.”
שמאל (smol) meaning “left” becomes שמאלה (smolah) meaning “to the left.”
We also have:
קדימה (kadimah) meaning “forward”
אחורה (achorah) meaning “back”
There are obviously some exceptions to this morphology. The most common one is:
ישר (yashar) meaning “straight.”
4. Landmarks
Among the more important vocabulary for us to know when we set out to learn about directions in Hebrew are words that describe landmarks. Obviously, this is important because landmarks are commonly used as references, especially when speaking with a tourist who’s unlikely to know street names but will readily be able to identify landmarks. We’ve already seen quite a few of these in context:
תחנה מרכזית (tachanah merkazit) — “bus station”
תחנת רכבת (tachanat rakevet) — “train station”
שדה תעופה (sdeh teufah) — “airport”
פרק (park) — “park”
בנק (bank) — “bank”
טיילת (tayelet) — “boardwalk”
מוזאון (muzeon) — “museum”
צומת (tzomet) — “intersection”
חניה (chanayah) — “parking lot”
רמזור (ramzor) — “traffic light”
כיכר (kikar) — “rotary”
Now, let’s have a look at some other common landmarks!
מרכז (merkaz) — “downtown” [literally, “center”]
במרכז תמצא הרבה חנויות ומסעדות.
Ba-merkaz timtza harbeh chanuyot ve-mis’adot.
“You’ll find a lot of stores and restaurants in the center.”
מלון (malon)— “hotel”
בשביל להגיע למלון, פנה שמאלה ברמזור והמשך ישר חמש דקות בערך.
“To get to the nearest bus stop, walk north about three minutes and you will see it next to the park.”
שירותים (sheyrutim)— “bathroom”
יש שירותים בבנק.
Yesh sheyrutim ba-bank.
“There is a bathroom in the bank.”
5. Must-know Phrases for Asking for Directions
By now, we’ve built up a pretty good vocabulary for asking for and giving directions in Hebrew. Let’s go a bit further and take a look at some essential expressions when giving or getting directions in Hebrew.
Note that some of the language here will be formal. Even though modern Hebrew isn’t terribly formal, it’s preferable to use it to be polite, particularly since you’ll most likely be talking to strangers. Of course, if this isn’t the case, and you’re asking your friends for directions, you can speak to them in a more familiar tone.
Let’s start with basic phrases for asking directions, with examples to show them in context:
איך אני מגיע לתל אביב?
Eykh ani magia le-Tel Aviv?
“How do I get to Tel Aviv?”
איפה השירותים?
Eyfo ha-sheyrutim?
“Where is the bathroom?”
The above examples are obviously quite direct and therefore informal. To make them more formal, we would simply start with סליחה (slichah) meaning “excuse/pardon me,” and then add a phrase before the question to make it indirect and thus more formal and polite. Using the previous two examples, here are two common options:
סליחה, האם תוכל לומר לי איך אני מגיע לתל אביב?
Slichah, hayim tukhal lomar li eykh ani magia le-Tel Aviv?
“Excuse me, could you tell me how I get to Tel Aviv?”
סליחה, האם אתה יודע איפה השירותים?
Slichah, hayim atah yode’a eyfo ha-sheyrutim?
“Excuse me, do you know where the bathroom is?”
When we get directions, whether from a friend, family member, or a stranger, it is, of course, considered polite to say thank you. Here are a few ways to do so. Don’t forget to use them, even if you’re in a rush!
תודה.
Todah.
“Thank you.”
תודה רבה.
Todah rabah.
“Thank you very much.”
אני מודה לך על העזרה.
Ani modeh lekha al ha-ezrah.
“I thank you for the help.”
נחמד מאוד מצידך.
Nechmad meod mitzidkha.
“How nice of you.”
6. Must-know Phrases for Giving Directions
While you may mostly be thinking of asking for directions, don’t be at all surprised if someone ends up asking you for directions and you suddenly find the tables turned. This seems to be a subset of Murphy’s Law! But consider this an extra motivator to really work on your mastery of this language; you can repay the favor someday, and not only be the recipient of directions but also be able to give them yourself!
Here are some essential words and phrases for giving directions in Hebrew and how to use them:
לך/סע ישר.
Lekh/sa yashar.
“Go [walking/driving] straight.”
חזור.
Chazor.
“Go back.”
עשה פרסה.
Aseh parsah.
“Make a U-turn.”
פנה ימינה/שמאלה.
Pneh yeminah/smolah.
“Turn right/left.”
המשך.
Hamshekh.
“Continue.”
עצור.
Atzor.
“Stop.”
לא תוכל לפספס את זה.
Lo tukhal lefasfes et zeh.
“You can’t miss it.”
7. Putting it Together
Now that you know more vocabulary and basic sentence structures, here’s a more elaborate example of how to give directions in Hebrew:
בשביל להגיע לבית החולים, סע ישר בכביש הראשי לכיוון צפון עד הצומת השלישי. עשה פרסה וחזור לכיוון דרום. פנה ימינה בדיוק לפני הרמזור והמשך שני קילומטרים. עצור בבנק ופנה שם שמאלה. תמשיך עוד חצי קילומטר ובית החולים יהיה מצד ימין. לא תוכל לפספס את זה.
Lihagia liveyt hacholim, sa yashar bakvish harashi likivun tzafon ad hatzomet hashlishi. Aseh parsah vichazor likivun darom. Pneh yeminah bidiyuk lifney haramzor vitamshikh shney kilometrim. Atzor babank upneh sham smolah. Tamshikh od chetzi kilometer vibeyt hacholim yihiyeh mitzad yeminkha. Lo tukhal lifasfes et zeh.
“To get to the hospital, go [driving] straight north on the highway until the third intersection. Make a U-turn and return south. Turn right just before the light, and continue two kilometers. Stop at the bank, and turn left there. Continue another half kilometer, and the hospital will be on your right-hand side. You can’t miss it.”
7. Conclusion
Directions can often feel like one of the more stressful aspects of learning a language. But with a bit of practice, it can actually become a truly gratifying experience to show yourself you’re capable of navigating a new place and finding your way! Israelis are sure to help you out when they see that you’ve taken the time to learn their language, so fear not!
And remember, since Israelis all serve an obligatory two or three years in the military, you’re more than likely to encounter an expert navigator who will surely be able to help you find your way! What’s more, Israelis are extremely proud of their knowledge of the lay of the land, and this will come across in their willingness to explain in detail exactly how to get where you’re going. Just get yourself some maps and a partner and practice these language elements before you go “out in the field” navigating. And, as always, have fun! Before you head off, let us know in the comments how you feel about asking for and giving directions in Hebrew! More confident, or still a little fuzzy? We look forward to hearing from you, and hope that you’ll continue visiting HebrewPod101.com on your journey to language mastery!
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