1- HEBREW ALPHABET

Letter | Name | Pronunciation

א | Alef | Usually silent

ב | Bet / Vet | b / v

ג | Gimel | g

ד | Dalet | d

ה | He | h

ו | Vav | v

ז | Zayin | z

ח | Het | Throaty ḥ

ט | Tet | t

י | Yod | y

כ | Kaf / Khaf | k / kh

ל | Lamed | l

מ | Mem | m

נ | Nun | n

ס | Samekh | s

ע | Ayin | Often silent

פ | Pe / Fe | p / f

צ | Tsadi | ts

ק | Qof | Usually k

ר | Resh | r

שׁ | Shin | sh

שׂ | Sin | s

ת | Tav | t

Regular letter | Final form | Name

כ | ך | Kaf

מ | ם | Mem

נ | ן | Nun

פ | ף | Pe

צ | ץ | Tsadi

Hebrew is written from right to left.

Hebrew has 22 basic letters. שׁ and שׂ are two pronunciations of the same letter, ש.

Vowel marks are often omitted in everyday Hebrew writing.

The pronunciation guide uses approximate English sounds; some Hebrew sounds have no exact English equivalent.

2- WORD ORDER

1 Basic S + V S + V אני ישן. Ani yashen. I sleep.

2 Direct object S + V + DO S + V + DO אני קורא את הספר. Ani kore et ha-sefer. I read the book.

3 Indirect object S + IO + V + DO S + IO + V + DO אני נותן לו ספר. Ani noten lo sefer. I give him a book.

4 Beneficiary S + בשביל + person + V + DO S + bishvil + person + V + DO אני קונה ספר בשבילו. Ani kone sefer bishvilo. I buy a book for him.

5 IO pronoun S + IO pronoun + V + DO S + IO pronoun + V + DO אני נותן לו את הספר. Ani noten lo et ha-sefer. I give him the book.

6 Adjective S + adjective S + adjective הספר הזה גדול. Ha-sefer ha-ze gadol. This book is big.

7 Adverb S + V + adverb S + V + adverb הוא קורא מהר. Hu kore maher. He reads quickly.

8 Verb + adverbial degree S + V + DO + adverb S + V + DO + adverb אני קורא את הספר הזה במהירות. Ani kore et ha-sefer ha-ze bimehirut. I read this book quickly.

9 Time S + time + V S + time + V אני עובד היום. Ani oved hayom. I work today.

10 Place S + V + place S + V + place הוא גר שם. Hu gar sham. He lives there.

11 Location N + ב־/על + location N + be-/al + location הספר על השולחן. Ha-sefer al ha-shulkhan. The book is on the table.

12 DO + location S + V + DO + location S + V + DO + location אני שם את הספר על השולחן. Ani sam et ha-sefer al ha-shulkhan. I put the book on the table.

13 Determiner + noun Det + N Det + N הספר הזה חדש. Ha-sefer ha-ze khadash. This book is new.

14 Det + adjective + noun Det + Adj + N Det + Adj + N הספר הגדול הזה חדש. Ha-sefer ha-gadol ha-ze khadash. This big book is new.

15 Numeral + noun Num + N Num + N שני ספרים חדשים. Shnei sfarim khadashim. Two new books.

16 Conjunction Clause + ו־ + Clause Clause + ve- + Clause אני קורא ספר והוא כותב מכתב. Ani kore sefer ve-hu kotev mikhtav. I read a book, and he writes a letter.

17 Conjunction + sequence Clause + ואז + Clause Clause + ve-az + Clause אני קורא ספר ואז הוא כותב מכתב. Ani kore sefer ve-az hu kotev mikhtav. I read a book, then he writes a letter.

18 Present passive DO + passive V DO + passive V הספר נקרא. Ha-sefer nikra. The book is read / is being read.

19 Passive + agent DO + passive V + על־ידי + agent DO + passive V + al-yedei + agent הספר נקרא על־ידי התלמיד. Ha-sefer nikra al-yedei ha-talmid. The book is read by the student.

20 Passive + IO DO + passive V + ל־ + IO DO + passive V + le- + IO הספר ניתן לתלמיד. Ha-sefer nitan la-talmid. The book is given to the student.

21 Passive + IO + agent DO + passive V + ל־ + IO + על־ידי + agent DO + passive V + le- + IO + al-yedei + agent הספר ניתן לתלמיד על־ידי המורה. Ha-sefer nitan la-talmid al-yedei ha-more. The book is given to the student by the teacher.

22 Passive + time DO + passive V + time DO + passive V + time הספר נקרא היום על־ידי התלמיד. Ha-sefer nikra hayom al-yedei ha-talmid. The book is read by the student today.

23 Passive + location DO + passive V + location + agent DO + passive V + location + agent הספר מונח על השולחן על־ידי התלמיד. Ha-sefer munakh al ha-shulkhan al-yedei ha-talmid. The book is placed on the table by the student.

24 Passive + agent + adverb DO + passive V + time + adverb + agent DO + passive V + time + adverb + agent הספר נקרא היום במהירות על־ידי התלמיד. Ha-sefer nikra hayom bimehirut al-yedei ha-talmid. The book is read quickly by the student today.

25 Passive + IO + agent + time DO + passive V + time + agent + IO DO + passive V + time + agent + IO הספר ניתן היום על־ידי המורה לתלמיד. Ha-sefer nitan hayom al-yedei ha-more la-talmid. The book is given to the student by the teacher today.

26 Perfect / completed passive DO + passive past verb DO + passive past verb הספר נקרא. Ha-sefer nikra. The book was read / has been read.

27 Completed passive + agent DO + passive V + על־ידי + agent DO + passive V + al-yedei + agent הספר נקרא על־ידי התלמיד. Ha-sefer nikra al-yedei ha-talmid. The book was read / has been read by the student.

28 Future passive DO + passive future V DO + passive future V הספר ייקרא. Ha-sefer yikare. The book will be read.

29 Future passive + agent DO + passive future V + על־ידי + agent DO + passive future V + al-yedei + agent הספר ייקרא על־ידי התלמיד. Ha-sefer yikare al-yedei ha-talmid. The book will be read by the student.

30 Modal passive DO + צריך + passive infinitive DO + tsarikh + passive infinitive הספר צריך להיקרא. Ha-sefer tsarikh lehikare. The book needs to be read.

31 Negative S + לא + V + DO S + lo + V + DO אני לא קורא את הספר הזה. Ani lo kore et ha-sefer ha-ze. I do not read this book.

32 Negative passive DO + לא + passive V DO + lo + passive V הספר לא נקרא על־ידי התלמיד. Ha-sefer lo nikra al-yedei ha-talmid. The book is not read by the student.

33 Yes/no question V + S + DO? V + S + DO? אתה קורא את הספר? Ata kore et ha-sefer? Do you read the book?

34 Passive question DO + passive V? DO + passive V? הספר נקרא? Ha-sefer nikra? Is the book being read?

35 Agent question מי + V + DO? Mi + V + DO? מי קורא את הספר? Mi kore et ha-sefer? Who is reading the book?

36 IO question ל־מי + V + DO? Le-mi + V + DO? למי אתה נותן את הספר? Le-mi ata noten et ha-sefer? Who are you giving the book to?

37 Imperative imperative + DO imperative + DO קרא את הספר! Kra et ha-sefer! Read the book!

38 Imperative + IO imperative + ל־ + IO + DO imperative + le- + IO + DO תן לו את הספר! Ten lo et ha-sefer! Give him the book!

39 Passive necessity צריך + passive infinitive tsarikh + passive infinitive צריך לקרוא את הספר. Tsarikh likro et ha-sefer. The book needs to be read.

40 Verbal noun construct verbal noun + noun construct verbal noun + noun קריאת הספר. Kriat ha-sefer. The reading of the book.

41 Verbal noun + DO verbal noun + noun verbal noun + noun קריאת הספר הזה. Kriat ha-sefer ha-ze. Reading this book.

42 Purpose / passive S + מיועד + ל־ + passive infinitive S + meyuad + le- + passive infinitive הספר מיועד להיקרא בכיתה. Ha-sefer meyuad lehikare ba-kita. The book is intended to be read in class.

43 Purpose S + כדי + ל־ + infinitive S + kedei + le- + infinitive אני אוכל כדי לשחק. Ani okhel kedei lesakhek. I eat in order to play.

44 Relative clause N + ש־ + clause N + she- + clause הספר שאני קורא מעניין. Ha-sefer she-ani kore me'anyen. The book that I am reading is interesting.

45 Passive relative N + ש־ + passive clause N + she- + passive clause הספר שנקרא על־ידי התלמיד מעניין. Ha-sefer she-nikra al-yedei ha-talmid me'anyen. The book that was read by the student is interesting.

46 Conditional אם + present, future im + present, future אם יהיה לי זמן, אקרא את הספר. Im yihye li zman, ekra et ha-sefer. If I have time, I will read the book.

47 Conditional + passive אם + passive future, future im + passive future, future אם הספר ייקרא, אעבור את הבחינה. Im ha-sefer yikare, e'evor et ha-bkhina. If the book is read, I will pass the exam.

48 Reported speech S + אומר/אמר + ש־ + clause S + omer/amar + she- + clause הוא אומר שהוא קורא ספר. Hu omer she-hu kore sefer. He says that he is reading a book.

49 Reported question S + שואל/שאל + אם + clause S + sho'el/sha'al + im + clause הוא שואל אותי אם אני קורא את הספר. Hu sho'el oti im ani kore et ha-sefer. He asks me if I am reading the book.

50 Reported command S + אומר/ביקש + ל־ + infinitive S + omer/bikesh + le- + infinitive הוא אומר לי לקרוא את הספר. Hu omer li likro et ha-sefer. He tells me to read the book.

Important Hebrew points

את (et) is normally used before a definite direct object:

אני קורא את הספר

Ani kore et ha-sefer

"I read the book."

Hebrew does not use a separate present-tense word for "am/is/are" in ordinary sentences:

הספר גדול.

Ha-sefer gadol.

"The book is big."

ש־ (she-) is the normal relative/complementizer:

הספר שאני קורא

Ha-sefer she-ani kore

"the book that I am reading"

על־ידי (al-yedei) is the standard formal way to express an explicit passive agent:

נקרא על־ידי התלמיד

nikra al-yedei ha-talmid

"read by the student"

Hebrew's past passive and present passive can look similar in some contexts because Hebrew does not have an English-style "have been + participle" perfect construction. Context determines whether נקרא (nikra) means "was read," "has been read," or "is read."

For "in order to", use:

כדי + ל־ + infinitive

kedei + le- + infinitive

אני אוכל כדי לשחק.

Ani okhel kedei lesakhek.

"I eat in order to play."

ADVERBS:

1 Manner Manner adverb + Verb / usually after the verb אני קורא את הספר במהירות. Ani kore et ha-sefer bimhirut. I read the book quickly.

2 Place Place expression + Verb / usually after the verb אני קורא את הספר בבית. Ani kore et ha-sefer ba-bayit. I read the book at home.

3 Time Time expression + Sentence / beginning, middle, or end קראתי את הספר אתמול. Karati et ha-sefer etmol. I read the book yesterday.

4 Frequency Frequency adverb + Verb / usually before the verb אני לעיתים קרובות קורא ספרים. Ani le-itim krovot kore sfarim. I often read books.

5 Frequency + be Frequency adverb + להיות + Predicate הוא תמיד שמח. Hu tamid same'akh. He is always happy.

6 Frequency + auxiliary Subject + לא + Frequency expression + Verb אף פעם לא ראיתי את זה. Af pa'am lo ra'iti et ze. I have never seen this.

7 Degree Degree adverb + Adjective זה טוב מאוד. Ze tov me'od. This is very good.

8 Degree + verb Degree adverb + Verb אני באמת אוהב את זה. Ani be'emet ohev et ze. I really like this.

9 Sentence adverb Sentence adverb + Clause / usually beginning למרבה המזל, ניצחתי. Le-mar'eh ha-mazal, nitzakhti. Fortunately, I won.

10 Comment adverb Comment expression + Clause / usually beginning בכנות, אני לא יודע. Be-khenut, ani lo yode'a. Honestly, I don't know.

11 Linking adverb Linking adverb + Clause / usually beginning or between clauses הייתי עייף; עם זאת, המשכתי לעבוד. Hayiti ayef; im zot, himshakhti la'avod. I was tired; however, I continued working.

12 Direction Directional expression + Verb / often after the verb הוא יצא החוצה. Hu yatza hakhutza. He went outside.

13 Definite frequency Definite frequency expression + Verb אני הולך לשם כל יום. Ani holekh le-sham kol yom. I go there every day.

14 Duration Duration expression + Verb למדתי במשך שעתיים. Lamadeti be-meshekh sha'atayim. I studied for two hours.

15 Purpose כדי (kedei) + Infinitive / purpose clause אני הולך לשם כדי ללמוד. Ani holekh le-sham kedei lilmod. I am going there to study.

INDIRECT OBJECT:

Basic IO S + V + ל־ + IO + DO S + V + le- + IO + DO אני נותן לתלמיד ספר. Ani noten la-talmid sefer. I give the student a book.

IO + definite DO S + V + ל־ + IO + את + DO S + V + le- + IO + et + DO אני נותן לתלמיד את הספר. Ani noten la-talmid et ha-sefer. I give the student the book.

IO pronoun S + V + IO pronoun + DO S + V + IO pronoun + DO אני נותן לו ספר. Ani noten lo sefer. I give him a book.

IO pronoun + definite DO S + V + IO pronoun + את + DO S + V + IO pronoun + et + DO אני נותן לו את הספר. Ani noten lo et ha-sefer. I give him the book.

Female IO S + V + לה + DO S + V + la + DO אני נותן לה ספר. Ani noten la sefer. I give her a book.

Plural IO S + V + להם + DO S + V + lahem + DO אני נותן להם ספר. Ani noten lahem sefer. I give them a book.

"To me" S + V + לי + DO S + V + li + DO הוא נותן לי ספר. Hu noten li sefer. He gives me a book.

"To you" m. S + V + לך + DO S + V + lekha + DO הוא נותן לך ספר. Hu noten lekha sefer. He gives you a book.

"To you" f. S + V + לך + DO S + V + lakh + DO הוא נותן לך ספר. Hu noten lakh sefer. He gives you a book.

"To us" S + V + לנו + DO S + V + lanu + DO הוא נותן לנו ספר. Hu noten lanu sefer. He gives us a book.

IO with "for" S + V + בשביל + person + DO S + V + bishvil + person + DO אני קונה לאחי ספר. Ani kone le-akhi sefer. I buy my brother a book.

GENITIVE:

1 Basic genitive / construct N₁ + N₂ N₁ + N₂ ספר התלמיד sefer ha-talmid the student's book

2 Indefinite construct N₁ + N₂ N₁ + N₂ ספר תלמיד sefer talmid a student's book

3 Definite construct N₁ + ה־N₂ N₁ + ha-N₂ ספר התלמיד sefer ha-talmid the student's book

4 Plural possessed noun N₁(pl.) + N₂ N₁(pl.) + N₂ ספרי התלמיד sifrei ha-talmid the student's books

5 Plural possessor N₁ + N₂(pl.) N₁ + N₂(pl.) ספר תלמידים sefer talmidim a students' book

6 Both plural N₁(pl.) + N₂(pl.) N₁(pl.) + N₂(pl.) ספרי התלמידים sifrei ha-talmidim the students' books

7 Proper-name possessor N + proper name N + proper name בית דוד beit David David's house

8 Complex genitive N₁ + N₂ + N₃ N₁ + N₂ + N₃ דלת בית הספר delet beit ha-sefer the door of the school

9 Genitive with של N + של + possessor N + shel + possessor הספר של דוד ha-sefer shel David David's book

10 Possessive pronoun N + של + pronoun N + shel + pronoun הספר שלי ha-sefer sheli my book

11 Your (m.) N + של + pronoun N + shelkha הספר שלך ha-sefer shelkha your book

12 Your (f.) N + של + pronoun N + shelakh הספר שלך ha-sefer shelakh your book

13 His N + של + pronoun N + shelo הספר שלו ha-sefer shelo his book

14 Her N + של + pronoun N + shela הספר שלה ha-sefer shela her book

15 Our N + של + pronoun N + shelanu הספר שלנו ha-sefer shelanu our book

16 Your (plural) N + של + pronoun N + shelakhem הספר שלכם ha-sefer shelakhem your book

17 Their (m.) N + של + pronoun N + shelahem הספר שלהם ha-sefer shelahem their book

18 Their (f.) N + של + pronoun N + shelahen הספר שלהן ha-sefer shelahen their book

INDEPENDENT:

It is mine. זה שלי. Ze sheli.

It is yours. (m.) זה שלך. Ze shelkha.

It is yours. (f.) זה שלך. Ze shelakh.

It is his. זה שלו. Ze shelo.

It is hers. זה שלה. Ze shela.

It is ours. זה שלנו. Ze shelanu.

It is yours. (plural) זה שלכם. Ze shelakhem.

It is theirs. זה שלהם. Ze shelahem.

שלי — sheli = mine

שלך — shelkha / shelakh = yours

שלו — shelo = his

שלה — shela = hers

שלנו — shelanu = ours

שלכם — shelakhem = yours (plural)

שלהם — shelahem = theirs (masculine/mixed)

WAS GOING TO:

Was going to היה + עומד + ל־ + infinitive haya + omed + le- + infinitive הייתי עומד ללכת. Hayiti omed lalekhet. I was going to leave.

Was about to עמד + infinitive amad + infinitive עמדתי ללכת. Amadeti lalekhet. I was about to leave.

Was intending to התכוון + ל־ + infinitive hitkaven + le- + infinitive התכוונתי ללכת. HitkavantI lalekhet. I intended to go.

Was planning to תכנן + ל־ + infinitive tikhen + le- + infinitive תכננתי ללכת. TikhantI lalekhet. I was planning to go.

Was supposed to היה אמור + ל־ + infinitive haya amur + le- + infinitive הייתי אמור ללכת. Hayiti amur lalekhet. I was supposed to go.

I was going to התכוונתי Hitkavanti

You (m.) were going to התכוונת Hitkavanta

You (f.) were going to התכוונת Hitkavant

He was going to התכוון Hitkaven

She was going to התכוונה Hitkavena

We were going to התכוונו Hitkavanu

You (m. pl.) were going to התכוונתם Hitkavantem

You (f. pl.) were going to התכוונתן Hitkavanten

They (m.) were going to התכוונו Hitkavenu

They (f.) were going to התכוונו Hitkavenu

I was going to eat. התכוונתי לאכול. Hitkavanti le-ekhol.

You were going to sleep. התכוונת לישון. Hitkavanta lishon.

He was going to leave. הוא התכוון ללכת. Hu hitkaven lalekhet.

She was going to study. היא התכוונה ללמוד. Hi hitkavena lilmod.

We were going to play. התכוונו לשחק. Hitkavanu lesakhek.

They were going to work. הם התכוונו לעבוד. Hem hitkavenu la-avod.

I עמדתי Amadeti עמדתי ללכת. I was about to leave.

You (m.) עמדת Amadta עמדת ללכת. You were about to leave.

You (f.) עמדת Amadt עמדת ללכת. You were about to leave.

He עמד Amad הוא עמד ללכת. He was about to leave.

She עמדה Amda היא עמדה ללכת. She was about to leave.

We עמדנו Amadnu עמדנו ללכת. We were about to leave.

You (m.pl.) עמדתם Amadtem עמדתם ללכת. You were about to leave.

You (f.pl.) עמדתן Amadten עמדתן ללכת. You were about to leave.

They (m.) עמדו Amdu הם עמדו ללכת. They were about to leave.

They (f.) עמדו Amdu הן עמדו ללכת. They were about to leave.

I התכוונתי Hitkavanti התכוונתי ללכת. I was intending to leave.

You (m.) התכוונת Hitkavanta התכוונת ללכת. You were intending to leave.

You (f.) התכוונת Hitkavant התכוונת ללכת. You were intending to leave.

He התכוון Hitkaven הוא התכוון ללכת. He was intending to leave.

She התכוונה Hitkavena היא התכוונה ללכת. She was intending to leave.

We התכוונו Hitkavanu התכוונו ללכת. We were intending to leave.

You (m.pl.) התכוונתם Hitkavantem התכוונתם ללכת. You were intending to leave.

You (f.pl.) התכוונתן Hitkavanten התכוונתן ללכת. You were intending to leave.

They (m.) התכוונו Hitkavenu הם התכוונו ללכת. They were intending to leave.

They (f.) התכוונו Hitkavenu הן התכוונו ללכת. They were intending to leave.

I תכננתי Tikhanti תכננתי ללכת. I was planning to leave.

You (m.) תכננת Tikhanta תכננת ללכת. You were planning to leave.

You (f.) תכננת Tikhant תכננת ללכת. You were planning to leave.

He תכנן Tikhen הוא תכנן ללכת. He was planning to leave.

She תכננה Tikhena היא תכננה ללכת. She was planning to leave.

We תכננו Tikhnanu תכננו ללכת. We were planning to leave.

You (m.pl.) תכננתם Tikhantem תכננתם ללכת. You were planning to leave.

You (f.pl.) תכננתן Tikhanten תכננתן ללכת. You were planning to leave.

They (m.) תכננו Tikhnenu הם תכננו ללכת. They were planning to leave.

They (f.) תכננו Tikhnenu הן תכננו ללכת. They were planning to leave.

I (m.) הייתי אמור Hayiti amur הייתי אמור ללכת. I was supposed to leave.

I (f.) הייתי אמורה Hayiti amura הייתי אמורה ללכת. I was supposed to leave.

You (m.) היית אמור Hayita amur היית אמור ללכת. You were supposed to leave.

You (f.) היית אמורה Hayit amura היית אמורה ללכת. You were supposed to leave.

He היה אמור Haya amur הוא היה אמור ללכת. He was supposed to leave.

She הייתה אמורה Hayta amura היא הייתה אמורה ללכת. She was supposed to leave.

We (m./mixed) היינו אמורים Hayinu amurim היינו אמורים ללכת. We were supposed to leave.

We (f.) היינו אמורות Hayinu amurot היינו אמורות ללכת. We were supposed to leave.

You (m.pl.) הייתם אמורים Hayitem amurim הייתם אמורים ללכת. You were supposed to leave.

You (f.pl.) הייתן אמורות Hayiten amurot הייתן אמורות ללכת. You were supposed to leave.

They (m./mixed) היו אמורים Hayu amurim הם היו אמורים ללכת. They were supposed to leave.

They (f.) היו אמורות Hayu amurot הן היו אמורות ללכת. They were supposed to leave.

2- NOUNS

PLURAL:

Masculine plural singular + ים singular + -im ספר → ספרים (sefer → sfarim) book → books

Feminine plural singular + ות singular + -ot ילדה → ילדות (yalda → yeladot) girl → girls

Feminine ־ית nouns ית → יות -it → -iyot מכונית → מכוניות car → cars

Definite plural ה + plural noun ha + plural noun הספרים the books

1. Absolute Form (Basic Noun)

This is the normal dictionary form.

Singular indefinite

ספר

sefer

"a book"

Singular definite

הספר

ha-sefer

"the book"

Plural indefinite

ספרים

sfarim

"books"

Plural definite

הספרים

ha-sfarim

"the books"

2. Subject Case (Nominative Meaning)

Hebrew has no nominative ending.

The subject simply appears as the noun.

The book is big.

הספר גדול

ha-sefer gadol

Literally:

the-book big

"Book" is the subject.

3. Direct Object (Accusative Meaning)

Hebrew uses the particle:

את — et

before definite direct objects.

Example:

I read the book.

אני קורא את הספר

ani kore et ha-sefer

Breakdown:

אני (ani) = I

קורא (kore) = read

את (et) = object marker

הספר (ha-sefer) = the book

Plural:

I read the books.

אני קורא את הספרים

ani kore et ha-sfarim

4. Possessive / Genitive Meaning ("of", "'s")

Hebrew uses the construct state.

Pattern:

Possessed noun + possessor

English:

the king's book

Hebrew:

ספר המלך

sefer ha-melekh

Literally:

book-of the-king

Construct State Singular

Absolute Construct Meaning

ספר (sefer) ספר (sefer) book of

בית (bayit) בית (beit) house of

ילד (yeled) ילד (yeled) child of

Some words change:

בית

bayit → beit

Example:

בית המלך

beit ha-melekh

"the king's house"

Hebrew uses:

ב־ (be-) = in

Example:

in the book

בספר

ba-sefer

ב + הספר

ba-sefer = in the book

Plural:

בספרים

ba-sfarim

"in books"

7. Dative Meaning ("to/for the book")

Hebrew uses:

ל־ (le-) = to/for

Example:

to the book

לספר

la-sefer

to the books:

לספרים

la-sfarim

8. Ablative Meaning ("from the book")

Hebrew uses:

מ־ (mi- / me-) = from

Example:

from the book

מהספר

me-ha-sefer

from books:

מספרים

mi-sfarim

Nominative Subject subject + verb subject + verb הילד אוכל. The boy eats.

Accusative Direct object subject + verb + את + definite object subject + verb + et + definite object אני רואה את הילד. I see the boy.

Dative Indirect object subject + verb + ל + indirect object subject + verb + le + indirect object אני נותן ספר לילד. I give a book to the boy.

Genitive Possession noun + של + possessor noun + shel + possessor הספר של הילד. The boy's book.

Instrumental Means subject + verb + ב/עם + noun subject + verb + be/im + noun אני כותב בעט. I write with a pen.

Locative Location subject + verb + location subject + verb + location הספר על השולחן. The book is on the table.

Ablative From subject + verb + מ + noun subject + verb + mi + noun אני בא מהעיר. I come from the city.

Allative To/Toward subject + verb + אל/ל + destination subject + verb + el/le + destination אני הולך לבית. I am going to the house.

Vocative Address name + command name + command דוד, בוא הנה! David, come here!

<h2>3- ADJECTIVES:</h2>

Attributive noun + adjective noun + adjective בית גדול big house

Predicate noun + adjective noun + adjective הבית גדול the house is big

Feminine adjective + ה adjective + -ah גדולה big (f.)

Masculine plural adjective + ים adjective + -im גדולים big (m. pl.)

Feminine plural adjective + ות adjective + -ot גדולות big (f. pl.)

Definite attributive ה + noun + ה + adjective ha + noun + ha + adjective הספר החדש the new book

Definite predicate definite noun + adjective definite noun + adjective הספר חדש the book is new

TO BE VERB:

1. Present — "am / is / are"

There is no present-tense conjugation of להיות in ordinary Hebrew.

Formation

Subject + complement

subject + complement

Pronoun Hebrew Transliteration Example Translation

אני אני ani אני שמח Ani sameakh — I am happy

אתה אתה ata אתה שמח Ata sameakh — You are happy

את את at את שמחה At smeakha — You are happy

הוא הוא hu הוא שמח Hu sameakh — He is happy

היא היא hi היא שמחה Hi smeakha — She is happy

אנחנו אנחנו anakhnu אנחנו שמחים Anakhnu smeakhim — We are happy

אתם אתם atem אתם שמחים Atem smeakhim — You are happy

אתן אתן aten אתן שמחות Aten smeakhot — You are happy

הם הם hem הם שמחים Hem smeakhim — They are happy

הן הן hen הן שמחות Hen smeakhot — They are happy

Important

אני שמח

Ani sameakh

"I am happy."

Not:

❌ אני הוֹוֶה...

The present-tense "to be" is simply omitted.

2. Past — "was / were"

The past uses forms of היה (haya).

Formation

subject + היה-form + complement

Pronoun Hebrew Transliteration Translation

אני הייתי hayiti I was

אתה היית hayita you were (m.)

את היית hayit you were (f.)

הוא היה haya he was

היא הייתה hayta she was

אנחנו היינו hayinu we were

אתם הייתם hayitem you were (m. pl.)

אתן הייתן hayiten you were (f. pl.)

הם היו hayu they were (m.)

הן היו hayu they were (f.)

Example

הייתי שמח.

Hayiti sameakh.

"I was happy."

3. Future — "will be"

The future is also based on היה.

Formation

subject + future form of היה + complement

Pronoun Hebrew Transliteration Translation

אני אהיה eheye I will be

אתה תהיה tihye you will be (m.)

את תהיי tihyi you will be (f.)

הוא יהיה yihye he will be

היא תהיה tihye she will be

אנחנו נהיה nihye we will be

אתם תהיו tihyu you will be (m. pl.)

אתן תהיו tihyu you will be (f. pl.)

הם יהיו yihyu they will be

הן יהיו yihyu they will be

Example:

אהיה שמח.

Eheye sameakh.

"I will be happy."

4. Infinitive — "to be"

להיות

Lihyot

= to be

Example:

אני רוצה להיות שמח.

Ani rotze lihyot sameakh.

"I want to be happy."

Formation

verb/modal + להיות + complement

verb/modal + lihyot + complement

5. Conditional — "would be"

Modern Hebrew normally expresses this with:

היה + יכול / צריך / etc.

or, very commonly, הייתי + ... constructions.

For a simple "would be":

הייתי can mean "I would be" when the context is conditional.

Example:

הייתי שמח אם היית בא.

Hayiti sameakh im hayita ba.

"I would be happy if you came."

Formation:

הייתי + adjective + אם + condition

hayiti + adjective + im + condition

6. Imperative / "Be!"

Hebrew does not normally have a simple productive imperative of להיות corresponding directly to English "be!"

Instead, Hebrew commonly uses היה / היו in certain constructions.

Be careful!

היה זהיר!

Heye zahir!

"Be careful!"

היו זהירים!

Heyu zehirim!

"Be careful!" / "Be cautious!"

7. Present Perfect — "have been"

Hebrew does not have a separate grammatical present-perfect tense equivalent to English "have been."

It usually uses the present or another construction depending on the meaning.

English:

"I have been happy."

Hebrew can say:

אני שמח.

Ani sameakh.

"I am happy."

For a continuing situation, Hebrew often adds a time expression:

אני שמח כבר שנתיים.

Ani sameakh kvar shnatayim.

"I have been happy for two years."

8. Past Perfect — "had been"

Hebrew commonly uses:

היה + בינוני (beinoni)

This construction can express an earlier ongoing/state situation.

Example:

הייתי עייף.

Hayiti ayef.

"I was tired."

With context:

כשהגעתי, הוא כבר היה עייף.

Kshe-higati, hu kvar haya ayef.

"When I arrived, he had already been tired."

9. Future Perfect — "will have been"

Hebrew does not have a dedicated future-perfect form of להיות.

It generally uses a future form plus context/time expression.

Example:

עד מחר אהיה כאן כבר שבוע.

Ad makhar eheye kan kvar shavua.

"By tomorrow, I will have been here for a week."

10. Continuous "To Be"

Hebrew does not have English-style:

am being

is being

was being

will be being

as separate grammatical tenses.

Instead, Hebrew normally uses the appropriate tense of היה + a participle/adjective, or another construction depending on the verb.

Example:

הוא היה עובד.

Hu haya oved.

"He was working."

6. "To Be" + Noun

When identifying someone or something, Hebrew again omits to be in the present.

Present

אני מורה.

Ani more.

"I am a teacher."

היא סטודנטית.

Hi studentit.

"She is a student."

Past

הייתי מורה.

Hayiti more.

"I was a teacher."

היא הייתה סטודנטית.

Hi hayta studentit.

"She was a student."

Future

אהיה מורה.

Eheye more.

"I will be a teacher."

היא תהיה סטודנטית.

Hi tihye studentit.

"She will be a student."

<h2>4- PRONOUNS:</h2>

1. Nominative Pronouns (Subject)

Formation:

pronoun + verb

Formation transliteration:

pronoun + verb

Person Hebrew Transliteration Translation

I אני ani I

You (m.) אתה ata you

You (f.) את at you

He הוא hu he

She היא hi she

We אנחנו anakhnu we

You (m. pl.) אתם atem you

You (f. pl.) אתן aten you

They (m.) הם hem they

They (f.) הן hen they

Example:

אני לומד.

Ani lomed.

"I study."

2. Accusative Pronouns (Direct Object)

Hebrew uses את (et) + object pronoun.

Formation:

subject + verb + את + pronoun

Formation transliteration:

subject + verb + et + pronoun

Person Hebrew Transliteration Translation

me אותי oti me

you (m.) אותך otkha you

you (f.) אותך otakh you

him אותו oto him

her אותה otah her

us אותנו otanu us

you (m. pl.) אתכם etkhem you

you (f. pl.) אתכן etkhen you

them (m.) אותם otam them

them (f.) אותן otan them

Example:

היא רואה אותי.

Hi ro'ah oti.

"She sees me."

3. Dative Pronouns (Indirect Object)

Hebrew uses ל־ (le-).

Formation:

subject + verb + ל + pronoun

Formation transliteration:

subject + verb + le + pronoun

Person Hebrew Transliteration Translation

to me לי li to me

to you (m.) לך lekha to you

to you (f.) לך lakh to you

to him לו lo to him

to her לה la to her

to us לנו lanu to us

to you (m. pl.) לכם lakhem to you

to you (f. pl.) לכן lakhen to you

to them (m.) להם lahem to them

to them (f.) להן lahen to them

Example:

אני נותן לו ספר.

Ani noten lo sefer.

"I give him a book."

4. Genitive Pronouns (Possession)

Usually expressed with של (shel).

Formation:

של + pronoun

Formation transliteration:

shel + pronoun

Person Hebrew Transliteration Translation

mine שלי sheli mine

yours (m.) שלך shelkha yours

yours (f.) שלך shelakh yours

his שלו shelo his

hers שלה shelah hers

ours שלנו shelanu ours

yours (m. pl.) שלכם shelakhem yours

yours (f. pl.) שלכן shelakhen yours

theirs (m.) שלהם shelahem theirs

theirs (f.) שלהן shelahen theirs

Example:

הספר שלי.

Ha-sefer sheli.

"The book is mine."

5. Instrumental / Comitative Pronouns

Using עם (im) = with.

Formation:

עם + pronoun

Formation transliteration:

im + pronoun

Hebrew Transliteration Translation

איתי iti with me

איתך (m.) itkha with you

איתך (f.) itakh with you

איתו ito with him

איתה itah with her

איתנו itanu with us

איתכם itkhem with you (m. pl.)

איתכן itkhen with you (f. pl.)

איתם itam with them (m.)

איתן itan with them (f.)

Example:

אני הולך איתך.

Ani holekh itkha.

"I am going with you."

6. Demonstrative Pronouns

Hebrew Transliteration Translation

זה ze this (m.)

זאת / זו zot / zo this (f.)

אלה ele these

ההוא ha-hu that (m.)

ההיא ha-hi that (f.)

ההם ha-hem those (m.)

ההן ha-hen those (f.)

Formation

demonstrative + noun

Formation transliteration:

demonstrative + noun

Examples:

זה ספר.

Ze sefer.

"This is a book."

ההוא בית.

Ha-hu bayit.

"That is a house."

7. Reflexive Pronouns

Hebrew does not have dedicated reflexive pronouns like English myself, yourself, etc.

Instead, it uses:

עצם (etzem) ("self") + possessive suffix.

Person Hebrew Transliteration Translation

myself עצמי atzmi myself

yourself (m.) עצמך atzmekha yourself

yourself (f.) עצמך atzmekh yourself

himself עצמו atzmo himself

herself עצמה atzmah herself

ourselves עצמנו atzmenu ourselves

yourselves (m.) עצמכם atzmekhem yourselves

yourselves (f.) עצמכן atzmekhen yourselves

themselves (m.) עצמם atzmam themselves

themselves (f.) עצמן atzman themselves

Formation

verb + reflexive pronoun

Formation transliteration:

verb + atzmi/atzmo/etc.

Example:

אני רואה את עצמי.

Ani ro'eh et atzmi.

"I see myself."

<h2>5- VERB TENSES:</h2>

VERB PATTERNS

אני כותב ani kotev I write (m.)

אני כותבת ani kotevet I write (f.)

אתה כותב ata kotev You (m.) write

את כותבת at kotevet You (f.) write

הוא כותב hu kotev He writes

היא כותבת hi kotevet She writes

אנחנו כותבים anakhnu kotvim We write

אתם כותבים atem kotvim You (m.pl.) write

אתן כותבות aten kotvot You (f.pl.) write

הם כותבים hem kotvim They (m.) write

הן כותבות hen kotvot They (f.) write

אני כתבתי ani katavti I wrote

אתה כתבת ata katavta You (m.) wrote

את כתבת at katavt You (f.) wrote

הוא כתב hu katav He wrote

היא כתבה hi katva She wrote

אנחנו כתבנו anakhnu katavnu We wrote

אתם כתבתם atem katavtem You (m.pl.) wrote

אתן כתבתן aten katavten You (f.pl.) wrote

הם כתבו hem katvu They (m.) wrote

הן כתבו hen katvu They (f.) wrote

אני אכתוב ani ekhtov I will write

אתה תכתוב ata tikhtov You (m.) will write

את תכתבי at tikhtevi You (f.) will write

הוא יכתוב hu yikhtov He will write

היא תכתוב hi tikhtov She will write

אנחנו נכתוב anakhnu nikhtov We will write

אתם תכתבו atem tikhtvu You (m.pl.) will write

אתן תכתובנה aten tikhtovna You (f.pl.) will write

הם יכתבו hem yikhtvu They (m.) will write

הן יכתובו hen yikhtvu They (f.) will write

אני (m.) הייתי כותב hayiti kotev I was writing

אני (f.) הייתי כותבת hayiti kotevet I was writing

אתה היית כותב hayita kotev You (m.) were writing

את היית כותבת hayit kotevet You (f.) were writing

הוא הוא היה כותב hu haya kotev He was writing

היא היא הייתה כותבת hi hayta kotevet She was writing

אנחנו היינו כותבים hayinu kotvim We were writing

אתם הייתם כותבים hayitem kotvim You (m.pl.) were writing

אתן הייתן כותבות hayiten kotvot You (f.pl.) were writing

הם הם היו כותבים hem hayu kotvim They (m.) were writing

הן הן היו כותבות hen hayu kotvot They (f.) were writing

אני (m.) אהיה כותב ehye kotev I will be writing

אני (f.) אהיה כותבת ehye kotevet I will be writing

אתה תהיה כותב tihye kotev You (m.) will be writing

את תהיי כותבת tihyi kotevet You (f.) will be writing

הוא הוא יהיה כותב hu yihye kotev He will be writing

היא היא תהיה כותבת hi tihye kotevet She will be writing

אנחנו נהיה כותבים nihye kotvim We will be writing

אתם תהיו כותבים tihyu kotvim You (m.pl.) will be writing

אתן תהיו כותבות tihyu kotvot You (f.pl.) will be writing

הם הם יהיו כותבים hem yihyu kotvim They (m.) will be writing

הן הן יהיו כותבות hen yihyu kotvot They (f.) will be writing

אני כתבתי ani katavti I have written

אתה כתבת ata katavta You (m.) have written

את כתבת at katavt You (f.) have written

הוא כתב hu katav He has written

היא כתבה hi katva She has written

אנחנו כתבנו anakhnu katavnu We have written

אתם כתבתם atem katavtem You (m.pl.) have written

אתן כתבתן aten katavten You (f.pl.) have written

הם כתבו hem katvu They (m.) have written

הן כתבו hen katvu They (f.) have written

אני כבר כתבתי kvar katavti I had written

אתה כבר כתבת kvar katavta You (m.) had written

את כבר כתבת kvar katavt You (f.) had written

הוא כבר כתב kvar katav He had written

היא כבר כתבה kvar katva She had written

אנחנו כבר כתבנו kvar katavnu We had written

אתם כבר כתבתם kvar katavtem You (m.pl.) had written

אתן כבר כתבתן kvar katavten You (f.pl.) had written

הם כבר כתבו kvar katvu They (m.) had written

הן כבר כתבו kvar katvu They (f.) had written

אני (m.) הייתי כותב hayiti kotev I had been writing

אני (f.) הייתי כותבת hayiti kotevet I had been writing

אתה היית כותב hayita kotev You (m.) had been writing

את היית כותבת hayit kotevet You (f.) had been writing

הוא היה כותב haya kotev He had been writing

היא הייתה כותבת hayta kotevet She had been writing

אנחנו היינו כותבים hayinu kotvim We had been writing

אתם הייתם כותבים hayitem kotvim You (m.pl.) had been writing

אתן הייתן כותבות hayiten kotvot You (f.pl.) had been writing

הם היו כותבים hayu kotvim They had been writing

הן היו כותבות hayu kotvot They had been writing

אני כבר אכתוב kvar ekhtov I will have written

אתה כבר תכתוב kvar tikhtov You (m.) will have written

את כבר תכתבי kvar tikhtevi You (f.) will have written

הוא כבר יכתוב kvar yikhtov He will have written

היא כבר תכתוב kvar tikhtov She will have written

אנחנו כבר נכתוב kvar nikhtov We will have written

אתם כבר תכתבו kvar tikhtvu You (m.pl.) will have written

אתן כבר תכתובנה kvar tikhtovna You (f.pl.) will have written

הם כבר יכתבו kvar yikhtvu They will have written

הן כבר יכתבו kvar yikhtvu They will have written

Pa'al:

Past: כתב (katav)

Present: כותב (kotev)

Future: יכתוב (yikhtov)

Pi'el@

Past: דיבר (diber)

Present: מדבר (medaber)

Future: ידבר (yedaber)

Hif'il@

Past: הכניס (hikhnis)

Present: מכניס (makhnis)

Future: יכניס (yakhnis)

Hitpa'el@

Past: התלבש (hitlabesh)

Present: מתלבש (mitlabesh)

Future: יתלבש (yitlabesh)

<h2>6- PASSIVE TENSES:</h2>

אני (m.) נכתב ani nikhtav I am written

אני (f.) נכתבת ani nikhtavet I am written

אתה נכתב ata nikhtav You (m.) are written

את נכתבת at nikhtavet You (f.) are written

הוא נכתב hu nikhtav He is written

היא נכתבת hi nikhtavet She is written

אנחנו נכתבים anakhnu nikhtavim We are written

אתם נכתבים atem nikhtavim You (m.pl.) are written

אתן נכתבות aten nikhtavot You (f.pl.) are written

הם נכתבים hem nikhtavim They (m.) are written

הן נכתבות hen nikhtavot They (f.) are written

אני נכתבתי nikhtavti I was written

אתה נכתבת nikhtavta You (m.) were written

את נכתבת nikhtavt You (f.) were written

הוא נכתב hu nikhtav He was written

היא נכתבה hi nikhtva She was written

אנחנו נכתבנו nikhtavnu We were written

אתם נכתבתם nikhtavtem You (m.pl.) were written

אתן נכתבתן nikhtavten You (f.pl.) were written

הם נכתבו hem nikhtvu They (m.) were written

הן נכתבו hen nikhtvu They (f.) were written

אני אכתב ekatev I will be written

אתה תכתב tekatev You (m.) will be written

את תכתבי tikatvi You (f.) will be written

הוא יכתב yikatev He will be written

היא תכתב tikatev She will be written

אנחנו נכתב nikatev We will be written

אתם תכתבו tikatvu You (m.pl.) will be written

אתן תכתבנה tikatevna You (f.pl.) will be written

הם יכתבו yikatevu They (m.) will be written

הן יכתבו yikatevu They (f.) will be written

אני נכתבתי ani nikhtavti I have been written

אתה נכתבת ata nikhtavta You (m.) have been written

את נכתבת at nikhtavt You (f.) have been written

הוא נכתב hu nikhtav He has been written

היא נכתבה hi nikhtva She has been written

אנחנו נכתבנו anakhnu nikhtavnu We have been written

אתם נכתבתם atem nikhtavtem You (m.pl.) have been written

הם נכתבו hem nikhtvu They have been written

אני הייתי נכתב hayiti nikhtav I had been written

אתה היית נכתב hayita nikhtav You (m.) had been written

את היית נכתבת hayit nikhtavet You (f.) had been written

הוא היה נכתב haya nikhtav He had been written

היא הייתה נכתבת hayta nikhtavet She had been written

אנחנו היינו נכתבים hayinu nikhtavim We had been written

אתם הייתם נכתבים hayitem nikhtavim You had been written

הם היו נכתבים hayu nikhtavim They had been written

אני כבר אכתב kvar ekatev I will have been written

אתה כבר תכתב kvar tekatev You (m.) will have been written

הוא כבר יכתב kvar yikatev He will have been written

אנחנו כבר נכתב kvar nikatev We will have been written

הם כבר יכתבו kvar yikatevu They will have been written

אני אהיה נכתב ehye nikhtav I will be being written

אתה תהיה נכתב tihye nikhtav You (m.) will be being written

הוא יהיה נכתב yihye nikhtav He will be being written

היא תהיה נכתבת tihye nikhtavet She will be being written

אנחנו נהיה נכתבים nihye nikhtavim We will be being written

הם יהיו נכתבים yihyu nikhtavim They will be being written

<h2>7- NEGATION:</h2>

ני (m.) אני לא כותב ani lo kotev I am not writing

אני (f.) אני לא כותבת ani lo kotevet I am not writing

אתה אתה לא כותב ata lo kotev You (m.) do not write

את את לא כותבת at lo kotevet You (f.) do not write

הוא הוא לא כותב hu lo kotev He does not write

היא היא לא כותבת hi lo kotevet She does not write

אנחנו אנחנו לא כותבים anakhnu lo kotvim We do not write

אתם אתם לא כותבים atem lo kotvim You (m.pl.) do not write

אתן אתן לא כותבות aten lo kotvot You (f.pl.) do not write

הם הם לא כותבים hem lo kotvim They (m.) do not write

הן הן לא כותבות hen lo kotvot They (f.) do not write

אני לא כתבתי lo katavti I did not write

אתה לא כתבת lo katavta You (m.) did not write

את לא כתבת lo katavt You (f.) did not write

הוא לא כתב lo katav He did not write

היא לא כתבה lo katva She did not write

אנחנו לא כתבנו lo katavnu We did not write

אתם לא כתבתם lo katavtem You (m.pl.) did not write

אתן לא כתבתן lo katavten You (f.pl.) did not write

הם לא כתבו lo katvu They did not write

הן לא כתבו lo katvu They did not write

אני לא אכתוב lo ekhtov I will not write

אתה לא תכתוב lo tikhtov You (m.) will not write

את לא תכתבי lo tikhtevi You (f.) will not write

הוא לא יכתוב lo yikhtov He will not write

היא לא תכתוב lo tikhtov She will not write

אנחנו לא נכתוב lo nikhtov We will not write

אתם לא תכתבו lo tikhtvu You (m.pl.) will not write

אתן לא תכתובנה lo tikhtovna You (f.pl.) will not write

הם לא יכתבו lo yikhtvu They will not write

הן לא יכתבו lo yikhtvu They will not write

אתה אל תכתוב al tikhtov Do not write! (m.)

את אל תכתבי al tikhtevi Do not write! (f.)

אתם אל תכתבו al tikhtvu Do not write! (plural)

אתן אל תכתובנה al tikhtovna Do not write! (f.pl.)

אני לא כתבתי lo katavti I have not written

אתה לא כתבת lo katavta You have not written

הוא לא כתב lo katav He has not written

היא לא כתבה lo katva She has not written

אנחנו לא כתבנו lo katavnu We have not written

הם לא כתבו lo katvu They have not written

אני (m.) אני לא נכתב ani lo nikhtav I am not written

אני (f.) אני לא נכתבת ani lo nikhtavet I am not written

אתה אתה לא נכתב ata lo nikhtav You (m.) are not written

את את לא נכתבת at lo nikhtavet You (f.) are not written

הוא הוא לא נכתב hu lo nikhtav He is not written

היא היא לא נכתבת hi lo nikhtavet She is not written

אנחנו אנחנו לא נכתבים anakhnu lo nikhtavim We are not written

אתם אתם לא נכתבים atem lo nikhtavim You (m.pl.) are not written

אתן אתן לא נכתבות aten lo nikhtavot You (f.pl.) are not written

הם הם לא נכתבים hem lo nikhtavim They (m.) are not written

הן הן לא נכתבות hen lo nikhtavot They (f.) are not written

אני לא נכתבתי lo nikhtavti I was not written

אתה לא נכתבת lo nikhtavta You (m.) were not written

את לא נכתבת lo nikhtavt You (f.) were not written

הוא לא נכתב lo nikhtav He was not written

היא לא נכתבה lo nikhtva She was not written

אנחנו לא נכתבנו lo nikhtavnu We were not written

אתם לא נכתבתם lo nikhtavtem You (m.pl.) were not written

אתן לא נכתבתן lo nikhtavten You (f.pl.) were not written

הם לא נכתבו lo nikhtvu They (m.) were not written

הן לא נכתבו lo nikhtvu They (f.) were not written

אני לא אכתב lo ekatev I will not be written

אתה לא תכתב lo tekatev You (m.) will not be written

את לא תכתבי lo tikatvi You (f.) will not be written

הוא לא יכתב lo yikatev He will not be written

היא לא תכתב lo tikatev She will not be written

אנחנו לא נכתב lo nikatev We will not be written

אתם לא תכתבו lo tikatvu You (m.pl.) will not be written

אתן לא תכתבנה lo tikatevna You (f.pl.) will not be written

הם לא יכתבו lo yikatevu They (m.) will not be written

הן לא יכתבו lo yikatevu They (f.) will not be written

אתה אל תיכתב al tikatev Do not be written!

את אל תיכתבי al tikatvi Do not be written!

אתם אל תיכתבו al tikatvu Do not be written!

אני לא נכתבתי lo nikhtavti I have not been written

אתה לא נכתבת lo nikhtavta You have not been written

הוא לא נכתב lo nikhtav He has not been written

היא לא נכתבה lo nikhtva She has not been written

אנחנו לא נכתבנו lo nikhtavnu We have not been written

הם לא נכתבו lo nikhtvu They have not been written

אני לא הייתי נכתב lo hayiti nikhtav I had not been written

אתה לא היית נכתב lo hayita nikhtav You had not been written

הוא לא היה נכתב lo haya nikhtav He had not been written

היא לא הייתה נכתבת lo hayta nikhtavet She had not been written

אנחנו לא היינו נכתבים lo hayinu nikhtavim We had not been written

הם לא היו נכתבים lo hayu nikhtavim They had not been written

אני עדיין לא אכתב adayin lo ekatev I will not have been written yet

אתה עדיין לא תכתב adayin lo tekatev You will not have been written yet

הוא עדיין לא יכתב adayin lo yikatev He will not have been written yet

אנחנו עדיין לא נכתב adayin lo nikatev We will not have been written yet

הם עדיין לא יכתבו adayin lo yikatevu They will not have been written yet

Subject + לא [lo] + verb/adjective/noun

הוא לא שמח hu lo sameakh "He is not happy"

<h2>8- QUESTIONS:</h2>

YES/NO QUESTIONS:

Same sentence + rising intonation

אתה אוכל? Ata okhel? "Do you eat?"

Or formal: האם אתה אוכל? Ha'im ata okhel? "Do you eat?"

QUESTION WORDS:

Who מי mi מי זה? (Mi ze?) Who is this?

What מה ma מה אתה עושה? (Ma ata ose?) What are you doing?

Where איפה eifo איפה אתה גר? (Eifo ata gar?) Where do you live?

Where (formal) היכן heikhan היכן הבית? (Heikhan ha-bayit?) Where is the house?

When מתי matai מתי אתה בא? (Matai ata ba?) When are you coming?

Why למה lama למה אתה בוכה? (Lama ata bokhe?) Why are you crying?

How איך ekh / eikh איך אתה? (Ekh ata?) How are you?

Which (m.s.) איזה eizeh איזה ספר? (Eizeh sefer?) Which book?

Which (f.s.) איזו eizo איזו שפה? (Eizo safa?) Which language?

Which (plural) אילו eilu אילו אנשים? (Eilu anashim?) Which people?

How much / How many כמה kama כמה זה? (Kama ze?) How much is it?

Whose של מי shel mi של מי הספר? (Shel mi ha-sefer?) Whose book?

From where מאיפה me-eifo מאיפה אתה? (Me-eifo ata?) Where are you from?

To where לאן le'an לאן אתה הולך? (Le'an ata holekh?) Where are you going?

Since when ממתי mimatai ממתי אתה כאן? (Mimatai ata kan?) Since when are you here?

Until when עד מתי ad matai עד מתי אתה עובד? (Ad matai ata oved?) Until when are you working?

How long כמה זמן kama zman כמה זמן אתה לומד? (Kama zman ata lomed?) How long have you studied?

How many times כמה פעמים kama pe'amim כמה פעמים באת? (Kama pe'amim bata?) How many times did you come?

What for / Why בשביל מה bishvil ma בשביל מה זה? (Bishvil ma ze?) What is this for?

What happened מה קרה ma kara מה קרה? (Ma kara?) What happened?

Question word + subject + verb

<h2>9- ADVERBS:</h2>

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

היטב היטב (heitev) well הוא עובד היטב. — Hu oved heitev. — He works well.

רע ra badly הוא עשה זאת רע. — Hu asa zot ra. — He did it badly.

מהר maher quickly הוא רץ מהר. — Hu rats maher. — He runs quickly.

לאט le'at slowly היא הולכת לאט. — Hi holekhet le'at. — She walks slowly.

ביחד beyakhad together הם עובדים ביחד. — Hem ovdim beyakhad. — They work together.

לבד levad alone הוא גר לבד. — Hu gar levad. — He lives alone.

בנפרד bifrad separately הם עובדים בנפרד. — Hem ovdim bifrad. — They work separately.

בשקט besheket quietly היא מדברת בשקט. — Hi medaberet besheket. — She speaks quietly.

בקול bekol aloud / loudly הוא קרא בקול. — Hu kara bekol. — He read aloud.

יחד yakhad together אנחנו הולכים יחד. — Anakhnu holkhim yakhad. — We go together.

כראוי kira'ui properly הוא עשה זאת כראוי. — Hu asa zot kira'ui. — He did it properly.

היטב heitev well/thoroughly היא מבינה היטב. — Hi mevina heitev. — She understands well.

כמעט kim'at almost הוא כמעט נפל. — Hu kim'at nafal. — He almost fell.

לגמרי legamrei completely זה לגמרי נכון. — Ze legamrei nakhon. — This is completely correct.

במיוחד beyukhad especially אני אוהב את זה במיוחד. — Ani ohev et ze beyukhad. — I especially like this.

בעיקר be'ikar mainly / especially אני לומד בעיקר בערב. — Ani lomed be'ikar ba'erev. — I mainly study in the evening.

בדרך כלל bederekh klal usually / generally אני בדרך כלל עובד כאן. — Ani bederekh klal oved kan. — I usually work here.

2. Time adverbs — זמן

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

עכשיו akhshav now אני עובד עכשיו. — Ani oved akhshav. — I am working now.

אז az then אז הוא הגיע. — Az hu higi'a. — Then he arrived.

היום hayom today אני עובד היום. — Ani oved hayom. — I work today.

אתמול etmol yesterday הוא הגיע אתמול. — Hu higi'a etmol. — He arrived yesterday.

מחר makhar tomorrow אני אגיע מחר. — Ani agi'a makhar. — I will arrive tomorrow.

הלילה halaila tonight אני עובד הלילה. — Ani oved halaila. — I am working tonight.

הבוקר haboker this morning הוא הגיע הבוקר. — Hu higi'a haboker. — He arrived this morning.

לאחרונה la'akhrona recently ראיתי אותו לאחרונה. — Ra'iti oto la'akhrona. — I saw him recently.

בקרוב bekrov soon הוא יגיע בקרוב. — Hu yagia bekrov. — He will arrive soon.

מיד miyad immediately בוא מיד. — Bo miyad. — Come immediately.

תכף tekhef shortly / in a moment אני חוזר תכף. — Ani khozer tekhef. — I will return shortly.

קודם kodem before / earlier הוא היה כאן קודם. — Hu haya kan kodem. — He was here earlier.

אחר כך akhar kakh afterwards / later נדבר אחר כך. — Nedaber akhar kakh. — We will talk later.

בינתיים beintayim meanwhile / in the meantime חכה בינתיים. — Khake beintayim. — Wait in the meantime.

עדיין adayin still הוא עדיין כאן. — Hu adayin kan. — He is still here.

כבר kvar already הוא כבר הגיע. — Hu kvar higi'a. — He has already arrived.

שוב shuv again הוא חזר שוב. — Hu khazar shuv. — He returned again.

תמיד tamid always היא תמיד מחייכת. — Hi tamid mekha'khet. — She always smiles.

לעולם le'olam ever / forever הוא לעולם לא שוכח. — Hu le'olam lo shokhe'akh. — He never forgets.

לפעמים lif'amim sometimes אני לפעמים הולך לשם. — Ani lif'amim holekh lesham. — I sometimes go there.

לעיתים le'itim sometimes / occasionally הוא לעיתים מגיע לכאן. — Hu le'itim magi'a lekan. — He occasionally comes here.

לעיתים קרובות le'itim krovot frequently היא באה לעיתים קרובות. — Hi ba'a le'itim krovot. — She comes frequently.

לעתים רחוקות le'itim rekhovot rarely הוא נוסע לשם לעתים רחוקות. — Hu nose'a lesham le'itim rekhovot. — He rarely goes there.

מעולם me'olam ever / ever before לא ראיתי זאת מעולם. — Lo ra'iti zot me'olam. — I have never seen this.

מעולם לא me'olam lo never הוא מעולם לא היה שם. — Hu me'olam lo haya sham. — He has never been there.

בינתיים beintayim meanwhile בינתיים חכה כאן. — Beintayim khake kan. — Meanwhile, wait here.

לאחר מכן le'akhar מכן afterwards לאחר מכן הוא עזב. — Le'akhar מכן hu azav. — Afterwards he left.

3. Frequency adverbs — תדירות

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

תמיד tamid always

בדרך כלל bederekh klal usually

לרוב larov usually / mostly

בדרך־כלל bederekh klal generally

לעיתים קרובות le'itim krovot frequently

לעיתים le'itim sometimes

לפעמים lif'amim sometimes

מדי פעם midei pa'am from time to time

מפעם לפעם mipa'am lefa'am from time to time

לעתים רחוקות le'itim rekhovot rarely

לעיתים נדירות le'itim nedirot rarely

כמעט תמיד kim'at תמיד almost always

כמעט אף פעם kim'at af pa'am almost never

אף פעם af pa'am ever / ever at all

לעולם le'olam ever / forever

מעולם me'olam ever / never before

Example:

אני כמעט תמיד אוכל בבית.

Ani kim'at תמיד okhel babayit.

I almost always eat at home.

4. Place adverbs — מקום

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כאן kan here

פה po here

שם sham there

לשם lesham there / to there

לכאן lekan here / to here

מכאן mikan from here

משם misham from there

איפה eifo where

היכן heikhan where

אי־שם ei-sham somewhere

בכל מקום bekhol makom everywhere

בשום מקום beshum makom nowhere

במקום אחר bimkom אחר elsewhere / in another place

למעלה lema'la up / above

למטה lemata down / below

לפנים lefan forward / ahead

לאחור le'akhor backward

קדימה קדימה (kadima) forward

אחורה akhora backward

ימינה yaminah to the right

שמאלה smolah to the left

החוצה החוצה (hakhutza) outside / outward

פנימה פנima inward / inside

סביב saviv around

קרוב karov nearby / close

רחוק rakhok far

יחד yakhad together

בנפרד bifrad separately

5. Directional adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

קדימה קדימה (kadima) forward

אחורה akhora backward

למעלה lema'la upward

למטה lemata downward

פנימה פנima inward

החוצה hakhutza outward

ימינה yaminah rightward

שמאלה smolah leftward

לכאן lekan this way / here

לשם lesham that way / there

הלאה hal'a onward / further

לאחור le'akhor backward

Example:

לך קדימה.

Lekh kadima.

Go forward.

6. Degree / intensity adverbs — מידה

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מאוד me'od very

מאד me'od very

יותר yoter more

פחות pakhot less

הכי hakhi most / the most

מספיק maspik enough

יותר מדי yoter מדי too much / too

קצת ktsat a little

מעט me'at little / slightly

הרבה harbe a lot / much

כל כך kol כך so / so much

כמעט kim'at almost

לגמרי legamrei completely

לחלוטין lekhalutin completely / absolutely

בהחלט בהחלט (behekhlet) absolutely / definitely

במיוחד beyukhad especially

בעיקר be'ikar mainly

במידה רבה bemida raba greatly / to a large extent

במידה מסוימת bemida מסוימת to some extent

ביותר beyoter exceedingly / particularly

Examples:

הוא מאוד חכם.

Hu me'od khakham.

He is very intelligent.

היא רצה יותר מדי מהר.

Hi ratsa yoter מדי maher.

She runs too fast.

7. Approximation adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בערך be'erekh approximately

כמעט kim'at almost

בקירוב bekiruv approximately

בסביבות besvivot around / approximately

פחות או יותר pakhot o yoter more or less

בערך כך be'erekh kakh roughly like this

כ־ kə- approximately / about

Example:

יש בערך מאה אנשים.

Yesh be'erekh me'a anashim.

There are approximately one hundred people.

8. Certainty / certainty adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בהחלט behekḥlet definitely / absolutely

בוודאי bevadai certainly

ודאי ודאי (vadai) certainly

כמובן כמובן (kamoovan) of course

ללא ספק lelo safek without doubt

בוודאות bevada'ut certainly / with certainty

אכן akhen indeed

באמת be'emet really / truly

למעשה lema'ase in fact

בפועל befo'al actually / in practice

Examples:

בוודאי אעזור לך.

Bevadai e'ezor lekha.

I will certainly help you.

הוא אכן הגיע.

Hu akhen higi'a.

He indeed arrived.

9. Probability / uncertainty

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אולי ulai maybe / perhaps

כנראה kanireh apparently / probably

ייתכן yיתכן (yitakhen) possibly / it may be

ייתכן ש־ yitakhen she- it is possible that

אולי ulai perhaps

מסתבר מסתבר (mistaber) apparently / evidently

ככל הנראה kekhol hanireh apparently / most likely

כנראה שכן kanireh sheken apparently yes

כנראה שלא kanireh shelo apparently not

ספק safek doubt

בספק besafek doubtfully / uncertainly

Example:

אולי הוא יבוא.

Ulai hu yavo.

Maybe he will come.

כנראה היא בבית.

Kanireh hi babayit.

She is probably at home.

10. Negative adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לא lo not

אין ein there is/are not; no

אף פעם לא af pa'am lo never

מעולם לא me'olam lo never

בשום אופן לא beshum אופן lo in no way

כלל לא klal lo not at all

בכלל לא biglal lo not at all

בשום מקום beshum makom nowhere

בשום פנים ואופן לא beshum panim ve'ofen lo absolutely not

לא עוד lo od no longer / not anymore

Examples:

אני לא יודע.

Ani lo yode'a.

I don't know.

הוא מעולם לא היה כאן.

Hu me'olam lo haya kan.

He has never been here.

זה בכלל לא נכון.

Ze biglal lo נכון.

That is not correct at all.

11. “Also / too / as well” adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

גם gam also / too

אף af also / even

גם כן gam ken also / too

גם־כן gam-ken also

אפילו afilu even

אף פעם af pa'am ever

אף יותר af yoter even more

Examples:

אני גם רוצה לבוא.

Ani gam rotze lavo.

I also want to come.

הוא אפילו לא ניסה.

Hu afilu lo nisa.

He didn't even try.

12. Restrictive / exclusive adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

רק rak only

בלבד bilvad only

אך akh only / merely / however

סך הכול sakh hakol only / altogether

בסך הכול besakh hakol overall / altogether

פשוט pashut simply / just

דווקא davka דווקא / דווקא

במיוחד beyukhad especially

בעיקר be'ikar mainly

Example:

אני רוצה רק מים.

Ani rotze rak mayim.

I only want water.

הוא הגיע בדיוק בזמן.

Hu higi'a bediyuk bazman.

He arrived exactly on time.

13. Focus and emphasis adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

דווקא davka דווקא / דווקא; דווקא = דווקא, דווקא / דווקא, דווקא / דווקא; דווקא = דווקא, דווקא / דווקא

במיוחד beyukhad especially

בעיקר be'ikar mainly

אפילו afilu even

ממש mamash really / ממש

פשוט pashut simply / just

בהחלט behekḥlet absolutely

בדיוק bediyuk exactly

רק rak only

בכלל biglal at all / generally

דווקא כך davka כך דווקא כך / דווקא this way

The particularly important ones are:

גם = also

רק = only

אפילו = even

דווקא = דווקא / דווקא, דווקא; דווקא = דווקא / דווקא / דווקא, דווקא / דווקא; דווקא often means specifically, דווקא, דווקא, דווקא, דווקא / דווקא contrary to expectation

ממש = really

בדיוק = exactly

14. Exactness

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בדיוק bediyuk exactly

ממש mamash exactly / really

בדיוק כך bediyuk kakh exactly so

בדיוק עכשיו bediyuk akhshav right now / exactly now

בדיוק אז bediyuk az exactly then

בדיוק כאן bediyuk kan exactly here

בדיוק שם bediyuk sham exactly there

15. Result / consequence adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לכן lakhen therefore

לפיכך lefikhakh therefore / consequently

משום כך mishum kakh for this reason

בגלל זה biglal ze because of this / therefore

על כן al ken therefore

כתוצאה מכך ketotsa'a mikakh as a result

בהתאם beh בהתאם (be בהתאם) accordingly

בהתאם לכך בהתאם לכך (be בהתאם lekakh) accordingly

Example:

הוא היה חולה, לכן הוא נשאר בבית.

Hu haya kholeh, lakhen hu nish'ar babayit.

He was sick, therefore he stayed home.

16. Contrast / concession adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אבל aval but

אולם אולם (ulam) however

עם זאת im zot nevertheless / however

למרות זאת lamrot zot despite this / nevertheless

בכל זאת bekhol zot nevertheless / still

דווקא davka דווקא / דווקא; דווקא = דווקא, דווקא contrary to expectation

מנגד מנגד (mineged) on the other hand

לעומת זאת le'umat zot in contrast / on the other hand

These can function more like discourse adverbs/connectives than ordinary manner adverbs.

17. Cause / reason adverbial expressions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לכן lakhen therefore

לפיכך lefikhakh therefore

משום כך mishum kakh for that reason

בגלל כך biglal kakh because of that

על כן al ken therefore

מסיבה זו misiba zo for this reason

מסיבה אחרת misiba akheret for another reason

18. Sequence / order

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ראשית reshit firstly

בתחילה bitekhila initially / at first

קודם kodem previously / first

אחר כך akhar kakh afterwards

לאחר מכן le'akhar מכן afterwards

לאחרונה la'akhrona recently / lastly, depending on context

לבסוף levsof finally

בסוף בסוף (basof) in the end

קודם לכן kodem לכן before that

בינתיים beintayim meanwhile

תחילה tekhila initially / first

שוב shuv again

19. “Already / still / yet / no longer”

These are especially important Hebrew adverbs.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כבר kvar already

עדיין adayin still

עוד od still / yet / more

עוד לא od lo not yet

כבר לא kvar lo no longer

שוב shuv again

עוד פעם od pa'am again / one more time

פעם נוספת pa'am nosefet once again

Examples:

הוא כבר אכל.

Hu kvar akhal.

He already ate.

הוא עדיין אוכל.

Hu adayin okhel.

He is still eating.

הוא עוד לא הגיע.

Hu od lo higi'a.

He hasn't arrived yet.

הוא כבר לא גר כאן.

Hu kvar lo gar kan.

He no longer lives here.

20. Interrogative adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

איך ekh how

כיצד keitsad how

מתי matai when

איפה eifo where

היכן heikhan where

לאן le'an where to

מאין me'ayin from where

מדוע madua why

למה lama why

כמה kama how much / how many

עד כמה ad kama to what extent / how much

באיזו מידה be'eizo mida to what extent

לשם מה leshem ma for what purpose / why

Examples:

איך אתה יודע?

Ekh ata yode'a?

How do you know?

מתי הוא מגיע?

Matai hu magi'a?

When is he arriving?

למה אתה כאן?

Lama ata kan?

Why are you here?

לאן אתה הולך?

Le'an ata holekh?

Where are you going?

21. Relative adverbial words

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כאשר ka'asher when / when that

כש־ she-/k'she- when

כפי kefi as / as much as

כפי ש־ kefi she- as / as...

היכן ש־ heikhan she- wherever / where

במקום שבו bimkom shebo where / in the place where

בזמן ש־ bizman she- while / when

ככל ש־ kekhol she- as much as / the more...

כפי ש־ kefi she- as / just as

22. Correlative / paired adverbial expressions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כך...כך kakh...kakh so...so / in this way...

ככל...כן kekhol...ken the more...the more

ככל ש־...כך kekhol she-...kakh the more...the more

לא רק...אלא גם lo rak...ela gam not only...but also

גם...וגם gam...ve-gam both...and

או...או o...o either...or

פעם...פעם pa'am...pa'am sometimes...sometimes

מצד אחד...מצד שני mitsad ekhad...mitsad sheni on one hand...on the other

23. Generalization

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בדרך כלל bederekh klal generally

באופן כללי be'ofen klali generally

בכלל biglal generally / at all

לרוב larov mostly / usually

בדרך־כלל bederekh klal generally

בדרך כלל מאוד bederekh klal me'od generally very...

24. “At all” and similar expressions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בכלל biglal at all / generally

כלל klal at all, especially with לא

כלל לא klal lo not at all

בכלל לא biglal lo not at all

אף פעם af pa'am ever

בשום אופן beshum ofen in any way / under any circumstances

בשום פנים ואופן beshum panim ve'ofen under no circumstances

Example:

אני בכלל לא מבין.

Ani biglal lo מבין.

I don't understand at all.

25. Comparison adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

יותר yoter more

פחות pakhot less

הכי hakhi most

באותה מידה be'ota mida equally / to the same extent

יותר מדי yoter מדי too much / too

פחות מדי pakhot מדי too little / not enough

כפי kefi as

כמו kmo like / as

באותה מידה be'ota mida equally

Examples:

הוא רץ יותר מהר ממני.

Hu rats yoter maher mimeni.

He runs faster than me.

היא עובדת פחות.

Hi ovedet pakhot.

She works less.

26. Purpose-related adverbial expressions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בכוונה bekavana intentionally / deliberately

בכוונה תחילה bekavana tekhila deliberately / intentionally

לשם כך leshem kakh for this purpose

בשביל זה bishvil ze for this

למטרה זו lematara zo for this purpose

במיוחד beyukhad especially / specifically

Example:

הוא עשה זאת בכוונה.

Hu asa zot bekavana.

He did it intentionally.

27. Accidental / unintentional manner

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בטעות beta'ut accidentally / by mistake

במקרה bemikre by chance

בלי כוונה bli kavana unintentionally

שלא בכוונה shelo bekavana unintentionally

Example:

שברתי את הכוס בטעות.

Shavarti et hakos beta'ut.

I broke the glass by accident.

28. Evidence / appearance

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כנראה kanireh apparently / probably

ככל הנראה kekhol hanireh apparently / seemingly

לכאורה likh'ora apparently / ostensibly

למעשה lema'ase actually / in fact

בפועל befo'al actually / in practice

מסתבר mistaber apparently / it turns out

נראה נראה (nir'eh) apparently / it seems

29. Speaker-attitude adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לצערי letsa'ari unfortunately, to my regret

לשמחתי lesimkhati fortunately, to my joy

למזלי lemazali luckily

לצערנו letsa'arenu unfortunately, for us

למרבה הצער lemarbeh hatza'ar unfortunately

למרבה השמחה lemarbeh hasimkha fortunately / happily

למרבה המזל lemarbeh hamazal fortunately

בכנות bekhonut honestly

באמת be'emet really / honestly

למען האמת lema'an ha'emet to tell the truth

30. Connective / discourse adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לכן lakhen therefore

אולם ulam however

ובכן uvekhen well / so

למעשה lema'ase actually / in fact

אכן akhen indeed

למשל leמשל (leמשל) for example

כלומר klomar כלומר / כלומר, כלומר

בקיצור bekitsur in short

בסופו של דבר besofo shel davar ultimately / in the end

בכל אופן bekhol ofen anyway / in any case

בכל מקרה bekhol mikre in any case

מצד שני mitsad sheni on the other hand

מצד אחד mitsad ekhad on the one hand

בנוסף benosaf additionally

יתר על כן yeter al ken furthermore

כמו כן kmo ken likewise / also

קודם כול kodem kol first of all

ראשית reshit firstly

לבסוף levsof finally

31. Example / specification adverbs

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

למשל lemashel for example

לדוגמה ledugma for example

כלומר klomar that is / in other words

במיוחד beyukhad especially

בפרט bifrat particularly / in particular

בעיקר be'ikar mainly

כגון kegon such as

Example:

אני אוהב פירות, למשל תפוחים.

Ani ohev peirot, lemashel tapukhim.

I like fruit, for example apples

<h2>10- CONJUNCTIONS:</h2>

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

ו־ ve- / u- and אני קורא וכותב. — Ani kore ve-kotev. — I read and write.

או o or תה או קפה? — Te o kafe? — Tea or coffee?

אבל aval but רציתי לבוא, אבל לא יכולתי. — Ratsiti lavo, aval lo yakholti. — I wanted to come, but I couldn't.

אך akh but / however רציתי לבוא, אך לא יכולתי. — Ratsiti lavo, akh lo yakholti. — I wanted to come, but I couldn't.

אלא ela but rather הוא לא בבית אלא בעבודה. — Hu lo babayit ela ba'avoda. — He is not at home but at work.

וכן ve-khen / vekhen and also / as well הוא הגיע וכן אחיו. — Hu higi'a ve-khen akhiv. — He arrived, as did his brother.

וגם ve-gam and also היא לומדת וגם עובדת. — Hi lomedet ve-gam ovedet. — She studies and also works.

ו־ changes pronunciation

Form Transliteration Meaning

ו־ ve- and

וּ־ u- and

וְ־ ve- and

וָ־ va- and, before certain forms

Examples:

דוד ומרים — David ve-Miriam — David and Miriam

אבא ואמא — aba ve-ima — father and mother

אני ואחי — ani ve-akhi — I and my brother

2. Subordinating conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

ש־ she- that / which אני יודע שהוא כאן. — Ani yode'a she-hu kan. — I know that he is here.

כי ki because / that אני נשאר כי אני עייף. — Ani nish'ar ki ani ayef. — I am staying because I am tired.

אם im if אם תבוא, אשמח. — Im tavo, esmakh. — If you come, I'll be happy.

כאשר ka'asher when כאשר הוא הגיע, אכלנו. — Ka'asher hu higi'a, akhalnu. — When he arrived, we ate.

כש־ k'she- when כשהוא מגיע, אני הולך. — K'she-hu magi'a, ani holekh. — When he arrives, I leave.

לפני ש־ lifnei she- before לפני שהוא הגיע... — Lifnei she-hu higi'a... — Before he arrived...

אחרי ש־ akharei she- after אחרי שהוא הגיע... — Akharei she-hu higi'a... — After he arrived...

עד ש־ ad she- until חכה עד שהוא יבוא. — Khake ad she-hu yavo. — Wait until he comes.

מאז ש־ me'az she- since מאז שהוא הגיע... — Me'az she-hu higi'a... — Since he arrived...

בזמן ש־ bizman she- while / when בזמן שהיא עבדה... — Bizman she-hi avda... — While she worked...

משום ש־ mishum she- because הוא נשאר משום שהיה חולה. — Hu nish'ar mishum she-haya kholeh. — He stayed because he was sick.

מפני ש־ mipnei she- because הוא נשאר מפני שהיה חולה. — Hu nish'ar mipnei she-haya kholeh. — He stayed because he was sick.

מאחר ש־ me'akhar she- since / because מאחר שהוא עסוק... — Me'akhar she-hu asuk... — Since he is busy...

הואיל ו־ ho'il ve- since / given that הואיל והוא כאן... — Ho'il ve-hu kan... — Since he is here...

3. Cause / reason conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כי ki because

מפני ש־ mipnei she- because

משום ש־ mishum she- because

מאחר ש־ me'akhar she- since / because

הואיל ו־ ho'il ve- since / given that

היות ש־ heyot she- since / because

בגלל ש־ biglal she- because

מאחר ו־ me'akhar ve- since / because

כיוון ש־ kיוון she- because / since

היות ו־ heyot ve- since / because

Example

הוא נשאר בבית כי הוא חולה.

Hu nish'ar babayit ki hu kholeh.

He stayed home because he is sick.

4. Purpose conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כדי ש־ kedei she- so that / in order that

על מנת ש־ al מנת she- in order that

בשביל ש־ bishvil she- so that

למען lema'an in order to / for the sake of

כדי kedei in order to

Example:

אני לומד כדי שאצליח.

Ani lomed kedei she-atsliakh.

I study so that I will succeed.

5. Conditional conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אם im if

אילו ilu if / if only

לו lu if / if only

לולא lule if not / were it not for

אלמלא ilmale if not for / had it not been for

אלא אם כן ela im ken unless

בתנאי ש־ bitnai she- provided that

בתנאי bitnai on condition that

ובלבד ש־ uvilvad she- provided that

כל עוד kol od as long as

כל זמן ש־ kol zman she- as long as

במידה ש־ bemida she- insofar as / provided that

במקרה ש־ bemikre she- in case

Examples:

אם תבוא, אשמח.

Im tavo, esmakh.

If you come, I'll be happy.

תבוא אלא אם כן ירד גשם.

Tavo ela im ken yered geshem.

You will come unless it rains.

6. Contrast / adversative conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אבל aval but

אך akh but / however

אולם ulam however

אלא ela but rather

אלא ש־ ela she- except that / but

למרות ש־ lamrot she- although / despite the fact that

אף על פי ש־ af al pi she- although / even though

אף כי af ki although / even though

גם אם gam im even if

גם כאשר gam ka'asher even when

ועם זאת ve-im zot and nevertheless

ובכל זאת uve-khol zot and nevertheless

Example:

למרות שהוא עייף, הוא עובד.

Lamrot she-hu ayef, hu oved.

Although he is tired, he works.

7. Concessive conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אף על פי ש־ af al pi she- although

למרות ש־ lamrot she- although

גם אם gam im even if

גם כאשר gam ka'asher even when

אפילו אם afilu im even if

אף כי af ki although

גם אילו gam ilu even if

ויהי מה vayehi ma whatever happens

Example:

גם אם יהיה קשה, אמשיך.

Gam im yihye kashe, amshikh.

Even if it is difficult, I will continue.

8. Result / consequence conjunctions

Hebrew often uses adverbial connectors rather than a single result conjunction.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לכן lakhen therefore

לפיכך lefikhakh therefore

על כן al ken therefore

משום כך mishum kakh therefore / for this reason

כך ש־ kakh she- so that / so...that

עד כדי כך ש־ ad kedei kakh she- to such an extent that

כתוצאה מכך ketotsa'a mikakh as a result

לפיכך lefikhakh consequently

Example:

הוא היה עייף, לכן הוא הלך לישון.

Hu haya ayef, lakhen hu halakh lishon.

He was tired, so he went to sleep.

9. Comparison conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כמו kmo like / as

כפי ש־ kefi she- as

כפי kefi as

כאילו ke'ilu as if

כמו ש־ kmo she- as / just as

כפי ש־ kefi she- just as

יותר מ־ yoter mi- more than

פחות מ־ pakhot mi- less than

כמו גם kmo gam as well as

במידה ש־ bemida she- to the extent that

Example:

הוא מדבר כאילו הוא המנהל.

Hu מדבר ke'ilu hu hamenahal.

He speaks as if he were the manager.

10. “As if” conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כאילו ke'ilu as if

כאילו ש־ ke'ilu she- as if

כמו אילו kmo ilu as though

כביכול kivyakhol supposedly / as if

Example:

היא מתנהגת כאילו היא המלכה.

Hi mitnaheget ke'ilu hi hamalka.

She behaves as if she were the queen.

11. Temporal conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כאשר ka'asher when

כש־ k'she- when

כאשר... ka'asher when

לפני ש־ lifnei she- before

אחרי ש־ akharei she- after

עד ש־ ad she- until

מאז ש־ me'az she- since

בזמן ש־ bizman she- while

כל עוד kol od as long as / while

ברגע ש־ berega she- as soon as

מיד כש־ miyad k'she- as soon as

כל אימת ש־ kol eimat she- whenever

בכל פעם ש־ bekhol pa'am she- whenever

בעוד ש־ be'od she- while / whereas

בטרם beterem before

בטרם ש־ beterem she- before

עד אשר ad asher until

מאז me'az since

Examples:

כשהוא הגיע, אכלנו.

K'she-hu higi'a, akhalnu.

When he arrived, we ate.

ברגע שהוא הגיע, התקשרתי.

B'rega she-hu higi'a, hitkashti.

As soon as he arrived, I called.

12. “Whenever / every time”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בכל פעם ש־ bekhol pa'am she- every time / whenever

כל פעם ש־ kol pa'am she- every time

כל אימת ש־ kol eimat she- whenever

בכל עת ש־ bekhol et she- whenever

תמיד כש־ תמיד k'she- whenever / whenever

Example:

בכל פעם שהוא בא, אנחנו מדברים.

Bekhol pa'am she-hu ba, anakhnu מדברים.

Every time he comes, we talk.

13. “Before / after / until / since”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לפני ש־ lifnei she- before

בטרם beterem before

בטרם ש־ beterem she- before

אחרי ש־ akharei she- after

לאחר ש־ le'akhar she- after

עד ש־ ad she- until

עד אשר ad asher until

מאז ש־ me'az she- since

מאז me'az since

מרגע ש־ merega she- from the moment that

מרגע ש־ merega she- once / from the moment

14. “That” conjunction

The most important Hebrew complementizer is:

ש־ — she-

It introduces statements, relative clauses, and many subordinate clauses.

אני יודע שהוא כאן.

Ani yode'a she-hu kan.

I know that he is here.

האיש שגר כאן...

Ha-ish she-gar kan...

The man who lives here...

So ש־ can correspond to:

that

who

which

that which

when, in certain constructions

because, in some constructions

15. Relative conjunction / relative marker

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ש־ she- that / who / which

אשר asher who / which / that

מה ש־ ma she- what / that which

מי ש־ mi she- whoever / the one who

זה ש־ ze she- the one who

זו ש־ zo she- the one who

אלה ש־ ele she- those who

Examples:

האיש שדיבר איתי.

Ha-ish she-diber iti.

The man who spoke with me.

האישה אשר הגיעה.

Ha-isha asher higi'a.

The woman who arrived.

16. “What / whatever” conjunction-like constructions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מה ש־ ma she- what / whatever

כל מה ש־ kol ma she- everything that / whatever

כל אשר kol asher whatever / all that

מה שלא ma she-lo what not / that which does not

מה ש־ ma she- that which

Example:

אני אעשה כל מה שתגיד.

Ani e'ese kol ma she-tagid.

I will do whatever you say.

17. “Whoever / whichever / wherever”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מי ש־ mi she- whoever / anyone who

כל מי ש־ kol mi she- everyone who / whoever

כל אחד ש־ kol ekhad she- anyone who

כל דבר ש־ kol davar she- anything that

בכל מקום ש־ bekhol makom she- wherever

היכן ש־ heikhan she- wherever

בכל פעם ש־ bekhol pa'am she- whenever

18. Correlative conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

גם...וגם gam...ve-gam both...and

או...או o...o either...or

לא...ולא lo...ve-lo neither...nor

לא רק...אלא גם lo rak...ela gam not only...but also

הן...והן hen...ve-hen both...and

בין...ובין bein...u-vein between...and / both...and

אם...אם im...im whether...or

בין אם...ובין אם bein im...u-vein im whether...or

ככל...כך kekhol...kakh the more...the more

מצד אחד...מצד שני mitsad ekhad...mitsad sheni on one hand...on the other

Examples

גם הוא וגם היא הגיעו.

Gam hu ve-gam hi higi'u.

Both he and she arrived.

או תבוא או תישאר.

O tavo o tisha'er.

Either come or stay.

לא רק הוא הגיע, אלא גם אחיו.

Lo rak hu higi'a, ela gam akhiv.

Not only did he arrive, but his brother did too.

19. Exclusive / corrective conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אלא ela but rather

אלא אם כן ela im ken unless

אלא ש־ ela she- except that / but

לא...אלא lo...ela not...but rather

לא רק...אלא גם lo rak...ela gam not only...but also

במקום ש־ bimkom she- instead of / rather than

Example:

הוא לא בבית אלא בעבודה.

Hu lo babayit ela ba'avoda.

He is not at home but at work.

20. Additive conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ו־ ve- and

וגם ve-gam and also

גם gam also

וכן ve-khen and also

כמו גם kmo gam as well as

נוסף על כך nosaf al kakh in addition

בנוסף לכך benosaf lekakh additionally

יתר על כן yeter al ken furthermore

כמו כן kmo ken likewise / also

21. Alternative conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

או o or

או...או o...o either...or

בין אם...ובין אם bein im...u-vein im whether...or

אם...או im...o whether...or

אחרת akheret otherwise

או שמא o shema or perhaps / or maybe

Example:

אתה רוצה תה או קפה?

Ata רוצה te o kafe?

Do you want tea or coffee?

22. Negative conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ולא ve-lo and not

או לא o lo or not

לא...ולא lo...ve-lo neither...nor

בלי ש־ bli she- without

מבלי ש־ mibli she- without

מבלי mibli without

Example:

הוא יצא מבלי שאמר דבר.

Hu yatsa mibli she-amar davar.

He left without saying anything.

23. “Without” conjunctions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בלי ש־ bli she- without

מבלי ש־ mibli she- without

בלי bli without

מבלי mibli without

בלא ש־ belo she- without

24. Formal / literary conjunctions

These are especially useful in formal Hebrew.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אולם ulam however

לפיכך lefikhakh therefore

הואיל ו־ ho'il ve- since / given that

מאחר ש־ me'akhar she- since

היות ש־ heyot she- since / because

היות ו־ heyot ve- since

בטרם beterem before

אף כי af ki although

אף על פי ש־ af al pi she- although

ובלבד ש־ uvilvad she- provided that

לולא lule if not for

אלמלא ilmale had it not been for

הואיל ho'il since

על אף ש־ al af she- although / despite the fact that

על מנת ש־ al menat she- in order that

<h2>11- PREPOSITIONS:</h2>

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

ב־ be- / ba- in, at, on אני בבית. — Ani babayit. — I am at home.

ל־ le- / la- to, for אני הולך לבית. — Ani holekh labayit. — I am going home.

מ־ mi- / me- from אני בא מהבית. — Ani ba mehabayit. — I am coming from the house.

על al on, about, concerning הספר על השולחן. — Ha-sefer al ha-shulkhan. — The book is on the table.

אל el to, toward הוא הולך אל הבית. — Hu holekh el habayit. — He is going to the house.

עם im with אני בא עם חבר. — Ani ba im khaver. — I am coming with a friend.

אצל etsel at someone's place / with אני אצל הרופא. — Ani etsel harofe. — I am at the doctor's.

בלי bli without קפה בלי סוכר. — Kafe bli sukar. — Coffee without sugar.

בין bein between, among הבית בין שני בניינים. — Ha-bayit bein shnei binyanim. — The house is between two buildings.

נגד neged against הוא נגד הרעיון. — Hu neged ha-ra'ayon. — He is against the idea.

מול mul opposite, facing הוא עומד מול הבית. — Hu עומד mul habayit. — He is standing opposite the house.

ליד leyad beside, near אני יושב ליד החלון. — Ani yoshev leyad ha-khalon. — I am sitting near the window.

לפני lifnei before, in front of הוא עומד לפני הבית. — Hu עומד lifnei habayit. — He is standing in front of the house.

אחרי akharei after, behind הוא בא אחרי העבודה. — Hu ba akharei ha-avoda. — He comes after work.

תחת takhat under, beneath החתול תחת השולחן. — Ha-khatul takhat ha-shulkhan. — The cat is under the table.

מתחת mitakhat underneath החתול מתחת לשולחן. — Ha-khatul mitakhat la-shulkhan. — The cat is under the table.

מעל me'al above, over המנורה מעל השולחן. — Ha-menora me'al ha-shulkhan. — The lamp is above the table.

בתוך betokh inside, within הוא בתוך הבית. — Hu betokh habayit. — He is inside the house.

מחוץ mikhuts outside הוא מחוץ לבית. — Hu mikhuts labayit. — He is outside the house.

דרך derekh through, via, by way of נסענו דרך העיר. — Nasa'nu derekh ha-ir. — We traveled through the city.

עבור avur for זה עבור הילד. — Ze avur ha-yeled. — This is for the child.

בשביל bishvil for, for the sake of קניתי את זה בשבילך. — Kaniti et ze bishvilkha. — I bought this for you.

בגלל biglal because of נשארתי בבית בגלל הגשם. — Nish'arti babayit biglal ha-geshem. — I stayed home because of the rain.

בזכות bizkhut thanks to, due to הצלחתי בזכותך. — Hitslakhti bizkhutkha. — I succeeded thanks to you.

במקום bimkom instead of, in the place of הוא בא במקום אחיו. — Hu ba bimkom akhiv. — He came instead of his brother.

לקראת likrat toward, in preparation for אנחנו מתכוננים לקראת הבחינה. — Anakhnu mitkonenim likrat ha-bkhina. — We are preparing for the exam.

לכבוד likhvod in honor of, for מסיבה לכבוד יום הולדתו. — Mesiba likhvod yom huladto. — A party in honor of his birthday.

בעקבות ikvot following, as a result of בעקבות התאונה... — Be'ikvot ha-teuna... — Following the accident...

בהתאם בהתאם (be בהתאם) according to / in accordance with פעלנו בהתאם לחוק. — Pa'alnu be בהתאם la-khok. — We acted according to the law.

בנוגע ל־ benogea le- regarding בנוגע לתוכנית... — Benogea la-tohnit... — Regarding the plan...

לגבי legabei regarding, concerning יש לי שאלה לגבי זה. — Yesh li she'ela legabei ze. — I have a question regarding this.

אודות odot about, concerning ספר אודות ההיסטוריה. — Sefer odot ha-historia. — A book about history.

בעניין be-inyan regarding, concerning בעניין הזה... — Be-inyan ha-ze... — Regarding this matter...

ביחס ל־ beyakhās le- in relation to ביחס אליו... — Beyakhas elav... — In relation to him...

כלפי klapei toward, toward/about היחס כלפי העובדים. — Ha-yakhas klapei ha-ovdim. — The attitude toward the workers.

2. The three Hebrew prefix prepositions

These are extremely important:

ב־ = be- — in / at / on

Form Example Meaning

ב־ בבית in/at the house

בְּ־ בספר in the book

בַּ־ בבית in the house

בָּ־ בארץ in the country

אני בבית.

Ani babayit.

I am at home.

ל־ = le- — to / for

Form Example Meaning

ל־ לספר to the book

לְ־ לילד to the child

לַ־ לבית to the house

לָ־ ארץ to the country

אני הולך לבית.

Ani holekh labayit.

I am going to the house.

מ־ = mi-/me- — from

Form Example Meaning

מ־ מבית from a house

מִ־ מילד from a child

מֵ־ מהבית from the house

מֵ־ + ה מהעיר from the city

אני בא מהבית.

Ani ba mehabayit.

I am coming from the house.

3. Hebrew “to” — ל־ vs אל

Both can mean to, but they are not completely interchangeable.

Hebrew Transliteration Main use

ל־ le- to / for; extremely common

אל el toward / to; often emphasizes direction toward a person/place

אצל etsel to/at someone's place

לקראת likrat toward / in preparation for

Examples:

אני הולך לבית.

Ani holekh labayit.

I am going home.

אני הולך אל הבית.

Ani holekh el habayit.

I am going toward the house.

4. Hebrew “from” — מ־ vs מן

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מ־ mi-/me- from

מן min from

מתוך mitokh out of / from inside

מעל me'al from above

מתחת mitakhat from underneath

מחוץ ל־ mikhuts le- from outside

מבין mibeyn from among

מן is more formal/literary and often appears in fixed expressions.

5. Location prepositions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ב־ be- in / at

בתוך betokh inside

על al on

מעל me'al above

מתחת mitakhat underneath

תחת takhat under

לפני lifnei in front of

מאחורי meakhorei behind

ליד leyad beside / near

אצל etsel at / with

מול mul opposite

בין bein between / among

מסביב ל־ misaviv le- around

סביב saviv around

מחוץ ל־ mikhuts le- outside

לצד letsad beside / alongside

בקרבת bikhervat near / in the vicinity of

סמוך ל־ סמukh le- adjacent to / near

לאורך le'orekh along

6. Direction / movement prepositions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אל el to / toward

ל־ le- to

לקראת likrat toward

דרך derekh through / via

לאורך le'orekh along

מסביב ל־ misaviv le- around

מעבר ל־ me'ever le- beyond

לתוך letokh into

אל תוך el tokh into

החוצה מ־ hakhutsa mi- out of

מתוך mitokh out of / from within

עד ad up to / as far as

Examples:

הוא נכנס לתוך הבית.

Hu nikhnas letokh habayit.

He entered into the house.

הם הלכו לאורך הנהר.

Hem halkhu le'orekh ha-nahar.

They walked along the river.

7. Time prepositions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לפני lifnei before

אחרי akharei after

בזמן bizman during

במשך bemeshekh during / throughout

עד ad until

מאז me'az since

מ־ mi-/me- from / since

תוך tokh within

בתוך betokh within

לקראת likrat toward / approaching

בסביבות bisvivot around / approximately

בעת be'et at the time of

במהלך bemahalakh during

לאורך le'orekh throughout

עם im with, at the time of

Examples:

לפני העבודה — lifnei ha-avoda — before work

אחרי העבודה — akharei ha-avoda — after work

במהלך היום — bemahalakh ha-yom — during the day

עד מחר — ad makhar — until tomorrow

מאז אתמול — me'az etmol — since yesterday

8. Cause / reason prepositions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בגלל biglal because of

בזכות bizkhut thanks to / due to

עקב עקב (ekev) due to / following

בעקבות בעקבות (be'ikvot) following / as a result of

מחמת מחמת (makhmat) because of / due to

מפני mipnei because of

בשל bishvil / bishal due to / because of

נוכח nokhakh in view of / given

לאור le'or in light of

כתוצאה מ־ ketotsa'a mi- as a result of

מחמת makhmat because of

עקב ekev due to

Example:

המשחק בוטל בגלל הגשם.

Ha-miskhak butal biglal ha-geshem.

The game was cancelled because of the rain.

9. Purpose / beneficiary

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ל־ le- for

בשביל bishvil for

עבור avur for

למען lema'an for the sake of

לכבוד likhvod in honor of

לטובת letovat for the benefit of

לצורך letsorekh for the purpose/need of

למען lema'an for the sake of

לשם leshem for the purpose of

Examples:

קניתי מתנה בשביל הילד.

Kaniti matana bishvil ha-yeled.

I bought a present for the child.

זה נעשה לצורך המחקר.

Ze na'asa letsorekh ha-mekhkar.

This was done for the purpose of the research.

10. Possession / relation

Hebrew normally uses של for possession.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

של shel of / belonging to

אצל etsel with / at someone's place

לגבי legabei regarding

ביחס ל־ beyakhās le- in relation to

כלפי klapei toward

Examples:

הספר של דוד

Ha-sefer shel David

David's book / the book of David

הבית של אמא

Ha-bayit shel ima

Mother's house

11. “About / concerning”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

על al about

לגבי legabei regarding

אודות odot about

בנוגע ל־ benogea le- regarding

בעניין be-inyan concerning

ביחס ל־ beyakhās le- in relation to

בקשר ל־ bekesher le- regarding / concerning

באשר ל־ ba'asher le- as for / regarding

בנוגע ל־ benogea le- concerning

לעניין le-inyan regarding / as for

Example:

דיברנו על הסרט.

Dibarnu al ha-seret.

We talked about the movie.

12. Comparison / relation

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כמו kmo like / as

כפי kefi as

יותר מ־ yoter mi- more than

פחות מ־ pakhot mi- less than

כמו גם kmo gam as well as

ביחס ל־ beyakhās le- compared with / in relation to

לעומת le'umat compared with / versus

כנגד keneged against / compared with

Example:

הוא גבוה ממני.

Hu gavoah mimeni.

He is taller than me.

היא עובדת כמו אחותה.

Hi ovedet kmo akhota.

She works like her sister.

13. Opposition

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

נגד neged against

כנגד keneged against

מול mul opposite / against

לעומת le'umat versus / compared with

בניגוד ל־ benigud le- contrary to

בניגוד ל benigud le- in contrast to

כנגד keneged against

מול mul opposite

Example:

הם הצביעו נגד ההצעה.

Hem hitsbi'u neged ha-hatsa'a.

They voted against the proposal.

14. Exception / exclusion

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

חוץ מ־ khuts mi- except

מלבד milvad besides / except

פרט ל־ prat le- except for

למעט lemaat except / excluding

בלעדי bil'adei without / excluding

ללא lelo without

זולת zulat except / besides

חוץ מ־ khuts mi- apart from

Examples:

כולם באו חוץ מדוד.

Kulam ba'u khuts mi-David.

Everyone came except David.

15. Inclusion / addition

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

עם im with

יחד עם yakhad im together with

בנוסף ל־ benosaf le- in addition to

נוסף על nosaf al in addition to

מלבד milvad besides

כולל כולל (kolel) including

לרבות lerabot including

לצד letsad alongside

Example:

בנוסף לעבודה, הוא לומד.

Benosaf la-avoda, hu lomed.

In addition to work, he studies.

16. Means / instrument

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ב־ be- by / with

באמצעות באמצעות (be-emtsa'ut) by means of

בעזרת be'ezrat with the help of

דרך derekh through / via

על ידי al yedei by / through

באמצעותו be-emtsa'uto by means of it/him

בעזרת be'ezrat with the help of

Examples:

כתבתי בעזרת מחשב.

Katavti be'ezrat makhshev.

I wrote with the help of a computer.

הוא עשה זאת באמצעות תוכנה.

Hu asa zot be-emtsa'ut tokhna.

He did it using software.

17. Agent in passive constructions

The standard construction is:

על ידי — al yedei — by

הספר נכתב על ידי דוד.

Ha-sefer nikhtav al yedei David.

The book was written by David.

Other possibilities:

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

על ידי al yedei by

בידי bidei by / in the hands of

מטעם mita'am on behalf of / by authority of

מצד mitsad on the part of

18. “Instead of”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

במקום bimkom instead of

במקום ל־ bimkom le- instead of doing

במקום ש־ bimkom she- instead of the fact that

תחת takhat instead of / in place of

חלף khalaf instead of / in exchange for

תמורת תמורת (tmurat) in exchange for

Example:

הוא שתה מים במקום קפה.

Hu shata mayim bimkom kafe.

He drank water instead of coffee.

19. Exchange / substitution

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

תמורת tmurat in exchange for

בעד ba'ad in exchange for / for

במקום bimkom instead of

תחת takhat in place of

חלף khalaf instead of / in exchange for

20. “For” — several different Hebrew prepositions

English for does not have one Hebrew equivalent.

Hebrew Meaning of “for”

ל־ to / for someone

בשביל for the benefit of

עבור for

למען for the sake of

בעד in favor of / in exchange for

תמורת in exchange for

לטובת for the benefit of

לצורך for the purpose of

לכבוד in honor of

בגלל because of

במשך for a duration of

Examples:

מתנה לילד — matana la-yeled — a gift for the child

עשיתי זאת בשבילך — asiti zot bishvilkha — I did it for you

אני בעד הרעיון — ani בעד ha-ra'ayon — I am in favor of the idea

21. “With” — Hebrew forms

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

עם im with

יחד עם yakhad im together with

באמצעות be-emtsa'ut by means of

בעזרת be'ezrat with the help of

אצל etsel with / at someone's place

ב־ be- with/by means of, in some contexts

אני עם חבר.

Ani im khaver.

I am with a friend.

22. “Without”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בלי bli without

ללא lelo without

בלא belo without

מבלי mibli without

בלעדי bil'adei without / excluding

חסר khaser lacking / without

Examples:

קפה בלי סוכר

kafe bli sukar

coffee without sugar

ללא ספק

lelo safek

without doubt

23. “According to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לפי lefi according to

על פי al פי (al פי) according to

בהתאם ל־ בהתאם ל־ (be בהתאם le-) in accordance with

בהתאם ל be בהתאם le- according to

על סמך al סמך (al סמekh) based on

על בסיס al בסיס (al basis) based on

Examples:

לפי החוק

lefi ha-khok

according to the law

על פי החוק

al פי ha-khok

according to the law

על סמך הנתונים

al סמך הנתunim

based on the data

24. “Regarding”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לגבי legabei regarding

בנוגע ל־ benogea le- concerning

באשר ל־ ba'asher le- regarding / as for

בקשר ל־ בקשר ל־ (bekesher le-) regarding

ביחס ל־ beyakhās le- in relation to

בעניין be-inyan concerning

אודות odot about

על al about

25. “Near / far”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

ליד leyad near / beside

אצל etsel at

סמוך ל־ סמukh le- near / adjacent to

בקרבת bikhervat in the vicinity of

בסמוך ל־ besamukh le- near

רחוק מ־ rakhok mi- far from

בקרבת מקום bikhervat makom nearby

ליד leyad next to

26. “Around”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

סביב saviv around

מסביב ל־ misaviv le- around

סביב ל־ saviv le- around

לאורך le'orekh along

מכל עבר mikol ever from all sides

27. “Beyond / across / past”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מעבר ל־ me'ever le- beyond

מעבר me'ever beyond / across

דרך derekh through / via

על פני al פני (al פני) across / over / along

מעבר ל־ me'ever le- beyond

מאחורי meakhorei behind / beyond

28. “Between / among”

בין — bein

בין שני אנשים

bein shnei anashim

between two people

בין החברים

bein ha-khaverim

among the friends

Hebrew uses בין for both between and among.

29. Pronominal forms of prepositions

This is an important part of Hebrew grammar.

Many Hebrew prepositions can combine with pronoun suffixes.

עם — with

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

איתי iti with me

איתך itkha / itakh with you

איתו ito with him

איתה ita with her

איתנו itanu with us

איתכם itkem with you (m.pl.)

איתכן itken with you (f.pl.)

איתם itam with them (m.)

איתן itan with them (f.)

אצל — at/with

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אצלי etsli at my place / with me

אצלך etslkha / etslakh at your place

אצלו etslo at his place

אצלה etsla at her place

אצלנו etslenu at our place

אצלכם etslkhem at your place

אצלם etslam at their place

על — on/about

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

עליי alai on me / about me

עליך alekha / alayikh on/about you

עליו alav on/about him

עליה aleha on/about her

עלינו aleinu on/about us

עליכם aleikhem on/about you

עליהם aleihem on/about them

אל — to/toward

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אליי elai to me

אליך elekha / elayikh to you

אליו elav to him

אליה eleha to her

אלינו eleinu to us

אליכם aleikhem to you

אליהם aleihem to them

30. Preposition + pronoun examples

English Hebrew Transliteration

with me איתי iti

with you איתך itkha / itakh

with him איתו ito

with her איתה ita

with us איתנו itanu

with them איתם itam

at my place אצלי etsli

at his place אצלו etslo

about me עליי alai

about him עליו alav

about her עליה aleha

to me אליי elai

to him אליו elav

from me ממני mimeni

from you ממך mimkha / mimakh

from him ממנו ממנו (mimenu)

from her ממנה ממנה (mimena)

for me בשבילי bishvili

for you בשבילך bishvilkha / bishvilakh

for him בשבילו bishvilo

for her בשבילה bishvila

without me בלעדיי biladai

without him בלעדיו bil'adav

before me לפניי lefanai

before him לפניו lefanav

behind me מאחוריי meakhora i

behind him מאחוריו meakhorav

31. Common compound prepositions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

על ידי al yedei by / through

על פי al פי according to

על סמך al סמך based on

על אף al af despite

אף על פי af al pi despite / although

בגלל biglal because of

בזכות bizkhut thanks to

במקום bimkom instead of

ליד leyad near

מול mul opposite

לפני lifnei before / in front of

אחרי akharei after / behind

בתוך betokh inside

מחוץ ל־ mikhuts le- outside

מעבר ל־ me'ever le- beyond

בהתאם ל־ בהתאם ל־ according to

בנוגע ל־ benogea le- regarding

ביחס ל־ beyakhās le- in relation to

בקשר ל־ bekesher le- regarding

באשר ל־ ba'asher le- regarding

בנוסף ל־ benosaf le- in addition to

יחד עם yakhad im together with

בניגוד ל־ benigud le- contrary to

לעומת le'umat compared with

כתוצאה מ־ ketotsa'a mi- as a result of

עקב ekev due to

בעקבות be'ikvot following

לאור le'or in light of

לצורך letsorekh for the purpose of

לטובת letovat for the benefit of

לכבוד likhvod in honor of

לקראת likrat toward / in preparation for

32. Formal / literary prepositions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מחמת makhmat because of

עקב ekev due to

נוכח nokhakh in view of

לאור le'or in light of

חרף kheref despite

על אף al af despite

זולת zulat except / besides

למעט lemaat except / excluding

לרבות lerabot including

חלף khalaf instead of / in exchange for

תמורת tmurat in exchange for

מטעם mita'am on behalf of / by

באשר ל־ ba'asher le- regarding

מכוח mikoakh by virtue of

מכוחו mikoakho by virtue of him/it

נוכח nokhakh in the presence/view of

לקראת likrat toward / in preparation for

<h2>12- DETERMINERS</h2>

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

ה־ ha- the הַסֵּפֶר — ha-sefer — the book

הַ־ ha- the הַבַּיִת — ha-bayit — the house

הָ־ ha- the הָאִישׁ — ha-ish — the man

הֶ־ he- the הֶחָכָם — he-khakham — the wise man

Important: ה־ changes pronunciation according to the following consonant, but it is the same definite article.

2. Demonstrative determiners

Singular

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

זֶה ze this (masculine) זֶה הַסֵּפֶר — ze ha-sefer — this book

זֹאת zot this (feminine) זֹאת הַמְּכוֹנִית — zot ha-mekhonit — this car

זוֹ zo this (feminine) זוֹ הַמְּכוֹנִית — zo ha-mekhonit — this car

Plural

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

אֵלֶּה ele these אֵלֶּה הַסְּפָרִים — ele ha-sfarim — these books

הָאֵלֶּה ha-ele these particular הַסְּפָרִים הָאֵלֶּה — ha-sfarim ha-ele — these books

“That/those”

Hebrew normally uses the demonstratives in a post-nominal construction:

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

הַהוּא ha-hu that (masculine) הָאִישׁ הַהוּא — ha-ish ha-hu — that man

הַהִיא ha-hi that (feminine) הָאִשָּׁה הַהִיא — ha-isha ha-hi — that woman

הָהֵם ha-hem those (masculine) הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵם — ha-anashim ha-hem — those people

הָהֵן ha-hen those (feminine) הַנָּשִׁים הָהֵן — ha-nashim ha-hen — those women

3. Indefinite determiner

Hebrew has no separate indefinite article corresponding to English a/an.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

Ø — a/an סֵפֶר — sefer — a book

Ø — some סְפָרִים — sfarim — books/some books

So:

סֵפֶר

sefer

= a book / book

הַסֵּפֶר

ha-sefer

= the book

4. Indefinite / nonspecific determiners

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

אֵיזֶה eize some / a certain / what kind of אֵיזֶה אִישׁ — eize ish — some man / what kind of man

אֵיזוֹ eizo some / a certain / what kind of אֵיזוֹ אִשָּׁה — eizo isha — some woman / what kind of woman

אֵיזֶה שֶׁהוּא eize shehu some kind of / any particular אֵיזֶה סֵפֶר שֶׁהוּא — eize sefer shehu

מִישֶׁהוּ mishehu someone מִישֶׁהוּ בָּא — mishehu ba — someone came

מַשֶּׁהוּ mashehu something מַשֶּׁהוּ קָרָה — mashehu kara — something happened

מישהו and משהו are technically pronouns rather than ordinary determiners, but they belong to the same indefinite system.

5. “Some” — כַּמָּה / מִסְפָּר

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

כַּמָּה kama several / some כַּמָּה אֲנָשִׁים — kama anashim — several people

מִסְפַּר mispar a number of / several מִסְפַּר אֲנָשִׁים — mispar anashim — a number of people

מִסְפַּר מְסֻיָּם mispar mesuyam a certain number מִסְפַּר מְסֻיָּם שֶׁל אֲנָשִׁים — mispar mesuyam shel anashim

6. Universal determiners — “all/every”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

כָּל kol every/all כָּל אִישׁ — kol ish — every man

כָּל־ kol- every/all כָּל הַיָּמִים — kol ha-yamim — all the days

כֻּלָּם kullam all of them כֻּלָּם בָּאוּ — kullam ba'u — they all came

כֻּלָּן kullan all of them (f.) כֻּלָּן בָּאוּ — kullan ba'u — they all came

הַכֹּל ha-kol everything/all הַכֹּל טוֹב — ha-kol tov — everything is good

Important distinction

כָּל + noun is the main universal determiner:

כָּל אִישׁ

kol ish

= every man

כָּל הָאֲנָשִׁים

kol ha-anashim

= all the people

7. Distributive determiners — “each/every”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

כָּל kol each/every כָּל אֶחָד — kol ekhad — each one

כָּל אֶחָד kol ekhad each one כָּל אֶחָד קִבֵּל סֵפֶר — kol ekhad kibel sefer — each one received a book

כָּל אַחַת kol akhat each one (f.) כָּל אַחַת קִבְּלָה סֵפֶר — kol akhat kibla sefer — each one received a book

כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם kol ekhad mehem each of them כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם בָּא — kol ekhad mehem ba

כָּל אַחַת מֵהֶן kol akhat mehen each of them (f.) כָּל אַחַת מֵהֶן בָּאָה — kol akhat mehen ba'a

8. “Whole/entire”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

כָּל kol all/whole כָּל הַבַּיִת — kol ha-bayit — the whole house

כֻּלּוֹ kulo all of it / the whole of it הַבַּיִת כֻּלּוֹ — ha-bayit kulo — the whole house

כֻּלָּהּ kula all of it (f.) הָעִיר כֻּלָּהּ — ha-ir kula — the whole city

כֻּלָּם kullam all of them הֵם כֻּלָּם — hem kullam — all of them

כֻּלָּן kullan all of them (f.) הֵן כֻּלָּן — hen kullan — all of them

9. Quantifiers — “many/much”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

הַרְבֵּה harbe much/many/a lot of הַרְבֵּה אֲנָשִׁים — harbe anashim — many people

הַרְבֵּה מִן harbe min much/many of הַרְבֵּה מִן הָאֲנָשִׁים — harbe min ha-anashim — many of the people

מַסְפִּיק maspik enough מַסְפִּיק זְמַן — maspik zman — enough time

יֹתֵר yoter more יֹתֵר זְמַן — yoter zman — more time

פָּחוֹת pakhot less/fewer פָּחוֹת אֲנָשִׁים — pakhot anashim — fewer people

מְעַט me'at little/few מְעַט אֲנָשִׁים — me'at anashim — few people

10. “Few/little”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

מְעַט me'at little/few מְעַט מַיִם — me'at mayim — little water

מְעַטִּים me'atim few מְעַטִּים בָּאוּ — me'atim ba'u — few came

מְעַטּוֹת me'atot few (f.) מְעַטּוֹת בָּאוּ — me'atot ba'u

מְעַט מְאוֹד me'at me'od very little/very few מְעַט מְאוֹד אֲנָשִׁים — me'at me'od anashim

11. “Enough”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

מַסְפִּיק maspik enough מַסְפִּיק זְמַן — maspik zman — enough time

מַסְפִּיקָה maspika enough (f.) מַסְפִּיקָה סַבְלָנוּת — maspika savlanut

מַסְפִּיקִים maspikim enough (plural m.) מַסְפִּיקִים אֲנָשִׁים — maspikim anashim

מַסְפִּיקוֹת maspikot enough (plural f.) מַסְפִּיקוֹת סִיבּוֹת — maspikot sibot

12. Negative determiners

Hebrew does not have a single article equivalent to English no, but several constructions express it.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

אֵין ein there is no / there are no אֵין סֵפֶר — ein sefer — there is no book

שׁוּם shum any / a single (with negation) אֵין שׁוּם סֵפֶר — ein shum sefer — there is no book at all

אַף אֶחָד af ekhad no one / not one אַף אֶחָד לֹא בָּא — af ekhad lo ba — no one came

אַף אַחַת af akhat not one (f.) אַף אַחַת לֹא בָּאָה — af akhat lo ba'a

אַף אֶחָד מֵהֶם af ekhad mehem none of them אַף אֶחָד מֵהֶם לֹא בָּא — af ekhad mehem lo ba

שׁוּם shum any at all לֹא רָאִיתִי שׁוּם אָדָם — lo ra'iti shum adam — I didn't see anyone

שום is especially important: it normally occurs with negation.

13. “Any”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

שׁוּם shum any אֵין שׁוּם בְּעָיָה — ein shum be'aya — there is no problem

כָּל kol any/every כָּל אָדָם יָכוֹל — kol adam yakhol — any person can...

אֵיזֶה eize any/which אֵיזֶה סֵפֶר אַתָּה רוֹצֶה? — eize sefer ata rotse? — which book do you want?

אֵיזוֹ eizo any/which (f.) אֵיזוֹ מְכוֹנִית? — eizo mekhonit? — which car?

14. “Other/another”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

אַחֵר akher another/other (m.) סֵפֶר אַחֵר — sefer akher — another book

אַחֶרֶת akheret another/other (f.) מְכוֹנִית אַחֶרֶת — mekhonit akheret — another car

אֲחֵרִים akherim other (m. plural) אֲנָשִׁים אֲחֵרִים — anashim akherim — other people

אֲחֵרוֹת akherot other (f. plural) נָשִׁים אֲחֵרוֹת — nashim akherot — other women

הָאַחֵר ha-akher the other הָאִישׁ הָאַחֵר — ha-ish ha-akher — the other man

אַחֵר akher another אֶקַּח אֶחָד אַחֵר — ekakh ekhad akher — I'll take another one

15. “Same”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

אוֹתוֹ oto the same (m.) אוֹתוֹ סֵפֶר — oto sefer — the same book

אוֹתָהּ ota the same (f.) אוֹתָהּ מְכוֹנִית — ota mekhonit — the same car

אוֹתָם otam the same (m. plural) אוֹתָם אֲנָשִׁים — otam anashim — the same people

אוֹתָן otan the same (f. plural) אוֹתָן נָשִׁים — otan nashim — the same women

אוֹתוֹ הַ־ oto ha- that same אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ — oto ha-ish — that same man

אֵותוֹ oto same אֵותוֹ דָּבָר — oto davar — the same thing

A particularly common construction is:

אוֹתוֹ הַדָּבָר

oto ha-davar

= the same thing

16. Possessive determiners

Hebrew can express possession in two major ways.

A. שֶׁל + possessor

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

שֶׁלִּי sheli my

שֶׁלְּךָ shelkha your (m.)

שֶׁלָּךְ shelakh your (f.)

שֶׁלּוֹ shelo his

שֶׁלָּהּ shela her

שֶׁלָּנוּ shelanu our

שֶׁלָּכֶם shelakhem your (pl. m.)

שֶׁלָּכֶן shelakhen your (pl. f.)

שֶׁלָּהֶם shelahem their (m.)

שֶׁלָּהֶן shelahen their (f.)

Examples:

הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁלִּי

ha-sefer sheli

= my book

הַבַּיִת שֶׁלָּהֶם

ha-bayit shelahem

= their house

B. Construct-state possession

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

סֵפֶר יוֹסֵף sefer Yosef Yosef's book

בֵּית הַמּוֹרֶה beit ha-more the teacher's house

מְכוֹנִית דָּנָה mekhonit Dana Dana's car

17. Interrogative determiners

These are extremely important.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

אֵיזֶה eize which/what (m.) אֵיזֶה סֵפֶר? — eize sefer? — which book?

אֵיזוֹ eizo which/what (f.) אֵיזוֹ מְכוֹנִית? — eizo mekhonit? — which car?

אֵילוּ elu which (plural) אֵילוּ סְפָרִים? — elu sfarim? — which books?

כַּמָּה kama how many/how much כַּמָּה סְפָרִים? — kama sfarim? — how many books?

מָה ma what מָה זֶה? — ma ze? — what is this?

מִי mi who מִי הָאִישׁ? — mi ha-ish? — who is the man?

18. Numeral determiners

Cardinal numbers can determine nouns.

1–10

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אֶחָד ekhad one

אַחַת akhat one (f.)

שְׁנַיִם shnayim two (m.)

שְׁתַּיִם shtayim two (f.)

שְׁלוֹשָׁה shlosha three (m.)

שָׁלוֹשׁ shalosh three (f.)

אַרְבָּעָה arba'a four (m.)

אַרְבַּע arba four (f.)

חֲמִשָּׁה khamisha five (m.)

חָמֵשׁ khamesh five (f.)

שִׁשָּׁה shisha six (m.)

שֵׁשׁ shesh six (f.)

שִׁבְעָה shiv'a seven (m.)

שֶׁבַע sheva seven (f.)

שְׁמוֹנָה shmona eight (m.)

שְׁמוֹנֶה shmone eight (f.)

תִּשְׁעָה tish'a nine (m.)

תֵּשַׁע tesha nine (f.)

עֲשָׂרָה asara ten (m.)

עֶשֶׂר eser ten (f.)

Examples:

שְׁלֹשָׁה סְפָרִים

shlosha sfarim

= three books

שָׁלוֹשׁ מְכוֹנִיּוֹת

shalosh mekhoniyot

= three cars

19. Ordinal determiners

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

רִאשׁוֹן rishon first (m.)

רִאשׁוֹנָה rishona first (f.)

שֵׁנִי sheni second (m.)

שְׁנִיָּה shniya second (f.)

שְׁלִישִׁי shlishi third (m.)

שְׁלִישִׁית shlishit third (f.)

רְבִיעִי revi'i fourth

חֲמִישִׁי khamishi fifth

שִׁשִּׁי shishi sixth

שְׁבִיעִי shvi'i seventh

שְׁמִינִי shmini eighth

תְּשִׁיעִי tshi'i ninth

עֲשִׂירִי asiri tenth

אַחֲרוֹן akharon last

Examples:

הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן

ha-yom ha-rishon

= the first day

הַפַּעַם הַשֵּׁנִי

ha-pa'am ha-sheni

= the second time

20. Fractional determiners

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

חֲצִי khatsi half of

חֵצִי khetsi half of

רֶבַע reva quarter

שְׁלִישׁ shlish third

שְׁלִישִׁית shlishit one third/fraction

חֵצִי מִ־ khatsi mi- half of

רֶבַע מִ־ reva mi- quarter of

Examples:

חֲצִי הַכַּמוּת

khatsi ha-kamut

= half the quantity

חֲצִי הַזְּמַן

khatsi ha-zman

= half the time

21. “Both”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

שְׁנֵי shnei both/two (before m. noun)

שְׁתֵּי shtei both/two (before f. noun)

שְׁנֵיהֶם shneihem both of them (m./mixed)

שְׁתֵּיהֶן shteihen both of them (f.)

Examples:

שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים

shnei ha-anashim

= both men / the two men

שְׁתֵּי הַנָּשִׁים

shtei ha-nashim

= both women / the two women

22. “Each of / every one of”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כָּל אֶחָד מִ־ kol ekhad mi- each of

כָּל אַחַת מִ־ kol akhat mi- each of (f.)

כָּל אֶחָד מֵהֶם kol ekhad mehem each of them

כָּל אַחַת מֵהֶן kol akhat mehen each of them (f.)

23. “Any/every kind of”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כָּל סוּג kol sug every kind

כָּל סוּג שֶׁל kol sug shel every kind of

אֵיזֶה סוּג eize sug what kind

אֵיזוֹ סוּג eizo sug what kind (f.)

סוּג כָּלְשֶׁהוּ sug kolshehu some/any kind

A very common construction is:

אֵיזֶה סוּג שֶׁל סֵפֶר?

eize sug shel sefer?

= What kind of book?

24. “Such / such a”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

כָּזֶה kazeh such a / this kind of (m.) אִישׁ כָּזֶה — ish kazeh — such a man

כָּזֹאת kazot such a (f.) אִשָּׁה כָּזֹאת — isha kazot — such a woman

כָּאֵלֶּה ka-ele such / these kinds of אֲנָשִׁים כָּאֵלֶּה — anashim ka-ele — people like these

כָּזֶה סוּג kazeh sug this kind of כָּזֶה סוּג סֵפֶר — kazeh sug sefer

25. “Certain/particular”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מְסֻיָּם mesuyam certain/specific (m.)

מְסֻיֶּמֶת mesuyemet certain/specific (f.)

מְסֻיָּמִים mesuyamim certain/specific (m. pl.)

מְסֻיָּמוֹת mesuyamot certain/specific (f. pl.)

אָדָם מְסֻיָּם adam mesuyam a certain person

זְמַן מְסֻיָּם zman mesuyam a certain time

26. “Additional / another”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

נוֹסָף nosaf additional/another (m.)

נוֹסֶפֶת nosefet additional/another (f.)

נוֹסָפִים nosafim additional (m. pl.)

נוֹסָפוֹת nosafot additional (f. pl.)

עוֹד od another/more

עוֹד אֶחָד od ekhad one more/another one

27. “Remaining/rest”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

הַשְּׁאָר ha-she'ar the rest

הַשְּׁאָרִים ha-she'arim the remaining ones

הַשָּׁאָר ha-sha'ar the rest

אֲחֵרִים akherim others

הָאֲחֵרִים ha-akherim the others

Example:

הַשְּׁאָר בָּאוּ אַחַר כָּךְ.

ha-she'ar ba'u akhar kakh.

= The rest came later.

28. “Most / majority”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

רֹב rov most/majority of

רֹב הָאֲנָשִׁים rov ha-anashim most of the people

רֻבָּם rubam most of them

רֻבָּן ruban most of them (f.)

Example:

רֹב הָאֲנָשִׁים הִסְכִּימוּ.

rov ha-anashim hiskimu.

= Most of the people agreed.

29. “None / neither”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אַף אֶחָד af ekhad no one/not one

אַף אַחַת af akhat not one (f.)

אַף אֶחָד מֵהֶם af ekhad mehem none of them

אַף אֶחָת מֵהֶן af akhat mehen none of them (f.)

לֹא זֶה וְלֹא זֶה lo ze ve-lo ze neither this nor that

לֹא זֶה וְלֹא אַחֵר lo ze ve-lo akher neither this nor another

30. “Whatever / whoever / whichever”

These are primarily indefinite-relative pronouns/constructions, rather than simple determiners.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כָּל מָה שֶׁ־ kol ma she- whatever

מַה שֶׁ־ ma she- whatever/what

כָּל מִי שֶׁ־ kol mi she- whoever

מִי שֶׁ־ mi she- whoever/the one who

כָּל אֲשֶׁר kol asher whatever/whoever

אֵיזֶה שֶׁ־ eize she- whichever/whatsoever

אֵיזוֹ שֶׁ־ eizo she- whichever (f.)

31. Possessive/genitive determinative constructions

Hebrew has an important construct chain:

סֵפֶר הַמּוֹרֶה

sefer ha-more

= the teacher's book

דֶּלֶת הַבַּיִת

delet ha-bayit

= the door of the house

מְכוֹנִית הַמּוֹרֶה

mekhonit ha-more

= the teacher's car

The definiteness of a construct phrase is generally determined by the second noun:

סֵפֶר מוֹרֶה

sefer more

= a teacher's book

סֵפֶר הַמּוֹרֶה

sefer ha-more

= the teacher's book

32. Definite adjective constructions

Hebrew adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and definiteness.

Indefinite Transliteration Definite Transliteration Meaning

סֵפֶר טוֹב sefer tov הַסֵּפֶר הַטּוֹב ha-sefer ha-tov a good book / the good book

אִישׁ טוֹב ish tov הָאִישׁ הַטּוֹב ha-ish ha-tov a good man / the good man

מְכוֹנִית חֲדָשָׁה mekhonit ḥadashah הַמְּכוֹנִית הַחֲדָשָׁה ha-mekhonit ha-ḥadashah a new car / the new car

סְפָרִים טוֹבִים sfarim tovim הַסְּפָרִים הַטּוֹבִים ha-sfarim ha-tovim good books / the good books

So the definite article normally appears on both the noun and attributive adjective.

<h2>13- IF CONDITIONAL</h2>

Zero אם + present, present Im + present, present

אם המים קרים, הם קופאים

Im ha-mayim karim, hem kof'im

If water is cold, it freezes

First אם + future, future Im + future, future

אם אבוא, נדבר

Im avo, nedaber

If I come, we will talk

Second אם + היה + situation, הייתי + participle Im + haya + situation, hayiti + verb

אם היה לי כסף, הייתי קונה בית. Im haya li kesef, hayiti kone bayit. "If I had money, I would buy a house."

Third אם + הייתי + participle, הייתי + result Im + hayiti + verb, hayiti + result

אם הייתי לומד, הייתי מצליח. Im hayiti lomed, hayiti matsliakh. "If I had studied, I would have succeeded."

Mixed אם + past, הייתי + present Im + hayiti + verb, hayiti + state

אם הייתי לומד יותר, הייתי יודע יותר. Im hayiti lomed yoter, hayiti yode'a yoter. "If I had studied more, I would know more."

Negative אם לא + verb, לא + verb Im lo + verb, lo + verb

אם לא היה לי כסף, לא הייתי קונה. Im lo haya li kesef, lo hayiti kone. "If I did not have money, I would not buy."

אם לא הייתי לומד, לא הייתי מצליח. Im lo hayiti lomed, lo hayiti matsliakh. "If I had not studied, I would not have succeeded."

אני הייתי כותב hayiti kotev I would write

אתה היית כותב hayita kotev you (m.) would write

את היית כותבת hayit kotevet you (f.) would write

הוא היה כותב haya kotev he would write

היא הייתה כותבת hayta kotevet she would write

אנחנו היינו כותבים hayinu kotvim we would write

אתם הייתם כותבים hayitem kotvim you (pl.) would write

הם היו כותבים hayu kotvim they would write

הייתי רוצה קפה. Hayiti rotze kafe. "I would like coffee."

אני לא הייתי כותב lo hayiti kotev I would not write

אתה לא היית כותב lo hayita kotev you (m.) would not write

את לא היית כותבת lo hayit kotevet you (f.) would not write

הוא לא היה כותב lo haya kotev he would not write

היא לא הייתה כותבת lo hayta kotevet she would not write

אנחנו לא היינו כותבים lo hayinu kotvim we would not write

אתם לא הייתם כותבים lo hayitem kotvim you (pl.) would not write

הם לא היו כותבים lo hayu kotvim they would not write

לא הייתי רוצה lo hayiti rotze I would not like

masculine singular היה נכתב haya nikhtav would be written

feminine singular הייתה נכתבת hayta nikhtavet would be written

masculine plural היו נכתבים hayu nikhtavim would be written

feminine plural היו נכתבות hayu nikhtavot would be written

Letter (m.) המכתב לא היה נכתב ha-mikhtav lo haya nikhtav The letter would not be written

Book (m.) הספר לא היה נכתב ha-sefer lo haya nikhtav The book would not be written

Story (f.) הסיפור לא היה נכתב ha-sipur lo haya nikhtav The story would not be written

Letters (m.pl.) המכתבים לא היו נכתבים ha-mikhtavim lo hayu nikhtavim The letters would not be written

Books (m.pl.) הספרים לא היו נכתבים ha-sfarim lo hayu nikhtavim The books would not be written

if אם im basic condition

if not אם לא im lo negative condition

only if רק אם rak im condition required

even if אפילו אם afilu im despite condition

unless אלא אם כן ela im ken except if

as if כאילו ke'ilu comparison, "as though"

when כש־ kshe- when (common)

when כאשר ka'asher when (formal)

whenever בכל פעם ש־ bekhol pa'am she- every time that

whenever כל פעם ש־ kol pa'am she- whenever

while בזמן ש־ bizman she- while

until עד ש־ ad she- until

before לפני ש־ lifnei she- before

after אחרי ש־ akharei she- after

since / because מאחר ש־ me'akhar she- since, because

because כי ki because

because of בגלל ש־ biglal she- because

so that כדי ש־ kedei she- in order that

provided that בתנאי ש־ bitnai she- on condition that

assuming that בהנחה ש־ behanakha she- assuming that

whether האם ha'im whether/if in indirect questions

even though למרות ש־ lamrot she- although

<h2>14- COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE</h2>

More adjective adjective + יותר + מ־ adjective + yoter + mi דני גבוה יותר מאחיו. Dani gavoha yoter me-achiv. Dani is taller than his brother.

Less adjective פחות + adjective + מ־ pakhot + adjective + mi דני פחות גבוה מאחיו. Dani pakhot gavoha me-achiv. Dani is less tall than his brother.

More noun יותר + noun + מ־ yoter + noun + mi לדני יש יותר כסף מאחיו. Le-Dani yesh yoter kesef me-achiv. Dani has more money than his brother.

Less noun פחות + noun + מ־ pakhot + noun + mi לדני יש פחות זמן מאחיו. Le-Dani yesh pakhot zman me-achiv. Dani has less time than his brother.

Most adjective הכי + adjective hakhi + adjective דני הוא הכי גבוה בכיתה. Dani hu hakhi gavoha ba-kita. Dani is the tallest in the class.

Least adjective הכי פחות + adjective hakhi pakhot + adjective דני הוא הכי פחות מתאים לתפקיד. Dani hu hakhi pakhot mat'im la-tafkid. Dani is the least suitable for the position.

Most noun הכי הרבה + noun hakhi harbe + noun לדני יש הכי הרבה כסף בכיתה. Le-Dani yesh hakhi harbe kesef ba-kita. Dani has the most money in the class.

Least noun הכי מעט + noun hakhi me'at + noun לדני יש הכי מעט זמן. Le-Dani yesh hakhi me'at zman. Dani has the least time.

Verb more verb + יותר verb + yoter דני עובד יותר מאחיו. Dani oved yoter me-achiv. Dani works more than his brother.

Verb less verb + פחות verb + pakhot דני עובד פחות מאחיו. Dani oved pakhot me-achiv. Dani works less than his brother.

Adverb comparative adverb + יותר + מ־ adverb + yoter + mi דני רץ מהר יותר מאחיו. Dani rats maher yoter me-achiv. Dani runs faster than his brother.

Adverb superlative הכי + adverb hakhi + adverb דני רץ הכי מהר בכיתה. Dani rats hakhi maher ba-kita. Dani runs the fastest in the class.

Equal adjective adjective + כמו adjective + kmo דני גבוה כמו אחיו. Dani gavoha kmo achiv. Dani is as tall as his brother.

Not as...as לא + adjective + כמו lo + adjective + kmo דני לא גבוה כמו אחיו. Dani lo gavoha kmo achiv. Dani is not as tall as his brother.

More and more יותר ויותר + adjective yoter ve-yoter + adjective דני נעשה יותר ויותר חזק. Dani na'ase yoter ve-yoter khazak. Dani is becoming stronger and stronger.

Less and less פחות ופחות + adjective pakhot u-pakhot + adjective דני נעשה פחות ופחות סבלני. Dani na'ase pakhot u-pakhot savlani. Dani is becoming less and less patient.

Same אותו/אותה... כמו oto/ota... kmo לדני יש אותו ספר כמו שלי. Le-Dani yesh oto sefer kmo sheli. Dani has the same book as mine.

Different שונה מ־ shone mi- הספר הזה שונה מהספר ההוא. Ha-sefer ha-ze shone me-ha-sefer ha-hu. This book is different from that book.

The more..., the more... ככל ש־..., כך... kakhol she..., kakh... ככל שדני לומד יותר, כך הוא מצליח יותר. Kakhol she-Dani lomed yoter, kakh hu matsliakh yoter. The more Dani studies, the more he succeeds.

<h2>15- RELATIVE CLAUSES</h2>

who ש־ she-

that ש־ she-

which ש־ she-

whose ש־ + possessive she + possessive

where שבו/שבה she-bo/she-ba

with whom שאיתו/שאיתה she-ito/she-ita

about which שעליו she-alav

Relative clause type Regular / full formation Transliteration Reduced formation Transliteration

Subject — present active noun + ש־ + present verb noun + she- + present verb noun + ה־ + present participle noun + ha- + participle

Subject — present feminine noun + ש־ + present feminine verb noun + she- + present fem. verb noun + ה־ + feminine participle noun + ha- + fem. participle

Subject — present plural noun + ש־ + present plural verb noun + she- + present plural verb noun + ה־ + plural participle noun + ha- + plural participle

Subject — past noun + ש־ + past verb noun + she- + past verb usually no simple active reduction —

Subject — future noun + ש־ + future verb noun + she- + future verb usually no simple reduction —

Object — present noun + ש־ + subject + present verb noun + she- + subject + present verb usually no direct reduction —

Object — past noun + ש־ + subject + past verb noun + she- + subject + past verb usually no direct reduction —

Object — future noun + ש־ + subject + future verb noun + she- + subject + future verb usually no direct reduction —

Passive noun + ש־ + passive verb noun + she- + passive verb noun + ה־ + passive participle noun + ha- + passive participle

Possessive noun + ש־ + possessor + possessed noun noun + she- + possessor + noun usually no simple reduction —

Prepositional noun + ש־ + subject + preposition + pronoun noun + she- + subject + preposition + pronoun usually no simple reduction —

Place noun + שבו/שבה... + clause noun + she-bo/she-ba... + clause usually no simple reduction —

Time noun + שבו/ש... + clause noun + she-bo/she... + clause usually no simple reduction —

Formal relative noun + אשר + clause noun + asher + clause same participle reduction where possible participle

1. Subject Relative — "who"

האיש שעובד כאן הוא המנהל.

Ha-ish she-oved kan hu ha-menahel.

The man who works here is the manager.

Formation: noun + ש־ (she-) + verb

2. Feminine Subject — "who"

האישה שגרה בלונדון היא רופאה.

Ha-isha she-gara be-London hi rof'a.

The woman who lives in London is a doctor.

3. Plural Subject — "who"

הילדים שמשחקים בחוץ הם תלמידים.

Ha-yeladim she-mesakhakim ba-khuts hem talmidim.

The children who are playing outside are students.

4. Object Relative — "that/which"

הספר שקראתי היה מעניין.

Ha-sefer she-karati haya me'anyen.

The book that I read was interesting.

Formation: noun + ש־ + subject + verb

5. Person as Object — "whom"

האיש שראיתי אתמול הוא המורה שלי.

Ha-ish she-ra'iti etmol hu ha-more sheli.

The man whom I saw yesterday is my teacher.

6. Direct Object with את

המכונית שקניתי חדשה.

Ha-mekhonit she-kaniti khadasha.

The car that I bought is new.

Notice that Hebrew does not need את here because the object is already represented by the relative construction.

7. Indirect Object — "to whom"

האישה שנתתי לה את הספר היא המורה שלי.

Ha-isha she-natati la et ha-sefer hi ha-mora sheli.

The woman to whom I gave the book is my teacher.

Formation: noun + ש־ + verb + ל־ + pronoun

8. With "with whom"

האדם שדיברתי איתו הוא חבר שלי.

Ha-adam she-dibarti ito hu khaver sheli.

The person with whom I spoke is my friend.

9. With "about whom"

האישה שדיברנו עליה היא מפורסמת.

Ha-isha she-dibarnu aleha hi mefursémet.

The woman about whom we spoke is famous.

10. Possessive — "whose"

האיש שהבן שלו עובד כאן הוא רופא.

Ha-ish she-ha-ben shelo oved kan hu rofe.

The man whose son works here is a doctor.

Literally:

the man that his son works here

11. "Whose car"

האישה שהמכונית שלה חדשה גרה כאן.

Ha-isha she-ha-mekhonit shela khadasha gara kan.

The woman whose car is new lives here.

12. Place — "where"

זה הבית שבו גרתי.

Ze ha-bayit she-bo garti.

This is the house where I lived.

13. Place with "in which"

זה החדר שבו למדתי.

Ze ha-kheder she-bo lamadti.

This is the room in which I studied.

14. Place — Colloquial Alternative

זה הבית שגרתי בו.

Ze ha-bayit she-garti bo.

This is the house that I lived in.

Both are common:

שבו = she-bo = in which

ש... בו = she... bo = that... in it

15. Time — "when"

היום שבו נפגשנו היה מיוחד.

Ha-yom she-bo nifgashnu haya meyukhad.

The day when we met was special.

16. Time — "the year when"

השנה שבה עברתי לכאן הייתה קשה.

Ha-shana she-ba avarti le-kan hayta kasha.

The year when I moved here was difficult.

17. Reason — "why"

זו הסיבה שעזבתי.

Zo ha-siba she-azavti.

This is the reason why I left.

18. "The way that..."

אני אוהב את הדרך שבה היא מדברת.

Ani ohev et ha-derekh she-ba hi medaberet.

I like the way she speaks.

19. Full Relative with Past Tense

האיש שעבד כאן עזב אתמול.

Ha-ish she-avad kan azav etmol.

The man who worked here left yesterday.

20. Full Relative with Future

הסטודנט שילמד איתי יגיע מחר.

Ha-student she-yilmod iti yagi'a makhar.

The student who will study with me will arrive tomorrow.

Reduced Relative Clauses

The most common reduced form uses a definite participle.

21. Reduced Present Active — Masculine

Full:

האיש שעובד כאן הוא המנהל.

Ha-ish she-oved kan hu ha-menahel.

The man who works here is the manager.

Reduced:

האיש העובד כאן הוא המנהל.

Ha-ish ha-oved kan hu ha-menahel.

The man working here is the manager.

22. Reduced Present Active — Feminine

Full:

האישה שעובדת כאן היא המנהלת.

Ha-isha she-ovedet kan hi ha-menahelet.

The woman who works here is the manager.

Reduced:

האישה העובדת כאן היא המנהלת.

Ha-isha ha-ovedet kan hi ha-menahelet.

The woman working here is the manager.

23. Reduced Present Active — Plural

Full:

האנשים שעובדים כאן הם סטודנטים.

Ha-anashim she-ovdim kan hem studentim.

The people who work here are students.

Reduced:

האנשים העובדים כאן הם סטודנטים.

Ha-anashim ha-ovdim kan hem studentim.

The people working here are students.

<h2>16- REPORTED SPEECH AND DIRECT SPEECH</h2>

Direct Speech: Subject + speech verb + : + "exact words"

Reported Speech: Subject + speech verb + ש־ + reported clause

Statement אמר + ש־ + clause amar + she- + clause הוא אמר שהוא עובד Hu amar she-hu oved He said that he works.

Past statement אמר + ש־ + past amar + she- + past הוא אמר שהוא למד Hu amar she-hu lamad He said that he studied.

Future statement אמר + ש־ + future amar + she- + future הוא אמר שהוא ילך Hu amar she-hu yelekh He said that he would go / will go.

Yes/No question שאל + אם + clause sha'al + im + clause הוא שאל אם אני בא Hu sha'al im ani ba He asked if I was coming.

Wh-question שאל + question word + clause sha'al + question word + clause הוא שאל איפה אני גר Hu sha'al eifo ani gar He asked where I live.

Command ביקש + ש־ + subjunctive bikesh + she- + subjunctive הוא ביקש שאבוא Hu bikesh she-avo He asked me to come.

<h2>17- INFINITIVES AND VERBAL NOUNS</h2>

אכילה (akhila) = eating

כתיבה (ktiva) = writing

למידה (lemida) = learning

I am happy seeing you אני שמח כשאני רואה אותך Ani sameakh kshe-ani ro'eh otkha adjective + כש־ + subject + present verb + object adjective + kshe + subject + present verb + object

I am happy to see you אני שמח לראות אותך Ani sameakh lir'ot otkha adjective + ל־ + infinitive adjective + le + infinitive

I plan to eat אני מתכנן לאכול Ani metakhenen le'ekhol plan verb + ל־ + infinitive plan verb + le + infinitive

I plan eating אני מתכנן אכילה Ani metakhenen akhila plan verb + verbal noun (gerund) plan verb + verbal noun

I see him run אני רואה אותו רץ Ani ro'eh oto rats see + object + participle see + object + participle

I see him running אני רואה אותו רץ Ani ro'eh oto rats see + object + participle see + object + participle

I eat to play / in order to play אני אוכל כדי לשחק Ani okhel kedei lesakhek verb + כדי + ל־ + infinitive verb + kedei + le + infinitive

<h2>18- SUBJUNCTIVE</h2>

want someone to do verb + ש־ + future verb + she + future

request verb + ש־ + future verb + she + future

emotion adjective + ש־ + clause adjective + she + clause

so that כדי ש־ + future kedei she + future

wish הלוואי + ש־ + future halvai she + future

hypothetical אילו + past + הייתי + participle ilu + past + hayiti + beinoni

negative ש־לא + future she-lo + future

let/may ש־ + future she + future

<h2>19- TAG QUESTIONS</h2>

right? נכון? nakhon? most common

isn't it? נכון? nakhon? general confirmation

no? לא? lo? informal speech

yes? כן? ken? confirmation

is it not? האם לא? ha'im lo? formal

Present subject + לא + participle? subject + lo + beinoni? אתה לא עובד? Ata lo oved? Aren't you working? / Don't you work?

Past subject + לא + past verb? subject + lo + past verb? הוא לא אכל? Hu lo akhal? Didn't he eat?

Future subject + לא + future verb? subject + lo + future verb? היא לא תלך? Hi lo telekh? Won't she go?

Formal האם + subject + לא + verb? ha'im + subject + lo + verb? האם אתה לא יודע? Ha'im ata lo yode'a? Don't you know?

Why למה + subject + לא + verb? lama + subject + lo + verb? למה אתה לא בא? Lama ata lo ba? Why don't you come?

Why didn't למה + subject + לא + past verb? lama + subject + lo + past verb? למה אתה לא באת? Lama ata lo bata? Why didn't you come?

Modal (Can) subject + לא + modal + ל־ + infinitive? subject + lo + modal + le + infinitive? אתה לא יכול לבוא? Ata lo yakhol lavo? Can't you come?

Modal (Need/Should) subject + לא + צריך + ל־ + infinitive? subject + lo + tsarikh + le + infinitive? אתה לא צריך ללמוד? Ata lo tsarikh lilmod? Don't you need to study?

<h2>20- MODAL WORDS</h2>

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning Example

יָכוֹל yakhol can / able to (m.) אֲנִי יָכוֹל לָבוֹא — ani yakhol lavo — I can come

יְכוֹלָה yekhola can / able to (f.) אֲנִי יְכוֹלָה לָבוֹא — ani yekhola lavo — I can come

יְכוֹלִים yekholim can / able to (m. pl.) הֵם יְכוֹלִים לָבוֹא — hem yekholim lavo — they can come

יְכוֹלוֹת yekholot can / able to (f. pl.) הֵן יְכוֹלוֹת לָבוֹא — hen yekholot lavo — they can come

אֶפְשָׁר efshar it is possible / can אֶפְשָׁר לָבוֹא — efshar lavo — one can come

נִיתָן nitan it is possible / can be done נִיתָן לַעֲשׂוֹת זֹאת — nitan la'asot zot — this can be done

Negative ability

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לֹא יָכוֹל lo yakhol cannot (m.)

לֹא יְכוֹלָה lo yekhola cannot (f.)

אִי־אֶפְשָׁר i-efshar it is impossible / cannot

אֵי־אֶפְשָׁר ei-efshar impossible / cannot

Example:

אֲנִי לֹא יָכוֹל לָבוֹא.

ani lo yakhol lavo.

= I cannot come.

2. Possibility — “may / might / could”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אֶפְשָׁר efshar may / it is possible

יִתָּכֵן yitakhen it may be / it is possible

יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת yakhol lihyot could be / may be

עָשׂוּי asui may / is liable to

עֲשׂוּי לְ־ asui le- may be expected to

אוּלַי ulai perhaps / maybe / may

יָכוֹל שֶׁ־ yakhol she- could/may

יָתֵכֵן שֶׁ־ yitakhen she- it may be that

Examples:

אוּלַי הוּא יָבוֹא.

ulai hu yavo.

= Maybe he will come.

יִתָּכֵן שֶׁהוּא יָבוֹא.

yitakhen she-hu yavo.

= He may come.

יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת שֶׁהוּא צוֹדֵק.

yakhol lihyot she-hu tsodek.

= He could be right.

3. Probability — “probably / likely”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כַּנִּרְאֶה kanir'e apparently / probably

בְּוַדַּאי bevadai certainly

סָבִיר סביר likely / probable

סָבִיר לְהַנִּיחַ סביר להניח it is reasonable to assume

יִתָּכֵן yitakhen it is possible

כְּנִרְאֶה kenir'e apparently / seemingly

כִּנְרֵאֶה kinre'e apparently / seemingly

כִּמְעַט kim'at almost

בְּעֶרֶךְ be-erekh approximately

Example:

כַּנִּרְאֶה הוּא יָבוֹא.

kanir'e hu yavo.

= He will probably come.

4. Necessity — “must / have to”

Hebrew's most important necessity construction is:

חַיָּב — khayav

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

חַיָּב khayav must / has to (m.)

חַיֶּבֶת khayeva must / has to (f.)

חַיָּבִים khayavim must / have to (m. pl.)

חַיָּבוֹת khayavot must / have to (f. pl.)

אֲנִי חַיָּב לָלֶכֶת.

ani khayav lalekhet.

= I must go.

הִיא חַיֶּבֶת לַעֲבוֹד.

hi khayeva la'avod.

= She has to work.

5. Obligation — “have to / be required to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

צָרִיךְ tsarikh need to / have to (m.)

צְרִיכָה tsrikha need to / have to (f.)

צְרִיכִים tsrikheim need to / have to (m. pl.)

צְרִיכוֹת tsrikhot need to / have to (f. pl.)

מֻכְרָח mukh­rakh compelled / must

מֻכְרָחָה mukh­rakha compelled / must

חַיָּב khayav obligated / must

חוֹבָה khova obligation/duty

חוֹבָתוֹ khovato his obligation

נִדְרָשׁ nidrash required

מְחֻיָּב mekhuyav obligated/required

Examples:

אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לַעֲבוֹד.

ani tsarikh la'avod.

= I need to work.

הוּא מֻכְרָח לָלֶכֶת.

hu mukh­rakh lalekhet.

= He is forced/must go.

6. “Need”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

צָרִיךְ tsarikh need

צְרִיכָה tsrikha need

צָרִיךְ לְ־ tsarikh le- need to

צָרִיךְ אֶת־ tsarikh et- need

נָחוּץ nakhuts necessary / needed

נְחוּצָה nekhutsa necessary

דָּרוּשׁ darush required / needed

דְּרוּשָׁה drusha required / needed

Example:

אֲנִי צָרִיךְ עֶזְרָה.

ani tsarikh ezra.

= I need help.

7. “Should / ought to”

Hebrew does not have one exact equivalent of English should. Several constructions are used.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

צָרִיךְ לְ־ tsarikh le- should / ought to

רָאוּי לְ־ ראוי ל־ / רא'ui le- should / ought to

מוּטָב לְ־ mutav le- it is better to / should

כְּדַאי לְ־ kedai le- should / worth doing

מוּמְלָץ לְ־ mumlats le- recommended to

עָדִיף לְ־ adif le- preferable to

רָאוּי שֶׁ־ ראוי ש־ / ra'ui she- it is proper that

מוּטָב שֶׁ־ mutav she- it would be better if

Examples:

כְּדַאי לְךָ לָנוּחַ.

kedai lekha lanuakh.

= You should rest.

מוּטָב שֶׁתֵּלֵךְ.

mutav she-telekh.

= You'd better go.

רָאוּי לַעֲשׂוֹת זֹאת.

ra'ui la'asot zot.

= One ought to do this.

8. Recommendation

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כְּדַאי kedai should / worth it

מוּטָב mutav better

מוּמְלָץ mumlats recommended

מוּמְלֶצֶת mumletset recommended (f.)

עָדִיף adif preferable

רָאוּי ra'ui proper / appropriate

מַמְלִיץ mamlits recommends

מַמְלִיצִים mamlitsim recommend

אֲנִי מַמְלִיץ לְךָ לָלֶכֶת.

ani mamlits lekha lalekhet.

= I recommend that you go.

9. Permission — “may / be allowed to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מֻתָּר mutar allowed / permitted

אֲסוּר asur forbidden

מֻתָּר לְ־ mutar le- may / be allowed to

אֶפְשָׁר לְ־ efshar le- can / may

רַשַּׁאי rashai authorized/allowed (m.)

רַשָּׁאִית resha'it authorized/allowed (f.)

רַשָּׁאִים resha'im authorized (m. pl.)

רַשָּׁאוֹת resha'ot authorized (f. pl.)

הוּרְשָׁה hursha was permitted

Example:

מֻתָּר לָלֶכֶת.

mutar lalekhet.

= You may go / It is permitted to go.

אֲנִי רַשַּׁאי לָצֵאת.

ani rashai latset.

= I am allowed to leave.

10. Prohibition — “must not / may not”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אָסוּר asur forbidden / must not

אָסוּר לְ־ asur le- must not / may not

אֵין לְ־ ein le- one must not / should not

אַל al do not / may you not

לֹא lo not

בְּלִי bli without

Example:

אָסוּר לְעַשֵּׁן כָּאן.

asur le'ashen kan.

= You must not smoke here.

אַל תֵּלֵךְ.

al telekh.

= Don't go.

11. “Must not” vs “do not”

אָסוּר לָלֶכֶת

asur lalekhet

= It is forbidden to go / You must not go.

אַל תֵּלֵךְ

al telekh

= Don't go.

לֹא תֵּלֵךְ

lo telekh

= You will not go / You do not go.

So אַל is particularly important for prohibitive commands.

12. Desire — “want to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

רוֹצֶה rotse want (m.)

רוֹצָה rotsa want (f.)

רוֹצִים rotsim want (m. pl.)

רוֹצוֹת rotsot want (f. pl.)

רוֹצֶה לְ־ rotse le- want to

רוֹצֶה שֶׁ־ rotse she- want that

Example:

אֲנִי רוֹצֶה לֶאֱכֹל.

ani rotse le'ekhol.

= I want to eat.

13. “Would like to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

הָיִיתִי רוֹצֶה hayiti rotse I would like (m.)

הָיִיתִי רוֹצָה hayiti rotsa I would like (f.)

הָיִינוּ רוֹצִים hayinu rotsim we would like

הָיִינוּ רוֹצוֹת hayinu rotsot we would like (f.)

Example:

הָיִיתִי רוֹצֶה לִשְׁתּוֹת מַיִם.

hayiti rotse lishtot mayim.

= I would like to drink water.

14. Intention — “intend to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מִתְכַּוֵּן mitkaven intend (m.)

מִתְכַּוֶּנֶת mitkavenet intend (f.)

מִתְכַּוֵּן לְ־ mitkaven le- intend to

בְּכַוָּנָה bekhavana intentionally

הִתְכַּוֵּן hitkaven intended

Example:

אֲנִי מִתְכַּוֵּן לָלֶכֶת.

ani mitkaven lalekhet.

= I intend to go.

15. Future intention — “going to”

Hebrew commonly uses the future tense itself or:

עוֹמֵד לְ־

omed le-

= be about to / be going to

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

עוֹמֵד לְ־ omed le- going to (m.)

עוֹמֶדֶת לְ־ omedet le- going to (f.)

עוֹמְדִים לְ־ omdim le- going to (m. pl.)

עוֹמְדוֹת לְ־ omdot le- going to (f. pl.)

אֲנִי עוֹמֵד לָלֶכֶת.

ani omed lalekhet.

= I am going to go.

16. Willingness — “be willing to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מוּכָן mukhan willing/ready (m.)

מוּכָנָה mukhana willing/ready (f.)

מוּכָנִים mukhanim willing/ready

מוּכָנוֹת mukhanot willing/ready

מוּכָן לְ־ mukhan le- willing to

מוּכָן שֶׁ־ mukhan she- willing that

Example:

אֲנִי מוּכָן לַעֲזוֹר.

ani mukhan la'azor.

= I am willing to help.

17. Readiness — “be ready to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מוּכָן mukhan ready

מוּכָנָה mukhana ready

מוּכָן לְ־ mukhan le- ready to

עוֹמֵד לְ־ omed le- about to

הִיא מוּכָנָה לָצֵאת.

hi mukhana latset.

= She is ready to leave.

18. Willingness / consent

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מַסְכִּים maskim agree

מַסְכִּימָה maskima agree

מוּכָן mukhan willing

מַסְכִּים לְ־ maskim le- agree to

מַסְכִּים שֶׁ־ maskim she- agree that

אֲנִי מַסְכִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת זֹאת.

ani maskim la'asot zot.

= I agree to do this.

19. Refusal — “refuse to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מְסָרֵב mesarev refuses

מְסָרֶבֶת mesarevet refuses

מְסָרֵב לְ־ mesarev le- refuse to

לֹא מוּכָן lo mukhan unwilling/not willing

לֹא מוּכָנָה lo mukhana unwilling

הוּא מְסָרֵב לַעֲבוֹד.

hu mesarev la'avod.

= He refuses to work.

20. Obligation from external authority

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

מְחֻיָּב mekhuyav obligated

נִדְרָשׁ nidrash required

מוּכְרָח mukh­rakh compelled

מְחֻיָּב לְ־ mekhuyav le- obligated to

נִדְרָשׁ לְ־ nidrash le- required to

מֻכְרָח לְ־ mukh­rakh le- forced to

21. Lack of necessity — “don't have to / needn't”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

לֹא צָרִיךְ lo tsarikh don't need to (m.)

לֹא צְרִיכָה lo tsrikha don't need to (f.)

אֵין צֹרֶךְ לְ־ ein tsorekh le- there is no need to

לֹא חַיָּב lo khayav do not have to

אֵין צֹרֶךְ ein tsorekh there is no need

אֵין צֹרֶךְ לָבוֹא.

ein tsorekh lavo.

= There is no need to come.

22. Certainty — “certainly / definitely / surely”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בְּוַדַּאי bevadai certainly

בֶּטַח betakh certainly / surely

וַדַּאי vaday certainly / definite

בְּהֶחְלֵט behekhlet absolutely / definitely

לְלֹא סָפֵק lelo safek without doubt

בְּוַדָּאוּת bevada'ut certainly

מֻבְטָח muvtakh guaranteed

בָּטוּחַ batuakh sure/certain

Examples:

הוּא בְּוַדַּאי יָבוֹא.

hu bevadai yavo.

= He will certainly come.

בֶּטַח שֶׁכֵּן.

betakh she-ken.

= Certainly / Of course.

23. Uncertainty — “perhaps / maybe”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אוּלַי ulai maybe/perhaps

יִתָּכֵן yitakhen it may be

אֶפְשָׁר efshar possibly

כַּנִּרְאֶה kanir'e apparently/probably

מִי יוֹדֵעַ mi yode'a who knows

אֵין לָדַעַת ein lada'at there is no way to know

24. Expectation

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אָמוּר amur supposed to

אָמוּר לְ־ amur le- supposed to

צָפוּי tsafui expected

צָפוּי לְ־ tsafui le- expected to

עָתִיד לְ־ atid le- destined/expected to

עָתִיד atid future / destined

מְיוֹעָד meyu'ad destined/intended

Very important:

הוּא אָמוּר לָבוֹא.

hu amur lavo.

= He is supposed to come.

הוּא צָפוּי לָבוֹא.

hu tsafui lavo.

= He is expected to come.

25. “Likely to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

סָבִיר שֶׁ־ סביר ש־ / סביר she- likely that

צָפוּי שֶׁ־ tsafui she- expected that

יִתָּכֵן שֶׁ־ yitakhen she- possible that

כַּנִּרְאֶה kanir'e probably/apparently

עָשׂוּי לְ־ asui le- liable/likely to

26. “Apparently / seemingly”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כַּנִּרְאֶה kanir'e apparently/probably

לִכְאוֹרָה likhora apparently/seemingly

כְּנִרְאֶה kenir'e apparently

נִרְאֶה שֶׁ־ nir'e she- it seems that

נִדְמֶה שֶׁ־ nidme she- it seems that

Example:

לִכְאוֹרָה הוּא צוֹדֵק.

likhora hu tsodek.

= Apparently he is right.

27. “Seem / appear”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

נִרְאֶה nir'e seems/appears

נִרְאֶה שֶׁ־ nir'e she- it seems that

נִדְמֶה nidme seems/appears

נִדְמֶה שֶׁ־ nidme she- it seems that

28. “Supposed to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אָמוּר לְ־ amur le- supposed to

הָיָה אָמוּר לְ־ haya amur le- was supposed to

יִהְיֶה אָמוּר לְ־ yihye amur le- will be supposed to

Example:

הוּא הָיָה אָמוּר לָבוֹא.

hu haya amur lavo.

= He was supposed to come.

29. “Have the possibility/opportunity to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

יֵשׁ אֶפְשָׁרוּת לְ־ yesh efsharut le- there is an opportunity/possibility to

יֵשׁ אֶפְשָׁרוּת שֶׁ־ yesh efsharut she- there is a possibility that

יֵשׁ יְכוֹלֶת לְ־ yesh yekholet le- have the ability to

יֵשׁ רְשׁוּת לְ־ yesh reshut le- have permission to

30. Permission — noun-based modal expressions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

רְשׁוּת reshut permission

אִישׁוּר ishur authorization/approval

הֶרְשֵׁה hershe permission

הֶרְשָׁאָה hersha'a authorization

רְשׁוּת לְ־ reshut le- permission to

אִישׁוּר לְ־ ishur le- authorization to

31. “It is necessary”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

צָרִיךְ tsarikh necessary

נָחוּץ nakhuts necessary

חִיּוּנִי khi­yuni essential

הֶכְרֵחִי hek­hre­khi necessary/compulsory

חוֹבָה khova obligation

צֹרֶךְ tsorekh need/necessity

הֶכְרֵחַ hek­h­re­akh necessity

זֶה נָחוּץ.

ze nakhuts.

= This is necessary.

32. “It is possible”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אֶפְשָׁר efshar possible

יִתָּכֵן yitakhen possible

נִיתָן nitan possible/can be done

בְּר־בִּיצוּעַ bar-bitsu'a feasible

בְּאֶפְשָׁרוּת be-efsharut possible/within possibility

33. “It is impossible”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אִי־אֶפְשָׁר i-efshar impossible

אֵי־אֶפְשָׁר ei-efshar impossible

בִּלְתִּי אֶפְשָׁרִי bilti efshari impossible

לֹא יִתָּכֵן lo yitakhen impossible / cannot be

אֵין אֶפְשָׁרוּת ein efsharut there is no possibility

34. “Almost / nearly”

These affect the degree or likelihood of an event.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כִּמְעַט kim'at almost

כִּמְעַט שֶׁ־ kim'at she- almost

כִּמְעַט וְ־ kim'at ve- almost

כִּמְעַט שֶׁלֹּא kim'at she-lo almost didn't

Example:

כִּמְעַט נָפַלְתִּי.

kim'at nafalti.

= I almost fell.

35. “Still / already / yet” — temporal modality

These aren't modal verbs in the strict sense, but they frequently affect the interpretation of an event.

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כְּבָר kvar already

עֲדַיִן adayin still/yet

עוֹד od still/yet/more

עֲדַיִן לֹא adayin lo not yet

כְּבָר לֹא kvar lo no longer

36. “Even if / even though” modal-concessive expressions

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אֲפִלּוּ אִם afilu im even if

גַּם אִם gam im even if

אֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁ־ afilu k'she- even when

לַמְרוֹת lamrot despite

אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁ־ af al pi she- even though

לְמַרוֹת שֶׁ־ lemarot she- although/even though

37. Hypothetical / counterfactual modality

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אִם im if

אִלּוּ ilu if / if only

לוּ lu if / if only

לוּלֵא lule if not for

אַלְמָלֵא almale had it not been for

אִלְמָלֵא ilmale if not for

אִם לֹא im lo if not

אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן ela im ken unless

Examples:

אִלּוּ יָכֹלְתִּי, הָיִיתִי בָּא.

ilu yakholti, hayiti ba.

= If I could, I would come.

לוּ יָדַעְתִּי, הָיִיתִי עוֹשֶׂה אֶת זֶה.

lu yadati, hayiti ose et ze.

= If I had known, I would have done it.

38. “Would” in Hebrew

Hebrew does not have a single modal word equivalent to English would.

It commonly uses:

הָיָה + participle

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

הָיִיתִי hayiti I would / I was

הָיִיתָ hayita you would / you were

הָיִיתְ hayit you would / you were

הָיָה haya he would / he was

הָיְתָה hayta she would / she was

הָיִינוּ hayinu we would / we were

הֱיִיתֶם heyitem you would / you were

הָיוּ hayu they would / they were

Example:

הָיִיתִי עוֹשֶׂה אֶת זֶה.

hayiti ose et ze.

= I would do it.

39. “Could have”

Hebrew normally combines יכול with the past construction.

הָיִיתִי יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת זֶה.

hayiti yakhol la'asot et ze.

= I could have done that / I was able to do that.

Negative:

לֹא הָיִיתִי יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת זֶה.

lo hayiti yakhol la'asot et ze.

= I couldn't have done that / I wasn't able to do that.

40. “Should have”

Hebrew commonly uses:

הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְ־

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְ־ haya tsarikh le- should have (m.)

הָיְתָה צְרִיכָה לְ־ hayta tsrikha le- should have (f.)

הָיִיתִי צָרִיךְ לְ־ hayiti tsarikh le- I should have (m.)

הָיִיתִי צְרִיכָה לְ־ hayiti tsrikha le- I should have (f.)

Example:

הָיִיתִי צָרִיךְ לָבוֹא.

hayiti tsarikh lavo.

= I should have come / I was supposed to come.

41. “Must have”

Hebrew often expresses deduction with:

בְּוַדַּאי + past

or

בְּוַדַּאי הָיָה...

Example:

הוּא בְּוַדַּאי הִגִּיעַ.

hu bevadai higi'a.

= He must have arrived.

Literally, this is closer to:

“He certainly arrived.”

42. “May have / might have”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

אוּלַי ulai may/might

יִתָּכֵן שֶׁ־ yitakhen she- may have

יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת שֶׁ־ yakhol lihyot she- might have

אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁ־ efshar she- may have

Example:

אוּלַי הוּא שָׁכַח.

ulai hu shakhakh.

= He may have forgotten.

43. “Needn't have”

Hebrew:

לֹא הָיָה צֹרֶךְ לְ־

lo haya tsorekh le-

= there was no need to...

Example:

לֹא הָיָה צֹרֶךְ לָבוֹא.

lo haya tsorekh lavo.

= You needn't have come.

44. Evidential modality — “apparently / according to”

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

כַּנִּרְאֶה kanir'e apparently

לִכְאוֹרָה likhora apparently

לְפִי הַנִּרְאֶה lefi ha-nir'e apparently

עַל פִּי al pi according to

לְפִי lefi according to

עַל פִּי הַדִּיוּחִים al pi ha-diyukhim according to reports

לְדִבְרֵי ledivrei according to the words/account of

45. Speaker attitude / emphasis

Hebrew Transliteration Meaning

בְּהֶחְלֵט behekhlet definitely/absolutely

בֶּטַח betakh surely

בְּוַדַּאי bevadai certainly

כְּנִרְאֶה kenir'e apparently

לִכְאוֹרָה likhora apparently

בְּעֶקְרוֹן be-ikaron in principle

בְּדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל bederekh klal generally

בְּדֶרֶךְ כְּלָל bederekh klal normally

בְּעֶצֶם be-etsem actually/essentially

לְמַעֲשֶׂה lema'ase actually/in fact

<h2>21- THERE IS / HAVE / BE</h2>

there is יש yesh yesh + noun

there are יש yesh yesh + plural noun

there is not אין ein ein + noun

there was היה haya haya + noun

there were היו hayu hayu + plural noun

there will be יהיה yihye yihye + noun

there will be (plural) יהיו yihyu yihyu + plural noun

have יש לי yesh li yesh + le + person

I have יש לי yesh li

you (m.) have יש לך yesh lekha

you (f.) have יש לך yesh lakh

he has יש לו yesh lo

she has יש לה yesh la

we have יש לנו yesh lanu

they have יש להם yesh lahem

IMPERATIVES:

You (m. singular) imperative imperative כתוב! Khtov! Write!

You (f. singular) imperative imperative כתבי! Kitvi! Write!

You (plural) imperative imperative כתבו! Kitvu! Write!

Positive command imperative form + verb imperative form + verb כתוב את הספר! Khtov et ha-sefer! Write the book!

Negative command אל + future al + future אל תכתוב! Al tichtov! Don't write!

Please בבקשה + imperative bevakasha + imperative בבקשה כתוב! Bevakasha khtov! Please write!

Let's בוא + future bo + future בוא נכתוב! Bo nikhtov! Let's write!

Be + passive action passive participle passive participle היה מוכן! Heye mukhan! Be ready!

Let it be done ש־ + passive future she- + passive future שזה ייעשה! She-ze ye'ase! Let it be done!

Please be prepared בבקשה + היה + passive participle bevakasha + haya + passive participle בבקשה היה מוכן! Bevakasha heye mukhan! Please be prepared!

It is allowed to be done מותר + passive infinitive mutar + le + passive infinitive מותר להיעשות Mutar le-he'asot It is allowed to be done.