The grammar of Modern Hebrew shares similarities with that of its Biblical Hebrew counterpart, but it has evolved significantly over time. Modern Hebrew grammar incorporates analytic, expressing such forms as dative, ablative, and accusative using prepositional particles rather than morphological cases.
Modern Hebrew grammar is also fusional synthetic:[1] inflection plays a role in the formation of verbs and nouns (using non-concatenative discontinuous morphemes realised by vowel transfixation) and the declension of prepositions (i.e. with pronominal suffixes).
Examples of Hebrew here are represented using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as well as native script. Although most speakers collapse the phonemes pronounced as //ħ, ʕ// into pronounced as //χ, ʔ//,[2] the distinction is maintained by a limited number of speakers and will therefore be indicated here for maximum coverage. In the transcriptions, pronounced as //r// is used for the rhotic, which in Modern Hebrew phonology is more commonly a lax voiced uvular approximant pronounced as /link/.
Hebrew is written from right to left.
Every Hebrew sentence must contain at least one subject, at least one predicate, usually but not always a verb, and possibly other arguments and complements.
Word order in Modern Hebrew is somewhat similar to that in English: as opposed to Biblical Hebrew, where the word order is verb-subject-object, the usual word order in Modern Hebrew is subject-verb-object. Thus, if there is no case marking, one can resort to the word order. Modern Hebrew is characterized by an asymmetry between definite objects and indefinite objects. There is an accusative marker, et, only before a definite object (mostly a definite noun or personal name). Et-ha is currently undergoing fusion and reduction to become ta. Consider ten li et ha-séfer "give:2ndPerson.Masculine.Singular.Imperative to-me ACCUSATIVE the-book" (i.e. "Give me the book"), where et, albeit syntactically a case-marker, is a preposition and ha is a definite article. This sentence is realised phonetically as ten li ta-séfer.
In sentences where the predicate is a verb, the word order is usually subject–verb–object (SVO), as in English. However, word order can change in the following instances:
Generally, Hebrew marks every noun in a sentence with some sort of preposition, with the exception of subjects and semantically indefinite direct objects. Unlike English, indirect objects require prepositions (Hebrew "Hebrew: rtl=yes|הוּא נָתַן '''לִי''' אֶת הַכַּדּוּר" /hu naˈtan li ʔet ha-kaˈdur/ (literally "he gave to-me direct-object-marker the ball) in contrast to English "He gave me the ball") and semantically definite direct objects are introduced by the preposition Hebrew: rtl=yes|את pronounced as //et// (Hebrew "Hebrew: rtl=yes|הוּא נָתַן לִי '''אֶת הַכַּדּוּר'''" /hu naˈtan li ʔet ha-kaˈdur/ (literally "he gave to-me direct-object-marker the ball) in contrast to English "He gave me the ball").
Hebrew also produces sentences where the predicate is not a finite verb. A sentence of this type is called pronounced as //miʃˈpat ʃemaˈni//, a nominal sentence. These sentences contain a subject, a non-verbal predicate, and an optional copula. Types of copulae include:
While the verb to be does have present-tense forms, they are used only in exceptional circumstances. The following structures are used instead:
When the sentence implies progression or change, the said verbs are used and considered copulae between the nominal subject and the non-verbal predicate. For instance:
Possession in Hebrew is constructed indefinitely. There is no Hebrew translation to the English verb "to have," common in many Indo-European languages to express possession as well as to serve as a helping verb. To express the English sentence "I have a dog" in Hebrew is Hebrew: rtl=yes|"יֵשׁ לִי כֶּלֶב",ˈ/jeːʃ ˈliː ˈkelev/, literally meaning "there exists to me a dog." The word Hebrew: rtl=yes|יֵשׁ pronounced as //jeʃ// expresses existence in the present tense, and is unique in the Hebrew language as a verb-like form with no inflected qualities at all. Dispossession in the present tense in Hebrew is expressed with the antithesis to Hebrew: rtl=yes|יש, which is Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵין pronounced as //en// – Hebrew: rtl=yes|"אֵין לִי כֶּלֶב" pronounced as //en li ˈkelev// means "I do not have a dog." Possession in the past and the future in Hebrew is also expressed impersonally, but uses conjugated forms of the Hebrew copula, Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִהְיוֹת [lihyot]. For example, the same sentence "I do not have a dog" would in the past tense become Hebrew: rtl=yes|"לֹא הָיָה לִי כֶּלֶב" pronounced as //lo haja li kelev//, literally meaning "there was not to me a dog."
Sentences are generally divided into three types:
A simple sentence is a sentence that contains one subject, one verb, and optional objects. As the name implies, it is the simplest type of sentence.
Two or more sentences that do not share common parts and can be separated by comma are called Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִשְפָּט מְחֻבָּר /miʃˈpat meħuˈbar/, a compound sentence. In many cases, the second sentence uses a pronoun that stands for the other's subject; they are generally interconnected. The two sentences are linked with a coordinating conjunction (Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִלַּת חִבּוּר pronounced as //miˈlat ħiˈbur//). The conjunction is a stand-alone word that serves as a connection between both parts of the sentence, belonging to neither part.
Both parts of the sentence can be separated by a period and stand alone as grammatically correct sentences, which makes the sentence a compound sentence (and not a complex sentence):
Hebrew: rtl=yes|לֹא אָכַלְתִּי כָּל הַיּוֹם. בְּסוֹף הַיּוֹם הָיִיתִי מוּתָשׁ. pronounced as //lo ʔaˈχalti kol ha-ˈjom. be-ˈsof ha-ˈjom haˈjiti muˈtaʃ.// (I haven't eaten all day. By the end of the day I was exhausted.)
Like English, Hebrew allows clauses, Hebrew: rtl=yes|פְּסוּקִיּוֹת pronounced as //psukiˈjot// (sing. Hebrew: rtl=yes|פְּסוּקִית pronounced as //psuˈkit//), to serve as parts of a sentence. A sentence containing a subordinate clause is called Hebrew: rtl=yes|משפט מרכב pronounced as //miʃˈpat murˈkav//, or a complex sentence. Subordinate clauses almost always begin with the subordinating conjunction Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁ־ pronounced as //ʃe-// (usually that), which attaches as a prefix to the word that follows it. For example, in the sentence Hebrew: rtl=yes|יוֹסִי אוֹמֵר שֶׁהוּא אוֹכֵל pronounced as //ˈjosi ʔoˈmer ʃe-ˈhu ʔoˈχel// (Yossi says that he is eating), the subordinate clause Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁהוּא אוֹכֵל pronounced as //ʃe-ˈhu ʔoˈχel// (that he is eating) serves as the direct object of the verb Hebrew: rtl=yes|אוֹמֵר pronounced as //ʔoˈmer// (says). Unlike English, Hebrew does not have a large number of subordinating conjunctions; rather, subordinate clauses almost always act as nouns and can be introduced by prepositions in order to serve as adverbs. For example, the English As I said, there's nothing we can do in Hebrew is Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''כְּפִי שֶׁ'''אָמַרְתִּי, אֵין מָה לַעֲשׂוֹת pronounced as //kfi ʃe-ʔaˈmarti, ʔen ma laʕaˈsot// (literally As that-I-said, there-isn't what to-do).
That said, relative clauses, which act as adjectives, are also formed using Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁ־ pronounced as //ʃe-//. For example, English Yosi sees the man who is eating apples is in Hebrew Hebrew: rtl=yes|יוֹסִי רוֹאֶה אֶת הָאִישׁ שֶׁאוֹכֵל תַּפּוּחִים pronounced as //ˈjosi roˈʔe ʔet ha-ˈʔiʃ ʃe-ʔoˈχel tapuˈħim// (literally Yosi sees [et] the-man that-eats apples). In this use Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁ־ pronounced as //ʃe-// sometimes acts as a relativizer rather than as a relative pronoun; that is, sometimes the pronoun remains behind in the clause: Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִיא מַכִּירָה אֶת הָאִישׁ שֶׁדִּבַּרְתִּי עָלָיו pronounced as //hi makiˈra ʔet ha-ˈʔiʃ ʃe-diˈbarti ʕaˈlav//, which translates to She knows the man I talked about, literally means She knows [et] the-man that-I-talked about him. This is because in Hebrew, a preposition (in this case Hebrew: rtl=yes|על pronounced as //ʕal//) cannot appear without its object, so the him Hebrew: rtl=yes|-יו (pronounced as //-av//) could not be dropped. However, some sentences, such as the above example, can be written both with relativizers and with relative pronouns. The sentence can also be rearranged into Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִיא מַכִּירָה אֶת הָאִישׁ עָלָיו דִבַּרְתִּי pronounced as //hi makiˈra ʔet ha-ˈʔiʃ ʕaˈlav diˈbarti//, literally She knows [et] the-man about him I-talked., and translates into the same meaning. In that example, the preposition and its object Hebrew: rtl=yes|עָלָיו pronounced as //ʕaˈlav// also act as a relative pronoun, without use of Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁ־ pronounced as //ʃe-//.
A sentence may lack a determinate subject, then it is called Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִשְפָּט סְתָמִי pronounced as //miʃˈpat staˈmi//, an indefinite or impersonal sentence. These are used in order to put emphasis on the action, and not on the agent of the action. Usually the verb is of the 3rd person plural form.
When a sentence contains multiple parts of the same grammatical function and relate to the same part of the sentence, they are called collective parts. They are usually separated with the preposition וְ- pronounced as //ve-// (and), and if there are more than two, they are separated with commas while the last pair with the preposition, as in English. Collective parts can have any grammatical function in the sentence, for instance:
When a collective part is preceded by a preposition, the preposition must be copied onto all parts of the collective.
Hebrew verbs (Hebrew: rtl=yes|פועל pronounced as //ˈpoʕal//) utilize nonconcatenative morphology extensively, meaning they have much more internal structure than most other languages. Every Hebrew verb is formed by casting a three- or four-consonant root (Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֹׁרֶשׁ pronounced as //ˈʃoreʃ//) into one of seven derived stems called pronounced as //binjaˈnim// (Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּנְיָנִים, meaning buildings or constructions; the singular is Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּנְיָן pronounced as //binˈjan//, written henceforth as binyan). Most roots can be cast into more than one binyan, meaning more than one verb can be formed from a typical root. When this is the case, the different verbs are usually related in meaning, typically differing in voice, valency, semantic intensity, aspect, or a combination of these features. The "concept" of the Hebrew verb's meaning is defined by the identity of the triliteral root. The "concept" of the Hebrew verb assumes verbal meaning by taking on vowel-structure as dictated by the binyan's rules.
See main article: Modern Hebrew verb conjugation.
Each binyan has a certain pattern of conjugation and verbs in the same binyan are conjugated similarly. Conjugation patterns within a binyan alter somewhat depending on certain phonological qualities of the verb's root; the alterations (called Hebrew: rtl=yes|גִּזְרָה pronounced as /he/, meaning "form") are defined by the presence of certain letters composing the root. For example, three-letter roots (triliterals) whose second letter is Hebrew: rtl=yes|ו pronounced as //vav// or Hebrew: rtl=yes|י pronounced as //jud// are so-called hollow or weak roots, losing their second letter in binyan Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִפְעִיל pronounced as //hifˈʕil//, in Hebrew: rtl=yes|הֻפְעַל pronounced as //hufˈʕal//, and in much of Hebrew: rtl=yes|פָּעַל pronounced as //paʕal//. The feature of being conjugated differently because the second root-letter is Hebrew: rtl=yes|ו or Hebrew: rtl=yes|י is an example of a gizra. These verbs are not strictly irregular verbs, because all Hebrew verbs that possess the same feature of the gizra are conjugated in accordance with the gizra's particular set of rules.
Every verb has a past tense, a present tense, and a future tense, with the present tense doubling as a present participle. Other forms also exist for certain verbs: verbs in five of the binyanim have an imperative mood and an infinitive, verbs in four of the binyanim have gerunds, and verbs in one of the binyanim have a past participle. Finally, a very small number of fixed expressions include verbs in the jussive mood, which is essentially an extension of the imperative into the third person. Except for the infinitive and gerund, these forms are conjugated to reflect the number (singular or plural), person (first, second, or third) and gender (masculine or feminine) of its subject, depending on the form. Modern Hebrew also has an analytic conditional~past-habitual mood expressed with the auxiliary haya.
In listings such as dictionaries, Hebrew verbs are sorted by their third-person masculine singular past tense form. This differs from English verbs, which are identified by their infinitives. (Nonetheless, the Hebrew term for infinitive is shem poʕal, which means verb name.) Further, each of the seven binyanim is identified by the third-person masculine singular past tense form of the root Hebrew: rtl=yes|פ־ע־ל (P-ʕ-L, meaning doing, action, etc.) cast into that binyan: Hebrew: rtl=yes|פָּעַל pronounced as //ˈpaʕal//, Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִפְעַל pronounced as //nifˈʕal//, Hebrew: rtl=yes|פִּעֵל pronounced as //piˈʕel//, Hebrew: rtl=yes|פֻּעַל pronounced as //puˈʕal//, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִפְעִיל pronounced as //hifˈʕil//, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הֻפְעַל pronounced as //hufˈʕal//, and Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִתְפַּעֵל pronounced as //hitpaˈʕel//.
Binyan paʕal, also called binyan Hebrew: rtl=yes|קַל or qal pronounced as //qal// (light), is the most common binyan. Paʕal verbs are in the active voice, and can be either transitive or intransitive. This means that they may or may not take direct objects. Paʕal verbs are never formed from four-letter roots.
Binyan paʕal is the only binyan in which a given root can have both an active and a passive participle. For example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|רָצוּי pronounced as //raˈt͡suj// (desirable) is the passive participle of Hebrew: rtl=yes|רָצָה pronounced as //raˈt͡sa// (want).
Binyan paʕal has the most diverse number of gzarot (pl. of gizra), and the small number of Hebrew verbs that are strictly irregular (about six to ten) are generally considered to be part of the pa'al binyan, as they have some conjugation features similar to paʕal.
Verbs in binyan nifal are always intransitive, but beyond that there is little restriction on their range of meanings.
The nifal is the passive-voice counterpart of paal. In principle, any transitive paal verb can be rendered passive by taking its root and casting it into nifal. Nonetheless, this is not nifʕals main use, as the passive voice is fairly rare in ordinary Modern Hebrew.
More commonly, it is paals middle- or reflexive-voice counterpart. Ergative verbs in English often translate into Hebrew as a paal–nifal pair. For example, English he broke the plate corresponds to Hebrew Hebrew: rtl=yes|הוּא שָׁבַר אֶת הַצַּלַּחַת pronounced as //hu ʃaˈvar et ha-t͡saˈlaħat//, using paa'al; but English the plate broke corresponds to Hebrew Hebrew: rtl=yes|הַצַּלַּחַת נִשְׁבְּרָה pronounced as //ha-t͡saˈlaħat niʃbeˈra//, using nifal. The difference is that in the first case, there is an agent doing the breaking (active), while in the second case, the agent is ignored (although the object is acted upon; passive). (Nonetheless, as in English, it can still be made clear that there was an ultimate agent: Hebrew: rtl=yes|הוּא הִפִּיל אֶת הַצַּלַּחַת וְהִיא נִשְׁבְּרָה pronounced as //hu hiˈpil ʔet ha-t͡saˈlaħat ve-hi niʃbeˈra//, he dropped the plate and it broke, uses nif'al.) Other examples of this kind include Hebrew: rtl=yes|פָּתַח pronounced as //paˈtaħ///Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִפְתַּח pronounced as //nifˈtaħ// (to open, transitive/intransitive) and Hebrew: rtl=yes|גָּמַר pronounced as //ɡaˈmar///Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִגְמַר pronounced as //niɡˈmar// (to end, transitive/intransitive).
Other relationships between a paa'al verb and its nifa'al counterpart can exist as well. One example is Hebrew: rtl=yes|זָכַר pronounced as //zaˈχar// and Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִזְכַּר pronounced as //nizˈkar//: both mean to remember, but the latter implies that one had previously forgotten, rather like English to suddenly remember. Another is Hebrew: rtl=yes|פָּגַשׁ pronounced as //paˈɡaʃ// and Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִפְגַּשׁ pronounced as //nifˈɡaʃ//: both mean to meet, but the latter implies an intentional meeting, while the former often means an accidental meeting.
Finally, sometimes a nifal verb has no pa'al counterpart, or at least is much more common than its paʕal counterpart; Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִדְבַּק pronounced as //nidˈbak// (to stick, intransitive) is a fairly common verb, but Hebrew: rtl=yes|דָּבַק pronounced as //daˈvak// (to cling) is all but non-existent by comparison. (Indeed, Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִדְבַּק pronounced as //nidˈbak//'s transitive counterpart is Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִדְבִּיק pronounced as //hidˈbik//, of binyan hifʕil; see below.)
Like pa'al verbs, nifal verbs are never formed from four-letter roots.
Nifal verbs, unlike verbs in the other passive binyanim (pua'al and hufa'al, described below), do have gerunds, infinitives and imperatives.
Binyan pi'el, like binyan pa'al, consists of transitive and intransitive verbs in the active voice, though there is perhaps a greater tendency for piʕel verbs to be transitive.
Most roots with a pa'al verb do not have a piʕel verb, and vice versa, but even so, there are many roots that do have both. Sometimes the pi'el verb is a more intense version of the paʕal verb; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|קִפֵּץ pronounced as //kiˈpet͡s// (to spring) is a more intense version of Hebrew: rtl=yes|קָפַץ pronounced as //kaˈfat͡s// (to jump), and Hebrew: rtl=yes|שִׁבֵּר pronounced as //ʃiˈber// (to smash, to shatter, transitive) is a more intense version of Hebrew: rtl=yes|שָׁבַר pronounced as //ʃaˈvar// (to break, transitive). In other cases, a piʕel verb acts as a causative counterpart to the pa'al verb with the same root; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִמֵּד pronounced as //liˈmed// (to teach) is essentially the causative of Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָמַד pronounced as //laˈmad// (to learn). And in yet other cases, the nature of the relationship is less obvious; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|סִפֵּר pronounced as //siˈper// means to tell / to narrate or to cut hair, while Hebrew: rtl=yes|סָפַר pronounced as //saˈfar// means to count, and Hebrew: rtl=yes|פִּתֵּחַ pronounced as //piˈte.aħ// means to develop (transitive verb), while Hebrew: rtl=yes|פָּתַח pronounced as //paˈtaħ// means to open (transitive verb).
Binyan puʕal is the passive-voice counterpart of binyan piʕel. Unlike binyan nifʕal, it is used only for the passive voice. It is therefore not very commonly used in ordinary speech, except that the present participles of a number of puʕal verbs are used as ordinary adjectives: Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְבֻלְבָּל pronounced as //mevulˈbal// means mixed-up (from Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֻּלְבַּל pronounced as //bulˈbal//, the passive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּלְבֵּל pronounced as //bilˈbel//, to confuse), Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְעֻנְיָן pronounced as //meunˈjan// means interested, Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְפֻרְסָם pronounced as //mefurˈsam// means famous (from Hebrew: rtl=yes|פֻּרְסַם pronounced as //purˈsam//, the passive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|פִּרְסֵם pronounced as //pirˈsem//, to publicize), and so on. Indeed, the same is true of many piʕel verbs, including the piʕel counterparts of two of the above examples: Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְבַלְבֵּל pronounced as //mevalˈbel//, confusing, and Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְעַנְיֵן pronounced as //meʕanˈjen//, interesting. The difference is that piʕel verbs are also frequently used as verbs, whereas puʕal is much less common.
Puʕal verbs do not have gerunds, imperatives, or infinitives.
Binyan hifʕil is another active binyan. Hifʕil verbs are often causative counterparts of verbs in other binyanim; examples include Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִכְתִּיב pronounced as //hiχˈtiv// (to dictate; the causative of Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּתַב pronounced as //kaˈtav//, to write), Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִדְלִיק pronounced as //hidˈlik// (to turn on (a light), transitive; the causative of Hebrew: rtl=yes|נִדְלַק pronounced as //nidˈlak//, (for a light) to turn on, intransitive), and Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִרְשִׁים pronounced as //hirˈʃim// (to impress; the causative of Hebrew: rtl=yes|התרשם pronounced as //hitraˈʃem//, to be impressed). Nonetheless, not all are causatives of other verbs; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִבְטִיחַ pronounced as //hivˈtiaħ// (to promise).
Binyan huf'al is much like binyan pu'al, except that it corresponds to hif'il instead of to pi'el. Like pu'al, it is not commonly used in ordinary speech, except in present participles that have become adjectives, such as Hebrew: rtl=yes|מֻכָּר pronounced as //muˈkar// (familiar, from Hebrew: rtl=yes|הֻכַּר pronounced as //huˈkar//, the passive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִכִּיר pronounced as //hiˈkir//, to know (a person)) and Hebrew: rtl=yes|מֻגְזָם pronounced as //muɡˈzam// (excessive, from pronounced as //huɡˈzam//, the passive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִגְזִים pronounced as //hiɡˈzim//, to exaggerate). Like puʕal verbs, hufʕal verbs do not have gerunds, imperatives, or infinitives.
Binyan hitpa'el is rather like binyan nif'al, in that all hitpa'el verbs are intransitive, and most have a reflexive sense. Indeed, many hitpa'el verbs are reflexive counterparts to other verbs with the same root; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִתְרַחֵץ pronounced as //hitraˈħet͡s// (to wash oneself) is the reflexive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|רָחַץ pronounced as //raˈħat͡s// (to wash, transitive), and Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִתְגַּלֵּחַ pronounced as //hitɡaˈleaħ// (to shave oneself, i.e. to shave, intransitive) is the reflexive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|גִּלֵּחַ pronounced as //ɡiˈleaħ// (to shave, transitive). Some hitpaʕel verbs are a combination of causative and reflexive; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִסְתַּפֵּר pronounced as //histaˈper// (to get one's hair cut) is the causative reflexive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|סִפֵּר pronounced as //siˈper// (to cut (hair)), and Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִצְטַלֵּם pronounced as //hit͡staˈlem// (to get one's picture taken) is the causative reflexive of Hebrew: rtl=yes|צִלֵּם pronounced as //t͡siˈlem// (to take a picture (of someone or something)).
Hitpa'el verbs can also be reciprocal; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִתְכַּתֵּב pronounced as //hitkaˈtev// (to write to each other, i.e. to correspond) is the reciprocal of Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּתַב pronounced as //kaˈtav// (to write).
In all of the above uses, the hitpa'el verb contrasts with a pu'al or huf'al verb in two ways: firstly, the subject of the hitpa'el verb is generally either performing the action, or at least complicit in it, whereas the subject of the pu'al or huf'al verb is generally not; and secondly, pu'al and huf'al verbs often convey a sense of completeness, which hitpa'el verbs generally do not. So whereas the sentence Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֲנִי מְצֻלָּם pronounced as //aˈni met͡suˈlam// (I am photographed, using pu'al) means something like there exists a photo of me, implying that the photo already exists, and not specifying whether the speaker caused the photo to be taken, the sentence Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֲנִי מִצְטַלֵּם pronounced as //aˈni mit͡staˈlem// (I am photographed, using hitpa'el) means something like I'm having my picture taken, implying that the picture does not exist yet, and that the speaker is causing the picture to be taken.
In other cases, hitpa'el verbs are ordinary intransitive verbs; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|התנהג pronounced as //hitnaˈheɡ// (to behave), structurally is the reciprocal of Hebrew: rtl=yes|נהג pronounced as //naˈhaɡ// (to act), as in Hebrew: rtl=yes|נְהַג''' בְּחָכְמָה''' pronounced as //neˈhag be-ħoχˈma// (act wisely). However, it is used sparsely, only in sayings as such, and the more common meaning of nahaɡ is to drive; for that meaning, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִתְנַהֵג pronounced as //hitnaˈheɡ// is not a reciprocal form, but a separate verb in effect. For example: in talking about a car that drives itself, one would say Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְכוֹנִית שֶׁנּוֹהֶגֶת אֶת עַצְמָהּ pronounced as //meχoˈnit ʃe-noˈheɡet ʔet ʕat͡sˈmah// (a car that drives itself, using nahag), not Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְכוֹנִית שֶׁמִּתְנַהֶגֶת pronounced as //meχoˈnit ʃe-mitnaˈheɡet// (a car that behaves, using hitnaheg).
The Hebrew noun (Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֵׁם עֶצֶם pronounced as //ʃem ʕet͡sem//) is inflected for number and state, but not for case and therefore Hebrew nominal structure is normally not considered to be strictly declensional. Nouns are generally related to verbs (by shared roots), but their formation is not as systematic, often due to loanwords from foreign languages. Hebrew nouns are also inflected for definiteness by application of the prefix ַה (ha) before the given noun. Semantically, the prefix "ha" corresponds roughly to the English word "the".
Every noun in Hebrew has a gender, either masculine or feminine (or both); for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|סֵפֶר pronounced as //ˈsefer// (book) is masculine, Hebrew: rtl=yes|דֶּלֶת pronounced as //ˈdelet// (door) is feminine, and Hebrew: rtl=yes|סַכִּין pronounced as //saˈkin// (knife) is both. There is no strict system of formal gender, but there is a tendency for nouns ending in Hebrew: rtl=yes|ת (pronounced as //-t//) or Hebrew: rtl=yes|ה (usually pronounced as //-a//) to be feminine and for nouns ending in other letters to be masculine. There is a very strong tendency toward natural gender for nouns referring to people and some animals. Such nouns generally come in pairs, one masculine and one feminine; for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|אִישׁ pronounced as //iʃ// means man and Hebrew: rtl=yes|אִשָּׁה pronounced as //iˈʃa// means woman. (When discussing mixed-sex groups, the plural of the masculine noun is used.)
Hebrew nouns are inflected for grammatical number; as in English, count nouns have a singular form for referring to one object and a plural form for referring to more than one. Unlike in English, some count nouns also have separate dual forms, for referring to two objects; see below.
Masculine nouns generally form their plural by adding the suffix Hebrew: rtl=yes|־ים pronounced as //-im//:
The addition of the extra syllable usually causes the vowel in the first syllable to shorten if it is Kamatz:
Many common two-syllable masculine nouns accented on the penultimate syllable (often called segolates, because many (but not all) of them have the vowel pronounced as //seˈɡol// (pronounced as //-e-//) in the last syllable), undergo more drastic characteristic vowel changes in the plural:
Feminine nouns ending in pronounced as //-a// or pronounced as //-at// generally drop this ending and add pronounced as //-ot//, usually without any vowel changes:
Nouns ending in pronounced as //-e-et// also replace this ending with pronounced as //-ot//, with an pronounced as //-e-// in the preceding syllable usually changing to pronounced as //-a-//:
Nouns ending in pronounced as //-ut// and pronounced as //-it// replace these endings with pronounced as //-ujot// and pronounced as //-ijot//, respectively:
A large number of masculine nouns take the usually feminine ending pronounced as //-ot// in the plural:
A small number of feminine nouns take the usually masculine ending pronounced as //-im//:
Many plurals are completely irregular:
Some forms, like Hebrew: rtl=yes|אָחוֹת ← אֲחָיוֹת (sister) or Hebrew: rtl=yes|חָמוֹת ← חֲמָיוֹת (mother-in-law) reflect the historical broken plurals of Proto-Semitic, which have been preserved in other Semitic languages (most notably Arabic).[3] [4]
Hebrew also has a dual number, expressed in the ending pronounced as //-ajim//, but even in ancient times its use was very restricted. In modern times, it is usually used in expressions of time and number, or items that are inherently dual. These nouns have plurals as well, which are used for numbers higher than two, for example:
| Singular | Double | Triple | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|פַּעַם אַחַת pronounced as //ˈpaʕam aˈħat// (once) | Hebrew: rtl=yes|פַּעֲמַיִם pronounced as //paʕaˈmajim// (twice) | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים pronounced as //ʃaˈloʃ peʕaˈmim// (thrice) | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|שָׁבוּעַ אֶחָד pronounced as //ʃaˈvuaʕ eˈħad// (one week) | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שְׁבוּעַיִם pronounced as //ʃvuˈʕajim// (two weeks) | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שְׁלוֹשָׁה שָׁבוּעוֹת pronounced as //ʃloˈʃa ʃavuˈʕot// (three weeks) | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|מֵאָה pronounced as //ˈmeʔa// (one hundred) | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מָאתַיִם pronounced as //maˈtajim// (two hundred) | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שְׁלוֹשׁ מֵאוֹת pronounced as //ˈʃloʃ meˈʔot// (three hundred) |
The dual is also used for some body parts, for instance:
In this case, even if there are more than two, the dual is still used, for instance pronounced as //leˈχelev jeʃ ˈʔarbaʕ raɡˈlajim// ("a dog has four legs").
The dual is also used for certain objects that are "semantically" dual. These words have no singular, for instance Hebrew: rtl=yes|משקפים pronounced as //miʃkaˈfajim// (eyeglasses) and Hebrew: rtl=yes|מספרים pronounced as //mispaˈrajim// (scissors). As in the English "two pairs of pants", the plural of these words uses the word Hebrew: rtl=yes|זוּג pronounced as //zuɡ// (pair), e.g. pronounced as //ʃne zuˈɡot mispaˈrajim// ("two pairs-of scissors-DUAL").
Similarly, the dual can be found in some place names, such as the city Hebrew: rtl=yes|גִּבְעָתַיִם pronounced as //givʕaˈtajim// (Twin Peaks, referring to the two hills of the landscape on which the city is built) and the country Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִצְרַיִם /mit͡sˈrajim/ (Egypt, related to the ancient conceptualization of Egypt as two realms: Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt). However, both the city name and country name are actually grammatically treated as feminine singular nouns, as the words Hebrew: rtl=yes|עיר /ʕir/ for city and Hebrew: rtl=yes|מדינה /mediˈna/ for country are both feminine.
In Hebrew, as in English, a noun can modify another noun. This is achieved by placing the modifier immediately after what it modifies, in a construction called Hebrew: rtl=yes|סְמִיכוּת pronounced as //smiˈχut// (adjacency). The noun being modified appears in its construct form, or status constructus. For most nouns, the construct form is derived fairly easily from the normal (indefinite) form:
There are many words (usually ancient ones) that have changes in vocalization in the construct form. For example, the construct form of pronounced as //ˈbajit// (house, Hebrew: rtl=yes|בַּיִת) is pronounced as //bet// (house-of, Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּית). However, these two forms are written the same without niqqudot.
In addition, the definite article is never placed on the first noun (the one in the construct form).
However, this rule is not always adhered to in informal or colloquial speech; one finds, for example, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הָעוֹרֵךְ דִּין pronounced as //ha-ˈoʁeχ din// (literally the law organiser, i.e. lawyer).
Possession is generally indicated using the preposition Hebrew: rtl=yes|של pronounced as //ʃel//, roughly meaning of or belonging to:
In literary style, nouns are inflected to show possession through noun declension; a personal suffix is added to the construct form of the noun (discussed above). So, Hebrew: rtl=yes|סִפְרֵי pronounced as //sifˈre// (books of) can be inflected to form Hebrew: rtl=yes|סְפָרַי pronounced as //sfaˈraj// (my books), Hebrew: rtl=yes|סְפָרֶיךָ pronounced as //sfaˈreχa// (your books, singular masculine form), Hebrew: rtl=yes|סְפָרֵינוּ pronounced as //sfaˈrenu// (our books), and so forth, while Hebrew: rtl=yes|דִּירַת pronounced as //diˈrat// (apartment of) gives Hebrew: rtl=yes|דִּירָתִי pronounced as //diraˈti// (my apartment), Hebrew: rtl=yes|דִּירַתְךָ pronounced as //diratˈχa// (your apartment; singular masculine form), Hebrew: rtl=yes|דִּירָתֵנוּ pronounced as //diraˈtenu// (our apartment), etc.
While the use of these forms is mostly restricted to formal and literary speech, they are in regular use in some colloquial phrases, such as Hebrew: rtl=yes|מָה שְׁלוֹמְךָ? pronounced as //ma ʃlomˈχa?// (literally "what peace-of-you?", i.e. "what is your peace?", i.e. "how are you?", singular masculine form) or Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְדַעֲתִי pronounced as //ledaʕaˈti// (in my opinion/according to my knowledge).
In addition, the inflected possessive is commonly used for terms of kinship; for instance, Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּנִי pronounced as //bni// (my son), Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּתָּם pronounced as //biˈtam// (their daughter), and Hebrew: rtl=yes|אִשְׁתּוֹ pronounced as //iʃˈto// (his wife) are preferred to Hebrew: rtl=yes|הַבֵּן שֶׁלִּי pronounced as //ha-ˈben ʃe'li//, Hebrew: rtl=yes|הַבַּת שֶׁלָּהֶם pronounced as //ha-ˈbat ʃelahem//, and Hebrew: rtl=yes|הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁלּוֹ pronounced as //ha-ʔiˈʃa ʃe'lo//. However, usage differs for different registers and sociolects: In general, the colloquial will use more analytic constructs in place of noun declensions.
In the same way that Hebrew verbs are conjugated by applying various prefixes, suffixes and internal vowel combinations, Hebrew nouns can be formed by applying various "meters" (Hebrew pronounced as //miʃkaˈlim//) and suffixes to the same roots. Gerunds, as indicated above, are one example.
Many abstract nouns are derived from noun, using the suffix pronounced as //-ut//:
Also, there is Hebrew: rtl=yes|הִתְקַטְּלוּת pronounced as //hitkat'lut// meter, that also ends with pronounced as //-ut//:
The Hebrew: rtl=yes|קַטְלָן pronounced as //katˈlan// meter applied to a root, and the pronounced as //-an// suffix applied to a noun, indicate an agent or job:
The suffix pronounced as //-on// usually denotes a diminutive:
Though occasionally this same suffix can denote an augmentative:
Repeating the last two letters of a noun or adjective can also denote a diminutive:
The Hebrew: rtl=yes|קָטֶּלֶת pronounced as //kaˈtelet// meter commonly used to name diseases:
However, it can have various different meanings as well:
New nouns are also often formed by the combination of two existing stems:
Hebrew: rtl=yes|רַמְזוֹר pronounced as //ramˈzor// uses more strictly recent compound conventions, as the Hebrew: rtl=yes|א aleph (today usually silent but historically very specifically a glottal stop) is dropped entirely from spelling and pronunciation of the compound.
Some nouns use a combination of methods of derivation:
In Hebrew, an adjective (שֵׁם תֹּאַר pronounced as //ʃem toar//) agrees in gender, number, and definiteness with the noun it modifies. Attributive adjectives follow the nouns they modify.
Adjectives ending in -i have slightly different forms:
Masculine nouns that take the feminine plural ending pronounced as //-ot// still take masculine plural adjectives, e.g. Hebrew: rtl=yes|מְקוֹמוֹת '''יָפִים''' pronounced as //mekoˈmot jaˈfim// (beautiful places). The reverse goes for feminine plural nouns ending in pronounced as //-im//, e.g. Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִלִּים '''אֲרֻכּוֹת''' pronounced as //miˈlim ʔaruˈkot// (long words).
Many adjectives, like segolate nouns, change their vowel structure in the feminine and plural.
In Hebrew, an attributive adjective takes the definite article if it modifies a definite noun (either a proper noun, or a definite common noun):
Many adjectives in Hebrew are derived from the present tense of verbs. These adjectives are inflected the same way as the verbs they are derived from:
The Hebrew term for adverb is Hebrew: rtl=yes|תֹּאַר הַפֹּעַל pronounced as //ˈtoʔar ha-ˈpoʕal//.
Hebrew forms adverbs in several different ways.
Some adjectives have corresponding one-word adverbs. In many cases, the adverb is simply the adjective's masculine singular form:
In other cases, the adverb has a distinct form:
In some cases, an adverb is derived from an adjective using its singular feminine form or (mostly in poetic or archaic usage) its plural feminine form:
Most adjectives, however, do not have corresponding one-word adverbs; rather, they have corresponding adverb phrases, formed using one of the following approaches:
The use of one of these methods does not necessarily preclude the use of the others; for example, slowly may be either Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְאַט pronounced as //leˈʔat// (a one-word adverb), Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּאִטִּיּוּת pronounced as //be-ʔitiˈjut// (literally "in slowness", a somewhat more elegant way of expressing the same thing) or Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּאֹפֶן אִטִּי pronounced as //beˈʔofen ʔiˈti// ("in slow fashion"), as mentioned above.
Finally, as in English, there are various adverbs that do not have corresponding adjectives at all:
Like English, Hebrew is primarily a prepositional language, with a large number of prepositions. Several of Hebrew's most common prepositions are prefixes rather than separate words. For example, English in a room is Hebrew Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְּ'''חֶדֶר pronounced as //bə-ˈħeder//. These prefixes precede the definite prefix Hebrew: rtl=yes|ה, which assimilates to them: the room is Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''הַ'''חֶדֶר pronounced as //ha-ˈħeder//; in the room is Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בַּ'''חֶדֶר pronounced as //ba-ˈħeder//.
The preposition Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֶת pronounced as //ʔet// plays an important role in Hebrew grammar. Its most common use is to introduce a direct object; for example, English I see the book is in Hebrew Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֲנִי רוֹאֶה אֶת הַסֵּפֶר pronounced as //ʔaˈni roˈʔe ʔet ha-ˈsefer// (literally I see pronounced as //ʔet// the-book). However, Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֶת /ʔet/ is used only with semantically definite direct objects, such as nouns with the, proper nouns, and personal pronouns; with semantically indefinite direct objects, it is simply omitted: Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֲנִי רוֹאֶה סֵפֶר ʔani roʔe sefer (I see a book) does not use Hebrew: rtl=yes|את /ʔet/. This has no direct translation into English, and is best described as an object particle — that is, it denotes that the word it precedes is the direct object of the verb.
This preposition has a number of special uses. For example, when the adjective Hebrew: rtl=yes|צָרִיךְ pronounced as //t͡saˈriχ// (in need (of)) takes a definite noun complement, it uses the preposition Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֶת /ʔet/: Hebrew: rtl=yes|הָיִיתִי צָרִיךְ אֶת זֶה pronounced as //haˈjiti t͡saˈriχ ʔet ze// (literally I-was in-need-of pronounced as //ʔet// this, i.e. I needed this). Here as elsewhere, the Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֶת pronounced as //ʔet// is dropped with an indefinite complement: Hebrew: rtl=yes|הָיוּ צְרִיכִים יוֹתֵר pronounced as //haˈju t͡sriˈχim joˈter// (literally they-were in-need-of more, i.e. they needed more). This is perhaps related to the verb-like fashion in which the adjective is used.
In Biblical Hebrew, there is possibly another use of /ʔet/. Waltke and O'Connor (pp. 177–178) make the point: "...(1) ...sign of the accusative... (2) More recent grammarians regard it as a marker of emphasis used most often with definite nouns in the accusative role. The apparent occurrences with the nominative are most problematic... AM Wilson late in the nineteenth century concluded from his exhaustive study of all the occurrences of the debated particle that it had an intensive or reflexive force in some of its occurrences. Many grammarians have followed his lead. (reference lists studies of 1955, 1964, 1964, 1973, 1965, 1909, 1976.) On such a view, /ʔet/ is a weakened emphatic particle corresponding to the English pronoun 'self'... It resembles Greek 'autos' and Latin 'ipse' both sometimes used for emphasis, and like them it can be omitted from the text, without obscuring the grammar. This explanation of the particle's meaning harmonizes well with the facts that the particle is used in Mishnaic Hebrew as a demonstrative and is found almost exclusively with determinate nouns."
There is a form called the verbal pronominal suffix, in which a direct object can be rendered as an additional suffix onto the verb. This form allows for a high degree of word economy, as the single fully conjugated verb expresses the verb, its voice, its subject, its object, and its tense.
In modern usage, the verbal pronominal suffixes are rarely used, in favor of expression of direct objects as the inflected form of the separate word ʔet. It is used more commonly in biblical and poetic Hebrew (for instance, in prayers).
Indirect objects are objects requiring a preposition other than אֶת pronounced as //ʔet//. The preposition used depends on the verb, and these can be very different from the one used in English. In the case of definite indirect objects, the preposition will replace Hebrew: rtl=yes|את pronounced as //ʔet//.
Hebrew grammar distinguishes between various kinds of indirect objects, according to what they specify. Thus, there is a division between objects for time Hebrew: rtl=yes|תֵּאוּר זְמַן (pronounced as //teˈʔur zman//), objects for place Hebrew: rtl=yes|תֵּאוּר מָקוֹם (pronounced as //teʔur maˈkom//), objects for reason Hebrew: rtl=yes|תֵּאוּר סִבָּה (pronounced as //teˈʔur siˈba//) and many others.
In Hebrew, there are no distinct prepositional pronouns. If the object of a preposition is a pronoun, the preposition contracts with the object yielding an inflected preposition.
(The preposition Hebrew: rtl=yes|עִם pronounced as //ʕim// (with) in everyday speech is not inflected, rather a different, more archaic pronoun Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֶת pronounced as //ʔet// with the same meaning, unrelated to the direct object marker, is used instead.)
| 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |||||
| Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | |||
| Singular | ־י/ -ִי | ּ־נו/ -ֵנו | Hebrew: rtl=yes|־ך/ ־ךָ | ־ך/ -ֵך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|־כם/ ־כֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|־כן/ ־כֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|־ו/ ־וֹ | ־ה/ -ָהּ | ־ם/ -ָם | ־ן/ -ָן |
| -i | -(e)nu | -kha | -(e)kh | -khem | -khen | -o | -ah | -am | -an | |
| Plural | ־יי/ -ַי | ־ינו/ -ֶינוּ | ־יך/ -ֶיךָ | ־יך/ -ַיִך | ־יכם/ -ֵיכֶם | ־יכן/-ֵיכֶן | ־יו/ -ָיו | ־יה/ -ֶיהָ | ־יהם/ -ֵיהֶם | ־יהן/ -ֵיהֶן |
| -ay | -eynu | -eykha | -ayikh | -eykhem | -eykhen | -av | -eyha | -eyhem | -eyhen | |
| Inflection stem | Meaning | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew | Latin | Hebrew | Latin | |||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|אוֹדוֹת | odot | Hebrew: rtl=yes| אוֹדוֹתֵי־ | odotey- | about, with regard to | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''אַחַר''' | achar | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''אַחֲרֵי־''' | acharey- | after | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''אֵצֶל''' | etzel | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''אֶצְל־''' | etzl- | at, near; with (owned by) | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''אֶת''' | et | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''אוֹת־''' | ot- | definite direct object marker | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּ־ | be- | (irregular) | (irregular) | in; by | Irregular inflection | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּאֶמְצָעוּת | beemtza'ut | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּאֶמְצָעוּת־ | beemtza'ut | using, by means of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּגְלַל | biglal | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּגְלָל־ | biglal- | due to, because of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּזְכוּת | bizchut | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּזְכוּת־ | bizchut- | thanks to, in favor of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בֵּין''' | beyn | (irregular) | (irregular) | between, amongst | Irregular inflection | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְּלִי''' | bli | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בִּלְעֲדֵי־''' | bil'adey- | without | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּמַהֲלַך | bemahalakh | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּמַהֲלָכ־ | bemahalakh | during, over the course of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּמַעֲמַד | bema'amad | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּמַעֲמָד־ | bema'ad- | in the presence of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּמְקוֹם | bimkom | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּמְקוֹמ־ | bimkom- | instead of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְּעִקְבֵי''' | be'ikvey | (irregular) | (irregular) | following, as a result of | Irregular inflection | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְּעֶצֶם''' | beetzem | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְעַצְמ־''' | be'atzm- | by (oneself) | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בּפְנֵי | bifney | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּפְנֵי־ | bifney- | facing; in the face of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְּקֵרֶב''' | bekerev | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְּקִרְבּ־''' | bekirb- | among, amidst; internally | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁבִיל | bishvil | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁבִיל־ | bishvil- | for, for the sake of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''בְּשֶׁם''' | beshem | (irregular) | (irregular) | on behalf of, in the name of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּתוֹך | betokh | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּתוֹכ־ | betokh- | inside, in | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|זוּלַת | zulat | Hebrew: rtl=yes|זוּלָת־ | zulat- | beside, apart from | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|כְּלַפֵּי | klapey | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כְּלַפֵּי־ | klapey- | in relation to, towards | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''כְּמוֹ''' | kmo | (irregular) | (irregular) | like, as | Irregular inflection | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''כְּנֶגֶד''' | keneged | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''כְּנֶגְדּ־''' | kenegd- | against, as opposed to; in exchange for | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''לְ־''' | le | (irregular) | (irregular) | to, for; toward, to | Two irregular inflections depending on meaning | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''לאוֹרֶך''' | leorekh | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''לְאוֹרְכּ־''' | leork- | along, throughout | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְגַּבֵּי | legabey | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְגַּבֵּי־ | legabey- | concerning, regarding | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְדִבְרֵי | ledivrey | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְדִבְרֵי־ | ledivrey- | according to | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיַד | leyad | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיָד־ | leyad- | near, next to | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''לִידֵי''' | lidey | (irregular) | (irregular) | in (one's) hands; over to | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִכְבוֹד | likhvod | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִכְבוֹד־ | likhvod- | in honor of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְעֻמַּת | le'umat | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְעֻמָּת־ | le'umat- | compared with | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְפִי | lefi | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְפִי־ | lefi- | according to | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִפְנֵי | lifney | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִפְנֵי־ | lifney- | before, in front of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִקְרַאת | likra`t | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִקְרָאת־ | likra`t- | in preparation to, for | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''לְרוֹחַב''' | lerochav | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''לְרוֹחְבּ־''' | lerochb- | across, across from | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְתוֹך | letokh | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְתוֹכ־ | letokh- | into | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''מִ־''' | mi | (irregular) | (irregular) | from, of, than | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''מֵאֵת''' | meet | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''מֵאִתּ־''' | meit- | from (authored by) | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|מול/ מוּל | mul | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מוּל־ | mul- | against, opposite, in front of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''מֵעַל''' | me'al | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''מֵעֲלֵי־''' | me'aley- | above, over, on top of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִפְּנֵי | mipney | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִפְּנֵי־ | mipney- | from, away from | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִתּוֹך | mitokh | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִתּוֹכ־ | mitokh- | out of, from | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִתַּחַת | mitachat | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִתַּחְתֵּי־ | mitachtey- | under, below, on bottom of | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''נֶגֶד''' | neged | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''נֶגְדּ־''' | negd- | against, opposed to | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|עֲבוּר | 'avur | Hebrew: rtl=yes|עֲבוּר־ | 'avur- | for | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''עַל''' | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''עֲלֵי־''' | on, upon, over; about | ||||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''עַל גַּב''' | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''עַל גַּבּ־''' | on, upon | ||||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל גַּבֵּי | 'al gabey | Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל גַּבֵּי־ | 'al gabey- | on, upon | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל יַד | 'al yad | Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל יָד־ | 'al yad- | near, next to | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל יְדֵי | 'al yedey | Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל יְדֵי־ | 'al yedey- | by, by means of, via | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל פִּי | 'al pi | Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל פִּי־ | 'al pi- | according to, in accordance with | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל פְּנֵי | 'al pney | Hebrew: rtl=yes|עַל פְּנֵי־ | 'al pney- | over, on top of, above | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''עִם''' | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''אִתּ־''' | it- | with | |||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''עֶצֶם''' | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''עַצְמ־''' | reflexive pronoun marker | ||||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''קֹדֶם''' | kodem | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''קוֹדְמ־''' | kodm- | before | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''שֶׁל''' | shel | (irregular) | (irregular) | of, belonging to | Irregular inflection | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|תּוֹך | tokh | Hebrew: rtl=yes|תוֹכ־ | tokh- | in | ||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''תַּחַת''' | tachat | Hebrew: rtl=yes|'''תַּחְתֵּי־''' | tachtey- | under, below, beneath |
| 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | |||||
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּ־ be "in; by" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בָּנוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בָּך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בָּכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בָּכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בּוֹ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בָּהּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בָּהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בָּהֶן |
| bi | banu | bekha | bakh | bakhem | bakhen | bo | bah | bahem | bahen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּין beyn "between" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינִי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינֵינוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינְךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינֵך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינֵיכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינֵיכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינוֹ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינָהּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינֵיהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בֵּינֵיהֶן |
| beyni | beyneynu | beynkha | beynekh | beyneykhem | beyneykhen | beyno | beynah | beyneyhem | beyneyhen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּעִקְבֵי be'ikvey "following, in turn" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בַּעֲקֵבַי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בַּעֲקֵבֵינוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בַּעֲקֵבֵיךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בַּעֲקֵבַיִך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּעִקְבֵיכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּעִקְבֵיכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בַּעֲקֵבָיו | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בַּעֲקֵבֶיהָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּעִקְבֵיהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּעִקְבֵיהֶן |
| ba'akevay | ba'akeveynu | ba'akeveykha | ba'akevayikh | bikveykhem | bikveykhen | ba'akevav | ba'akeveyha | bikveyhem | bikveyhen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּשֶׁם beshem "on (x)'s behalf" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁמִי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁמֵנוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּשִׁמְךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁמֵך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּשִׁמְכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בְּשִׁמְכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁמוֹ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁמָהּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁמָם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|בִּשְׁמָן |
| bishmi | bishmenu | beshimkha | bishmekh | beshimkhem | beshimkhen | bishmo | bishmah | bishmam | bishman | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|כְּמוֹ kmo "like, as" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹנִי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹנוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹהוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹהָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|כָּמֹהֶן |
| kamoni | kamonu | kamokha | kamokh | kamokhem | kamokhen | kamohu | kamoha | kamohem | kamohen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְ־ le "to, for" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָנוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לוֹ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָהּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לָהֶן |
| li | lanu | lekha | lakh | lakhem | lakhen | lo | lah | lahem | lahen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְ־ le "to, toward" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלַי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלֶינוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלֶיךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלַיִך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלֶיכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלֶיכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלָיו | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלֶיהָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלֶיהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|אֵלֶיהֶן |
| elay | eleynu | eleykha | elayikh | eleykhem | eleykhen | elav | eleyha | eleyhem | eleyhen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִידֵי lidey "in the hands of" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיָדַי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיָדֵינוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיָדֶיךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיָדַיִך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִידֵיכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִידֵיכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיָדָיו | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לְיָדֶיהָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִידֵיהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|לִידֵיהֶן |
| leyaday | leyadeynu | leyadeykha | leyadayikh | lideykhem | lideykhen | leyadav | leyadeyha | lideyhem | lideyhen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִ־ mi- "from, than" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִמֶּנִי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מֵאּתַּנוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִמֶּךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִמֶּך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִכֶּם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִכֶּן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִמֶּנוֹ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִמֶּנָהּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|מִהֶן |
| mimeni | meitanu | mimekha | mimekh | mikem | miken | mimeno | mimenah | mihem | mihen | |
| Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁל shel "of" | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלִּי | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלָּנוּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלְּךָ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלָּך | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלָּכֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלָּכֶן | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלּוֹ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלָּהּ | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלָּהֶם | Hebrew: rtl=yes|שֶׁלָּהֶן |
| sheli | shelanu | shelkha | shelakh | shelakhem | shelakhen | shelo | shelah | shelahem | shelahen | |
Modern Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew