HEBREW GRAMMAR

MASTER HEBREW GRAMMAR

We made Hebrew grammar easy to learn! This Grammar Section is designed to help you understand the essential rules as quickly as possible, so you can begin forming your own sentences from day one. Unlike other courses that overwhelm you with theory, our approach focuses on the most important rules that will allow you to speak Hebrew confidently and naturally — starting today.

In the lessons ahead, you’ll find everything you need to master Hebrew grammar. Each topic is explained with practical, easy-to-understand examples to help you not only learn the rules but also remember and apply them. We recommend learning the core 2000 Hebrew Vocabulary words first — this will make the examples much easier to follow and understand.

The grammar topics covered include the Hebrew alphabet, nouns, pronouns, conjunctions and prepositions. You’ll also dive into adverbs, adjectives, present, past and future tenses, as well as the imperative, modal verbs, negation, sentence structure, questions, and relative clauses.

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Hebrew Pronunciation

Modern Hebrew pronunciation follows the Sephardic standard but reflects influences from Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, and other Jewish linguistic traditions. The language is largely phonetic—most letters correspond to a single sound—though some older distinctions have merged. Because Ivrit is written with a consonantal alphabet, accurate pronunciation is vital for comprehension. Vowel marks (niqqud) play an important grammatical and semantic role but are often omitted in daily writing, leaving context to guide pronunciation.

The Nature of Ivrit Sounds

Ivrit uses twenty-two consonantal letters. Unlike English, vowels are not always written but represented by diacritical marks in fully vocalized texts. In most modern writing—books, newspapers, and everyday communication—these marks are absent, and readers rely on experience. Each consonant reflects a specific articulation point: guttural, labial, dental, or alveolar, creating Hebrew’s distinct sound palette.

Alef and Ayin

Alef is silent in modern usage and typically functions as a placeholder for a vowel. Example: אבא (aba) father. Historically it marked a glottal stop, a brief closure of the throat.

Ayin once represented a voiced pharyngeal sound still used in Arabic but is now silent or lightly voiced in Israeli speech. Example: עם (am) people / nation.

Bet and Vet

Bet changes sound depending on the dagesh (dot). With it, it is b as in boy: בית (bayit) house; without it, v as in voice: לב (lev) heart.

Gimel

Gimel is g as in go: גמל (gamal) camel. Softer variants once existed but are no longer standard.

Dalet

Dalet is pronounced d as in door: דג (dag) fish.

Heh

Heh is a gentle h sound, as in hello: היום (hayom) today. At the end of words, it may mark a vowel ending, especially feminine forms like אישה (isha) woman.

Vav

Vav acts as both consonant and vowel. As a consonant, v: שלום ו אהבה (shalom ve ahava) peace and love. As a vowel marker, it represents o or u: שלום (shalom), סגור (sagur).

Zayin

Zayin is z as in zebra: זהב (zahav) gold.

Chet

Chet is a deep throaty sound, like in loch or Bach: חלב (chalav) milk. It’s one of Hebrew’s defining gutturals.

Tet

Tet and Tav sound the same in modern Hebrew—t as in table. Example: טוב (tov) good.

Yod

Yod represents y as in yes and can join vowels: מים (mayim) water, ילד (yeled) boy.

Kaf and Khaf

Kaf with dagesh is k: כלב (kelev) dog; without it, kh, similar to ch in Bach: מלאך (malakh) angel.

Lamed

Lamed is l as in love: לחם (lechem) bread.

Mem

Mem is m as in mother: מים (mayim) water.

Nun

Nun is n as in night: נר (ner) candle.

Samekh

Samekh represents s as in sun: ספר (sefer) book.

Pe and Fe

Pe with dagesh is p: פה (peh) mouth; without it, f: אף (af) nose.

Tsadi

Tsadi is ts, as in cats: צדק (tzedek) justice.

Qof

Qof once had a deep throat k distinct from Kaf but now sounds identical: קול (kol) voice.

Resh

Resh varies from a soft uvular to a rolled r, similar to French r: ראש (rosh) head.

Shin and Sin

Shin changes sound depending on the dot: right side sh, left side s.
שלום (shalom) peace vs שמאל (smol) left.

Tav

Tav is t as in ten: תפוח (tapuach) apple. Older Ashkenazi s pronunciation no longer applies in modern Hebrew.

The Role of Vowels (Niqqud)

Ivrit vowels are marked by dots or dashes under or near the consonant. There are five main vowel sounds—a, e, i, o, u.

Examples:
דָּג (dag) fish
בֵּן (ben) son
שִׁיר (shir) song
דּוֹר (dor) generation
סֻלָּם (sulam) ladder

These appear mainly in educational and liturgical texts. Fluent readers rely on context to determine pronunciation.

Stress and Intonation

Stress usually falls on the last syllable, though some words use penultimate stress: כָּתַב (katav) he wrote vs שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) sun. Ivrit intonation is crisp and evenly paced, giving it a clear, musical rhythm.

Final Forms

Five letters change shape at word endings: כ/ך, מ/ם, נ/ן, פ/ף, צ/ץ. Pronunciation stays the same, but recognizing them is key for fluent reading.

Examples:
מלך (melech) king
יום (yom) day
עוף (of) bird.

Hebrew Nouns

Nouns in Ivrit (shemot etsem) form the foundation of the language, expressing people, objects, places, ideas, and qualities. Every noun in Ivrit has gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Unlike English, there is no grammatical article like the or a, though the definite article ה (ha) meaning the is prefixed to the noun. Understanding how nouns change according to gender and number is essential for proper agreement with adjectives, verbs, and pronouns.

Gender

Ivrit divides all nouns into two categories: masculine and feminine.
Masculine nouns are the default form and often end with a consonant, while feminine nouns commonly end with ה (heh) or ת (tav).

Examples:
ספר (sefer) book – masculine
מורה (moreh) teacher (male)
מורה (morah) teacher (female)
מנורה (menorah) lamp – feminine

Sometimes gender must simply be memorized, as endings can be misleading. The gender of a noun determines the form of adjectives and verbs that accompany it.

Number

Nouns in Ivrit have singular and plural forms. The plural endings depend on gender: masculine nouns usually take -ים (-im) and feminine nouns usually take -ות (-ot).

Examples:
ספרים (sfarim) books
מנורות (menorot) lamps

There are also a few irregular plurals, inherited from biblical or ancient forms, which must be learned individually. For example, איש (ish) man becomes אנשים (anashim) men, and אשה (isha) woman becomes נשים (nashim) women.

The Definite Article

To say the in Ivrit, attach ה (ha) directly to the beginning of the noun. The sound of ha merges with the first consonant of the word.

Examples:
הספר (hasefer) the book
המורה (hamorah) the teacher

When a preposition is combined with the definite article, it contracts into one word, such as בבית (babayit) in the house from ב (be) in + הבית (habayit) the house.

Dual Form

Ivrit retains a special dual form (mishkal kavul) used mainly for naturally paired items, such as eyes, hands, or days. It ends with -יים (-ayim).

Examples:
ידיים (yadayim) hands
עיניים (enayim) eyes
ימים (yamim) days – though originally dual, now treated as plural

Possession

To indicate possession, Ivrit uses the preposition של (shel) meaning of.

Examples:
הספר של המורה (hasefer shel hamoreh) the teacher’s book
הבית של יעל (habayit shel Yael) Yael’s house

In more formal or biblical style, possession can also be shown through construct state (smikhut), where two nouns are linked without a preposition, the first modifying the second.

Examples:
בית ספר (beit sefer) school (literally house of book)
מנהל בית הספר (menahel beit hasefer) school principal

The Construct State (Smikhut)

This unique feature of Ivrit binds two nouns to show ownership or association. The first noun takes a slightly modified form and never carries the definite article. Only the second noun, if definite, determines the definiteness of the phrase.

Examples:
דלת הבית (delet habayit) the door of the house
ילדי הגן (yeldei hagan) the children of the kindergarten

Smikhut expressions are extremely common in both spoken and written Ivrit, often forming compact descriptive phrases.

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns, such as personal and place names, follow the same grammatical rules as common nouns. The definite article ה is not used before personal names.

Examples:
דוד (David)
שרה (Sarah)
ישראל (Yisrael) Israel

When combined with prepositions, names follow the same contraction rules:
לישראל (leYisrael) to Israel, מישראל (miYisrael) from Israel.

Abstract Nouns

Ivrit forms many abstract nouns using certain root patterns (mishkalim). These patterns often correspond to English nouns ending in -tion, -ness, or -ity.

Examples:
אהבה (ahava) love
שמחה (simcha) happiness
חוכמה (chochma) wisdom

Summary of Key Patterns

Masculine nouns often follow the pattern קטן (katan), while feminine nouns take קטנה (ktana) when adjectives agree. The harmony between noun and adjective in gender and number is central to the structure of Ivrit grammar.

Hebrew Cases

Ivrit, unlike many Indo-European languages, does not use grammatical cases in the traditional sense. Instead, it expresses relationships between words—such as possession, direction, or agency—through prepositions, word order, and the construct state (smikhut). The concept of “cases” in Ivrit is therefore functional rather than morphological: the role of a noun in a sentence is determined by its position and by the words that accompany it, not by changes in the noun’s ending.

The Nominative Function

The nominative role in Ivrit corresponds to the subject of the sentence, the person or thing performing the action. There are no special endings to indicate this. The subject simply comes before the verb in a typical sentence or after it in classical and poetic style.

Examples:
דני קורא ספר (Dani kore sefer) Dani reads a book
הילדה אוכלת תפוח (hayeledet okhelet tapuach) The girl eats an apple

Here, דני (Dani) and הילדה (hayeledet) serve as nominative subjects, and their role is clear from position, not inflection.

The Accusative Function

The accusative role marks the direct object of the verb—the receiver of the action. In Ivrit, this is indicated by the particle את (et), placed before a definite direct object.

Examples:
אני רואה את הכלב (ani ro’eh et hakelev) I see the dog
היא קנתה את הספר (hi kanta et hasefer) She bought the book

When the object is indefinite, the marker את is omitted:
אני רואה כלב (ani ro’eh kelev) I see a dog.

The word את has no equivalent in English but is essential for grammatical clarity in Hebrew whenever the object is definite.

The Genitive Function

The genitive, expressing possession or belonging, is shown through the construct state (smikhut) or with the preposition של (shel) meaning of.

Smikhut examples:
ספר תלמיד (sefer talmid) a student’s book
דלת הבית (delet habayit) the door of the house

של examples:
הספר של התלמיד (hasefer shel hatalmid) the book of the student
הבית של דני (habayit shel Dani) Dani’s house

The choice between smikhut and של depends on style: smikhut is compact and typical of written Hebrew, while של is more common in speech.

The Dative Function

The dative expresses the indirect object, often translated as to or for. In Ivrit, this is shown with the preposition ל (le) attached directly to the noun or pronoun.

Examples:
אני נותן ספר למורה (ani noten sefer lamoreh) I give a book to the teacher
הוא שלח מכתב לאמא שלו (hu shalach michtav le’ima shelo) He sent a letter to his mother

When combined with the definite article ה, ל contracts to לַ (la):
ל + הבית → לבית (laba’it) to the house.

The Instrumental Function

The instrumental case, expressing with or by means of, is formed by the preposition ב (be).

Examples:
אני כותב בעט (ani kotev be’et) I write with a pen
הוא נוסע באוטובוס (hu nose’a be’otobus) He travels by bus

Here, the same preposition ב can also mean in or at depending on context, demonstrating the flexible and contextual nature of Ivrit prepositions.

The Ablative and Locative Functions

Movement from a place or source is expressed with מ (mi), while in, at, or on are expressed with ב (be).

Examples:
אני בא מירושלים (ani ba miYerushalayim) I come from Jerusalem
היא גרה בבית (hi gara babayit) She lives in the house
החתול על השולחן (hachatul al hashulchan) The cat is on the table

These prepositions replace the need for locative or ablative case endings.

Prepositions as Functional Cases

Many prepositions in Ivrit correspond to classical case roles:

• ל (le) – dative (to, for)

• מ (mi) – ablative (from)

• ב (be) – locative/instrumental (in, with)

• על (al) – locative (on, about)

• את (et) – accusative marker for definite objects

Each of these prepositions governs a noun or pronoun without changing its form, keeping the system analytical rather than inflected.

Case in Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Ivrit often merge with prepositions to express case-like relations. For instance:

לי (li) to me
לו (lo) to him
ממך (mimecha) from you (m.)
בהם (bahem) in them (m.)

These merged forms function similarly to case endings in other languages and are an essential part of everyday Hebrew speech.

Case in Word Order

Because Ivrit lacks morphological cases, word order plays a critical grammatical role. The typical structure is subject–verb–object (SVO), as in דני קרא ספר (Dani kara sefer) Dani read a book.
Changing the order can shift emphasis or create poetic effects, but clarity depends on maintaining the logical relationship between elements.

Hebrew Adjectives

Adjectives in Ivrit (toarim) describe qualities, states, or attributes of nouns. They must agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and definiteness, forming one of the most harmonious and predictable parts of Hebrew grammar. This agreement system creates a strong internal logic—once the gender and number of a noun are known, the correct adjective form follows automatically.

Gender Agreement

Every adjective in Ivrit has masculine and feminine forms. The masculine form is considered the base, while the feminine is typically formed by adding the suffix -ה (-ah) to the masculine singular.

Examples:
ילד חכם (yeled chakham) a smart boy
ילדה חכמה (yalda chachamah) a smart girl

Many adjectives end with י (-i) or ון (-on) in the masculine and change to ית (-it) or ונה (-onah) in the feminine:

Examples:
ישראלי (yisraeli) Israeli (m.) → ישראלית (yisraelit) Israeli (f.)
קטון (katon) small (m.) → קטנה (ktana) small (f.)

Some adjectives are irregular, especially those of biblical or foreign origin, but these are few and easily recognizable.

Number Agreement

Adjectives also reflect the number of the noun. The plural forms are made by adding -ים (-im) for masculine and -ות (-ot) for feminine nouns.

Examples:
ילדים חכמים (yeladim chachamim) smart boys
ילדות חכמות (yeladot chachamot) smart girls

This rule applies consistently across almost all adjectives in modern Ivrit.

Definiteness

When the noun is definite (marked by the article ה (ha) the), the adjective must also be definite. The article is repeated before each adjective.

Examples:
הילד החכם (hayeled hachakham) the smart boy
הילדה החכמה (hayeledah hachachamah) the smart girl

If several adjectives describe the same noun, ה precedes each one:
האיש החכם והעשיר (ha’ish hachakham veha’ashir) the wise and rich man.

Position in the Sentence

Adjectives generally come after the noun they modify, unlike English.

Examples:
ספר חדש (sefer chadash) a new book
מכונית אדומה (mekhonit adumah) a red car

In poetic or literary Hebrew, an adjective may precede the noun for stylistic emphasis, but in everyday Ivrit, the post-nominal position is the norm.

Comparative and Superlative Forms

Ivrit does not have special endings for comparative (more) or superlative (most) forms. Instead, it uses additional words.

Comparative: יותר (yoter) more
Superlative: הכי (hachi) most

Examples:
גדול (gadol) big → יותר גדול (yoter gadol) bigger
הכי גדול (hachi gadol) biggest

Similarly:
יפה (yafeh) beautiful → יותר יפה (yoter yafeh) more beautiful → הכי יפה (hachi yafeh) most beautiful.

These modifiers apply to all adjectives without changing their form, making the system flexible and straightforward.

Predicate Adjectives

When adjectives serve as predicates (following the verb to be), they agree in gender and number with the subject. Hebrew often omits the present-tense to be verb, so the adjective itself completes the sentence.

Examples:
הילד חכם (hayeled chacham) the boy is smart
הילדות יפות (hayeledot yafot) the girls are beautiful

In past or future tenses, the verb להיות (lihyot) to be appears explicitly:
הילד היה חכם (hayeled haya chacham) the boy was smart.

Adjectives as Nouns

Many adjectives can function as nouns, depending on context. For example, חכם (chacham) can mean wise person, and עני (ani) can mean poor person.

Examples:
החכם דיבר לאט (hachacham diber le’at) the wise man spoke slowly
העשיר עזר לעני (ha’ashir azar la’ani) the rich man helped the poor man

This flexibility reflects the root-based nature of Hebrew, where meaning often shifts seamlessly between grammatical categories.

Agreement in Compound Phrases

When a noun is followed by a construct phrase, the adjective usually agrees with the head noun, not the entire phrase.

Examples:
ספר לימוד טוב (sefer limud tov) a good textbook
בית ספר גדול (beit sefer gadol) a large school

Here, ספר (sefer) and בית ספר (beit sefer) both serve as the head nouns, and the adjective טוב (tov) or גדול (gadol) agrees accordingly.

Common Adjectives in Everyday Ivrit

A few essential adjectives form the core of daily speech:
טוב (tov) good
רע (ra) bad
גדול (gadol) big
קטן (katan) small
חדש (chadash) new
ישן (yashan) old
יפה (yafeh) beautiful
חם (cham) hot
קר (kar) cold

These adjectives adapt easily across gender and number, making them ideal for mastering the patterns of agreement.

Hebrew Pronouns

Pronouns in Ivrit (kinnuyim) play a vital role in identifying the subject, object, or possessor without repeating the noun. They reflect gender, number, and sometimes person, allowing sentences to remain clear and concise. Hebrew pronouns are deeply tied to verb conjugation and prepositional structures, forming the backbone of personal expression in the language.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Ivrit indicate who performs or receives an action. They vary by person (first, second, third), number (singular/plural), and gender (masculine/feminine).

Examples:
אני (ani) I
אתה (ata) you (m. singular)
את (at) you (f. singular)
הוא (hu) he
היא (hi) she
אנחנו (anachnu) we
אתם (atem) you (m. plural)
אתן (aten) you (f. plural)
הם (hem) they (m.)
הן (hen) they (f.)

Gender distinction is maintained even in second and third person forms, a feature that affects both verbs and adjectives used with these pronouns.

Examples:
אתה יפה (ata yafeh) you are handsome
את יפה (at yafah) you are beautiful

Pronouns as Subjects

Pronouns can serve directly as the subject of a sentence, especially when clarity or emphasis is needed. In the present tense, Hebrew does not use an explicit to be verb, so the pronoun connects directly with the predicate.

Examples:
אני עייף (ani ayef) I am tired
אנחנו שמחים (anachnu smechim) we are happy

In other tenses, pronouns are usually omitted because the verb form already indicates the subject. For example, כתבתי (katavti) I wrote contains both the verb and the subject within one word.

Object Pronouns

When pronouns act as direct or indirect objects, they can either appear as separate words or attach to prepositions and verbs. The independent forms use the preposition את (et) for definite objects.

Examples:
אני רואה אותך (ani ro’eh otkha) I see you (m.)
אני רואה אותך (ani ro’eh otach) I see you (f.)
הוא אוהב אותי (hu ohev oti) he loves me

These object pronouns—אותי (oti), אותך (otkha/otach), אותו (oto), אותה (otah), אותנו (otanu), אתכם (etkhem), אתכן (etkhen), אותם (otam), אותן (otan)—are essential for fluent speech.

Pronominal Suffixes

Hebrew also uses suffixes attached to prepositions, nouns, or verbs to indicate possession or relationship. These suffixes change form according to person, gender, and number.

Examples:
הספר שלי (hasefer sheli) my book
הספר שלך (hasefer shelkha) your book (m.)
הספר שלך (hasefer shelakh) your book (f.)
הספר שלו (hasefer shelo) his book
הספר שלה (hasefer shelah) her book
הספר שלנו (hasefer shelanu) our book

When used directly with prepositions, these forms contract into single words:

Examples:
לי (li) to me
לך (lekha) to you (m.)
לך (lakh) to you (f.)
לו (lo) to him
לה (la) to her
לנו (lanu) to us

Similarly:
ממני (mimeni) from me
איתו (ito) with him
עליה (aleha) on her

These attached forms are widely used in speech and writing and are often preferred over longer constructions.

Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns

Modern Ivrit expresses reflexive ideas using עצמי (atsmi) meaning myself, and similar forms for other persons.

Examples:
אני מדבר עם עצמי (ani medaber im atsmi) I’m talking to myself
היא מסתכלת על עצמה (hi mistakelet al atzmah) she looks at herself

For plural forms:
אנחנו מדברים על עצמנו (anachnu medabrim al atzmenu) we’re talking about ourselves.

Reciprocal actions, such as each other, are expressed with זה את זה (ze et ze) or אחד את השני (echad et hasheni).

Examples:
הם אוהבים אחד את השני (hem ohavim echad et hasheni) they love each other.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstratives identify specific nouns: זה (ze) this (m.), זאת (zot) this (f.), אלה (eleh) these.

Examples:
זה ספר טוב (ze sefer tov) this is a good book
זאת ילדה חכמה (zot yalda chachamah) this is a smart girl
אלה אנשים טובים (eleh anashim tovim) these are good people.

Interrogative Pronouns

Used to form questions, interrogatives in Ivrit include:
מי (mi) who, מה (ma) what, איזה (ezeh) which (m.), איזו (eizo) which (f.), כמה (kama) how many/how much.

Examples:
מי אתה (mi ata) who are you (m.)
מה זה (ma ze) what is this
איזה יום היום (ezeh yom hayom) which day is today.

Relative and Indefinite Pronouns

The relative pronoun ש (she) that/who/which links clauses:
האיש שדיברתי איתו (ha’ish shedibarti ito) the man I spoke with.

Indefinite pronouns include מישהו (mishehu) someone, משהו (mashehu) something, אף אחד (af echad) no one, and כל דבר (kol davar) everything.

Examples:
מישהו דפק בדלת (mishehu dafaq badelet) someone knocked on the door
אין לי שום דבר (ein li shum davar) I have nothing.

Hebrew Prepositions

Prepositions in Ivrit (milot yachas) are small but powerful words that define relationships between nouns, pronouns, and verbs. They express meanings such as place, time, direction, possession, cause, and manner. Ivrit relies heavily on prepositions rather than case endings, and their proper use is crucial for fluency and accuracy.

Basic Prepositions

Some of the most common prepositions in Ivrit are:
ב (be) in, at, with
ל (le) to, for
מ (mi) from
על (al) on, about
את (et) [marks definite direct object]
עם (im) with
אצל (etsel) at (someone’s place)
של (shel) of, belonging to
כמו (kmo) like, as

These form the foundation of most Hebrew sentences, linking ideas with clear, logical connections.

Examples:
אני גר בירושלים (ani gar biYerushalayim) I live in Jerusalem
הוא מדבר על הספר (hu medaber al hasefer) he talks about the book
המתנה של דנה (hamatana shel Dana) Dana’s gift
הם הולכים עם חברים (hem holkhim im chaverim) they are walking with friends.

Prepositional Contractions with the Definite Article

When the prepositions ב (be), ל (le), or מ (mi) are followed by a noun beginning with the definite article ה (ha), they merge into a single word. The sound changes are predictable and reflect natural speech patterns.

ב + ה = בַ (ba) in the
ל + ה = לַ (la) to the
*מ + ה = מִן ה → מֵ (meha → me) from the

Examples:
בבית (babayit) in the house
למורה (lamoreh) to the teacher
מהעיר (meha’ir) from the city.

These contractions are among the first features that learners must master, as they occur constantly in spoken and written Ivrit.

Prepositions with Pronominal Suffixes

Prepositions can attach directly to pronouns, forming single words that indicate both relation and possession. This is a hallmark of Hebrew’s concise style.

Examples:
לי (li) to me
לך (lekha) to you (m.)
לך (lakh) to you (f.)
לו (lo) to him
לה (la) to her
ממני (mimeni) from me
איתך (itcha) with you (m.)
איתך (itach) with you (f.)
עליהם (alehem) on them (m.)

Example sentences:
הוא נתן לי ספר (hu natan li sefer) he gave me a book
אנחנו מדברים איתם (anachnu medabrim itam) we are talking with them.

These suffix forms are extremely common in natural Ivrit, replacing longer expressions and making sentences more fluid.

Spatial Prepositions

Spatial relationships are central in Ivrit communication.
ב (be) in, at – הספר בתיק (hasefer batik) the book is in the bag
על (al) on – התמונה על הקיר (hatmuna al hakir) the picture is on the wall
מתחת ל (mitachat le) under – החתול מתחת לשולחן (hachatul mitachat lashulchan) the cat is under the table
מאחורי (me’achorei) behind – הילד מאחורי הדלת (hayeled me’achorei hadelet) the boy is behind the door
לפני (lifnei) before, in front of – הגן לפני הבית (hagan lifnei habayit) the garden is in front of the house.

These combinations show how Hebrew uses prepositions dynamically to express position and direction.

Temporal Prepositions

To indicate time, Ivrit uses specific prepositions that connect actions to temporal references.

Examples:
לפני (lifnei) before
אחרי (acharei) after
עד (ad) until, up to
במשך (bemeshekh) during
מאז (me’az) since

Example sentences:
לפני השיעור אני שותה קפה (lifnei hashiur ani shoteh kafe) before the lesson I drink coffee
הוא עובד עד הערב (hu oved ad ha’erev) he works until evening.

Directional Prepositions

Hebrew uses simple prepositions to show direction, often attached to verbs of movement.

אל (el) to, toward
מ (mi) from
דרך (derekh) through, by way of
אל תוך (el tokh) into

Examples:
הם נוסעים אל העיר (hem nos’im el ha’ir) they are traveling to the city
הוא יצא מהבית (hu yatza mehabayit) he left the house
הלכנו דרך הפארק (halachnu derekh hapark) we walked through the park.

Prepositions with Abstract Meanings

Many prepositions convey abstract or idiomatic relations.
על (al) – about, concerning: הוא מדבר על פוליטיקה (hu medaber al politika) he speaks about politics.
עם (im) – with: אני מסכים עם זה (ani maskim im ze) I agree with that.
בשביל (bishvil) – for, for the sake of: זה בשבילך (ze bishvilkha) this is for you (m.).
לפי (lefi) – according to: לפי החוק (lefi hachok) according to the law.
בגלל (biglal) – because of: הוא איחר בגלל הגשם (hu ikher biglal hageshem) he was late because of the rain.

Compound Prepositions

Some prepositions consist of two or more words, often carrying a precise relationship in meaning:
מתחת ל (mitachat le) under
מעל ל (me’al le) above
בין לבין (bein levein) between
ליד (leyad) near, beside
מאחורי (me’achorei) behind.

Examples:
הספר ליד החלון (hasefer leyad hachalon) the book is near the window
הציפור מעל העץ (hatsipor me’al ha’etz) the bird is above the tree.

Idiomatic Use of Prepositions

Hebrew prepositions often form idiomatic phrases that cannot be translated literally.
Examples:
תלוי ב (talui be) depends on – הכול תלוי בך (hakol talui bekha) everything depends on you.
מדבר עם (medaber im) talks with – היא מדברת עם החבר שלה (hi medaberet im hachaver shela) she is talking with her friend.
נכשל ב (nichshal be) fails in – הוא נכשל במבחן (hu nichshal bamivchan) he failed the exam.

Hebrew Adverbs

Adverbs in Ivrit (to’ar pe’ula) describe how, when, where, or to what extent an action occurs. They modify verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs, adding precision and emotional nuance to speech and writing. Unlike adjectives, adverbs in Ivrit are invariable—they do not change for gender, number, or definiteness. Their simplicity in form contrasts with the richness of their use, making them essential for natural and expressive Hebrew.

Formation of Adverbs

Most adverbs in Ivrit are formed from adjectives, but instead of adding a fixed ending like in English (-ly), Hebrew typically uses prepositional structures or dedicated adverbial words. Many come from ancient roots or noun phrases that became adverbial over time.

Examples:
מהר (maher) quickly
לאט (le’at) slowly
טוב (tov) well
הרבה (harbeh) a lot, much
מעט (me’at) a little, few

Although טוב (tov) means good as an adjective, in הוא מדבר טוב (hu medaber tov) it functions as well, showing how adjectives can seamlessly shift into adverbial use.

Adverbs of Manner

These adverbs describe how an action is performed and usually follow the verb they modify.

Examples:
הוא רץ מהר (hu ratz maher) he runs fast
היא מדברת לאט (hi medaberet le’at) she speaks slowly
הם עובדים קשה (hem ovdim kashe) they work hard

Some adverbs of manner derive from abstract nouns introduced by ב (be):

Examples:
בזהירות (bezehirut) carefully
בשקט (besheket) quietly
בכוח (bekoach) forcefully
בדיוק (bediyuk) exactly
בקלות (bekalut) easily

This construction—ב + noun—is extremely productive and used widely in both formal and spoken Hebrew.

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place express location or direction and are frequently used with verbs of movement or position.

Examples:
כאן (kan) here
שם (sham) there
למעלה (lemala) up, above
למטה (lemata) down, below
בחוץ (bachutz) outside
בפנים (bifnim) inside
קרוב (karov) nearby
רחוק (rachok) far

Example sentences:
הוא נשאר בבית, ואני הלכתי לשם (hu nish’ar babayit, va’ani halakhti lesham) he stayed at home, and I went there
החתול למעלה על הארון (hachatul lemala al haaron) the cat is up on the cupboard.

Adverbs of Time

These indicate when or how often something happens. Hebrew uses both simple adverbs and prepositional phrases for this purpose.

Examples:
עכשיו (achshav) now
מחר (machar) tomorrow
אתמול (etmol) yesterday
תמיד (tamid) always
לפעמים (lif’amim) sometimes
לעיתים רחוקות (le’itim rechokot) rarely
לעיתים קרובות (le’itim krovot) often
בקרוב (bekarov) soon
כבר (kvar) already
עדיין (adayin) still, yet

Example sentences:
הוא תמיד צוחק (hu tamid tzochek) he always laughs
אני כבר הגעתי (ani kvar higati) I’ve already arrived
הם יבואו בקרוב (hem yavo’u bekarov) they will come soon.

Adverbs of Frequency and Quantity

To express degree or amount, Ivrit uses adverbs that often appear before or after the adjective or verb they modify.

Examples:
מאוד (me’od) very
קצת (ktzat) a bit
כמעט (kim’at) almost
מספיק (maspik) enough
יותר מדי (yoter midai) too much

Example sentences:
אני עייף מאוד (ani ayef me’od) I’m very tired
היא אכלה יותר מדי עוגה (hi akhla yoter midai uga) she ate too much cake.

Adverbs of Negation and Affirmation

Ivrit uses a few adverbs to express affirmation or negation.

Examples:
כן (ken) yes
לא (lo) no, not
אולי (ulai) maybe
בטח (betach) surely, certainly
כמובן (kamuvan) of course

Example sentences:
כן, אני בא (ken, ani ba) yes, I’m coming
לא, אני עסוק (lo, ani asuk) no, I’m busy
אולי מחר (ulai machar) maybe tomorrow.

Position in the Sentence

The normal position of an adverb in Ivrit is after the verb. However, for emphasis, adverbs may appear at the beginning or end of the sentence.

Examples:
הוא מדבר יפה (hu medaber yafeh) he speaks nicely
לפעמים אני קם מוקדם (lif’amim ani kam mukdam) sometimes I wake up early
אני קם מוקדם לפעמים (ani kam mukdam lif’amim) I wake up early sometimes.

The change of position may slightly alter the focus or rhythm but not the basic meaning.

Adverbial Phrases

Many adverbs in Ivrit appear as short phrases, often combining a preposition with a noun. These enrich expression and make Hebrew flexible.

Examples:
על פי (al pi) according to
בלי ספק (bli safek) without a doubt
בכוונה (bekhavana) on purpose
ללא ספק (lelo safek) undoubtedly
עד עכשיו (ad achshav) until now

Example sentences:
הוא אמר את זה בכוונה (hu amar et ze bekhavana) he said it on purpose
על פי החוק, זה אסור (al pi hachok, ze asur) according to the law, it is forbidden.

Present Tense in Hebrew

The present tense in Ivrit (zman hoveh) is unique because it functions both as a tense and a participle form. It describes actions that are happening right now, general truths, or ongoing states. Structurally, the present tense in Hebrew is derived from verb roots placed into pattern templates (binyanim)—a core feature of Hebrew grammar. Unlike in English, there is no auxiliary verb such as am, is, are; instead, the form of the verb itself expresses the meaning of I am doing, he is doing, and so on.

The Structure of the Present Tense

Every verb in Ivrit comes from a three- or four-letter root (shoresh), inserted into one of seven standard binyanim (verb patterns). The present tense is built from these roots using specific vowel patterns and sometimes prefix or infix consonants. It agrees with the gender and number of the subject but not with person.

The four main endings for the present tense are consistent across binyanim:

• -ֶה (-eh) for masculine singular

• -ָה (-ah) for feminine singular

• -ִים (-im) for masculine plural

• -וֹת (-ot) for feminine plural

Binyan Pa‘al

The most common and simplest verb pattern.
Example verb: לכתוב (likhtov) to write.

אני כותב (ani kotev) I write / I am writing (m.)
אני כותבת (ani kotevet) I write / I am writing (f.)
אנחנו כותבים (anachnu kotvim) we are writing (m.)
אנחנו כותבות (anachnu kotvot) we are writing (f.)

These forms are also used as adjectives and participles, describing an ongoing action or a person performing that action. For instance, הוא כותב מכתב (hu kotev michtav) he is writing a letter, or הילד כותב טוב (hayeled kotev tov) the boy writes well.

Binyan Nif‘al

This pattern generally indicates passive or reflexive action.
Example verb: להיכנס (lehikanes) to enter.

אני נכנס (ani nichnas) I enter / I am entering (m.)
אני נכנסת (ani nichneset) I enter / I am entering (f.)
אנחנו נכנסים (anachnu nichnasim) we are entering (m.)
אנחנו נכנסות (anachnu nichnasot) we are entering (f.)

The prefix נ- (ni-) is the main marker of the nif‘al pattern.

Binyan Pi‘el

This pattern often conveys intensive or repetitive action.
Example verb: לדבר (ledaber) to speak.

אני מדבר (ani medaber) I speak / I am speaking (m.)
אני מדברת (ani medaberet) I speak / I am speaking (f.)
אנחנו מדברים (anachnu medabrim) we are speaking (m.)
אנחנו מדברות (anachnu medabrot) we are speaking (f.)

Notice the prefix מ- (me-) and internal vowel pattern e-a-e, characteristic of this binyan.

Binyan Pu‘al

The passive counterpart of Pi‘el, indicating an action being done.
Example: לדבר (ledaber) → מדובר (medubar) spoken, being spoken of.

הנושא מדובר הרבה (hanose medubar harbeh) the topic is much spoken about.

Pu‘al forms are less common in modern spoken Hebrew but frequent in formal and written language.

Binyan Hif‘il

This pattern expresses causative action—causing someone or something to perform an action.
Example: להתחיל (lehatkhil) to begin.

אני מתחיל (ani matkhil) I begin / I am beginning (m.)
אני מתחילה (ani matkhila) I begin / I am beginning (f.)
אנחנו מתחילים (anachnu matkhilim) we are beginning (m.)
אנחנו מתחילות (anachnu matkhilot) we are beginning (f.)

The prefix מ- (ma-) is used again here but with a different vowel sequence that identifies this binyan as causative.

Binyan Huf‘al

The passive of Hif‘il, expressing something being caused to happen.
Example: להתחיל (lehatkhil) → מוחל (mukhlal) caused to begin / initiated.

הפרויקט מוחל היום (haproyekt mukhlal hayom) the project is being launched today.

This binyan is more formal and appears mainly in written contexts or news reports.

Binyan Hitpa‘el

The reflexive or reciprocal binyan, used when the subject acts upon itself or when two entities act mutually.
Example: להתלבש (lehitlabesh) to get dressed.

אני מתלבש (ani mitlabesh) I get dressed (m.)
אני מתלבשת (ani mitlabeshet) I get dressed (f.)
אנחנו מתלבשים (anachnu mitlabshim) we get dressed (m.)
אנחנו מתלבשות (anachnu mitlabshot) we get dressed (f.)

The prefix מת- (mit-) clearly marks the hitpa‘el pattern.

Present Tense as Adjective or Noun

The present tense form can function not only as a verb but also as an adjective or noun, since it describes a continuous or habitual state.

Examples:
שומר (shomer) guard / guarding
סטודנט לומד (student lomed) a studying student
ילד בוכה (yeled bocheh) a crying child

This dual role between action and description reflects Hebrew’s deep connection between grammar and meaning.

Present Progressive and Continuous Actions

Modern Ivrit expresses the English I am doing structure with the present tense plus an auxiliary such as עכשיו (achshav) now or בדיוק (bediyuk) right now.

Examples:
אני קורא עכשיו (ani kore achshav) I am reading now
הם עובדים כרגע (hem ovdim karega) they are working at the moment.

No extra verb like to be is required. Context provides the temporal nuance.

Negative in the Present

Negation is straightforward—simply add לא (lo) before the verb:
אני לא עובד היום (ani lo oved hayom) I’m not working today.

Agreement in Gender and Number

Because Hebrew lacks person markers in the present, only gender and number change the verb’s form. This makes conjugation regular and predictable once the base pattern is known.

Past Tense in Hebrew

The past tense in Ivrit (zman avar) is one of the most structured and regular parts of Hebrew grammar. It expresses completed actions and states that occurred in the past. Unlike the present tense, the past tense directly marks person, gender, and number through specific suffixes attached to the verb stem. The form is compact—one word expresses both I did and you did—without the need for auxiliary verbs like have or did.

General Structure

The past tense of every verb is built from its root (shoresh) according to the binyan (verb pattern) it belongs to. The binyan determines the internal vowels and sometimes the presence of a prefix, but the endings that indicate person, gender, and number remain consistent across all regular verbs.

Endings in the Past Tense

For Pa‘al verbs (the simplest pattern), the endings are as follows:

Singular:
-תי (-ti) I
-ת (-ta) you (m.)
-ת (-t) you (f.)
no ending he
-ה (-ah) she

Plural:
-נו (-nu) we
-תם (-tem) you (m. pl.)
-תן (-ten) you (f. pl.)
-ו (-u) they

Binyan Pa‘al

Example verb: לכתוב (likhtov) to write

כתבתי (katavti) I wrote
כתבת (katavta) you wrote (m.)
כתבת (katavt) you wrote (f.)
כתב (katav) he wrote
כתבה (katva) she wrote
כתבנו (katavnu) we wrote
כתבתם (katavtem) you wrote (m. pl.)
כתבתן (katavten) you wrote (f. pl.)
כתבו (katvu) they wrote

Examples in context:
אני כתבתי מכתב ארוך (ani katavti michtav arokh) I wrote a long letter
הם כתבו סיפור יפה (hem katvu sipur yafeh) they wrote a beautiful story.

Binyan Nif‘al

Example verb: להיכנס (lehikanes) to enter

נכנסתי (nichnasti) I entered
נכנסת (nichnasta) you entered (m.)
נכנסת (nichnast) you entered (f.)
נכנס (nichnas) he entered
נכנסה (nichnesa) she entered
נכנסנו (nichnasnu) we entered
נכנסו (nichnesu) they entered

Example:
אנחנו נכנסנו לחדר בשקט (anachnu nichnasnu laheder besheket) we entered the room quietly.

Binyan Pi‘el

Example verb: לדבר (ledaber) to speak

דיברתי (dibarti) I spoke
דיברת (dibarta) you spoke (m.)
דיברת (dibart) you spoke (f.)
דיבר (diber) he spoke
דיברה (dibra) she spoke
דיברנו (dibarnu) we spoke
דיברתם (dibartem) you spoke (m. pl.)
דיברו (dibru) they spoke

Example:
הוא דיבר עם המורה אתמול (hu diber im hamoreh etmol) he spoke with the teacher yesterday.

Binyan Hif‘il

Example verb: להתחיל (lehatkhil) to begin

התחלתי (hitchalti) I began
התחלת (hitchalta) you began (m.)
התחלת (hitchalt) you began (f.)
התחיל (hitchil) he began
התחילה (hitchila) she began
התחלנו (hitchalnu) we began
התחלתם (hitchaltem) you began (m. pl.)
התחילו (hitchilu) they began

Example:
הם התחילו את העבודה מוקדם (hem hitchilu et ha’avoda mukdam) they began the work early.

Binyan Hitpa‘el

Example verb: להתלבש (lehitlabesh) to get dressed

התלבשתי (hitlabashti) I got dressed
התלבשת (hitlabashta) you got dressed (m.)
התלבשת (hitlabasht) you got dressed (f.)
התלבש (hitlabesh) he got dressed
התלבשה (hitlabsha) she got dressed
התלבשנו (hitlabashnu) we got dressed
התלבשו (hitlabshu) they got dressed

Example:
הוא התלבש מהר הבוקר (hu hitlabesh maher haboker) he got dressed quickly this morning.

Temporal Adverbs and Expressions

The past tense is often accompanied by adverbs or time markers that clarify when the action took place.

Common expressions:
אתמול (etmol) yesterday
בשבוע שעבר (bashavua she’avar) last week
לפני שנה (lifnei shanah) a year ago
פעם (pa’am) once
כבר (kvar) already

Examples:
פעם גרתי בירושלים (pa’am garti biYerushalayim) I once lived in Jerusalem
כבר קניתי את הספר (kvar kaniti et hasefer) I already bought the book.

Negation in the Past Tense

To form a negative, simply place לא (lo) before the verb:
אני לא כתבתי (ani lo katavti) I did not write
הם לא באו אתמול (hem lo bau etmol) they did not come yesterday.

Agreement and Simplicity

In contrast to English, Hebrew does not require auxiliary verbs or changes in word order to form questions or negatives in the past. The verb form itself carries all the necessary grammatical information.

Examples:
עבדת אתמול (avadta etmol) did you work yesterday?
לא עבדתי (lo avadti) I did not work.

Consistency Across Binyanim

While vowel patterns and prefixes differ between binyanim, the personal endings remain constant, making conjugation predictable once a learner masters the basic set. This system emphasizes clarity and economy—each form directly encodes the subject, number, and gender within a single word.

Future Tense in Hebrew

The future tense in Ivrit (zman atid) expresses actions or events that will happen later. It is one of the most expressive verb forms in the language, used not only for future actions but also for promises, intentions, and possibilities. Unlike the present or past tense, which rely mainly on suffixes, the future tense uses a combination of prefixes (and sometimes suffixes) attached to the verb root (shoresh). The resulting forms are compact and rhythmic—one word can mean I will go, you will write, or they will understand.

Structure and Endings

Each person in the future tense has a distinct prefix, which sometimes combines with a suffix depending on the binyan. The form also changes according to gender and number.

The basic prefixes for the Pa‘al pattern are:
א- (’e) I will
ת- (ta) you (m.) will / she will
ת-י (ti) you (f.) will
י- (ya) he will
נ- (na) we will
ת-ו (tu) you (pl.) will
י-ו (yu) they will

These prefixes are attached directly to the verb root with specific internal vowels.

Binyan Pa‘al

Example verb: לכתוב (likhtov) to write

אכתוב (echtov) I will write
תכתוב (tichtov) you (m.) will write / she will write
תכתבי (tichtvi) you (f.) will write
יכתוב (yichtov) he will write
נכתוב (nichtov) we will write
תכתבו (tichtvu) you (pl.) will write
יכתבו (yichtvu) they will write

Examples:
אני אכתוב מכתב מחר (ani echtov michtav machar) I will write a letter tomorrow
הם יכתבו את הדוח בערב (hem yichtvu et hado’ach ba’erev) they will write the report in the evening.

Binyan Nif‘al

Example verb: להיכנס (lehikanes) to enter

אכנס (ekanes) I will enter
תיכנס (tikanes) you (m.) will enter / she will enter
תיכנסי (tikanesi) you (f.) will enter
ייכנס (yikanes) he will enter
ניכנס (nikanes) we will enter
תיכנסו (tikanesu) you (pl.) will enter
ייכנסו (yikanesu) they will enter

Example:
אנחנו ניכנס לאולם בשש (anachnu nikanes le’ulam beshesh) we will enter the hall at six.

Binyan Pi‘el

Example verb: לדבר (ledaber) to speak

אדבר (adaber) I will speak
תדבר (tedaber) you (m.) will speak / she will speak
תדברי (tedabri) you (f.) will speak
ידבר (yedaber) he will speak
נדבר (nedaber) we will speak
תדברו (tedabru) you (pl.) will speak
ידברו (yedabru) they will speak

Examples:
אני אדבר עם המנהל מחר (ani adaber im hamenahel machar) I will speak with the manager tomorrow
הם ידברו עם התלמידים (hem yedabru im hatalmidim) they will talk with the students.

Binyan Hif‘il

Example verb: להתחיל (lehatkhil) to begin

אתחיל (atchil) I will begin
תתחיל (tatchil) you (m.) will begin / she will begin
תתחילי (tatchili) you (f.) will begin
יתחיל (yatchil) he will begin
נתחיל (natchil) we will begin
תתחילו (tatchilu) you (pl.) will begin
יתחילו (yatchilu) they will begin

Example:
נַתחיל את השיעור בעוד רגע (natchil et hashi’ur be’od rega) we will start the lesson in a moment.

Binyan Hitpa‘el

Example verb: להתלבש (lehitlabesh) to get dressed

אתלבש (etlabesh) I will get dressed
תתלבש (titlabesh) you (m.) will get dressed / she will get dressed
תתלבשי (titlabshi) you (f.) will get dressed
יתלבש (yitlabesh) he will get dressed
נתלבש (nitlabesh) we will get dressed
תתלבשו (titlabshu) you (pl.) will get dressed
יתלבשו (yitlabshu) they will get dressed

Example:
אני אתלבש מהר כי מאוחר (ani etlabesh maher ki me’ukhar) I’ll get dressed quickly because it’s late.

Future Tense in Context

The future tense can also express imperative, conditional, or modal meanings depending on tone and context.

Examples:
תלך עכשיו! (telech achshav!) You will go now! (command)
אם תבוא, אשמח מאוד (im tavo, esmache me’od) If you come, I will be very happy (conditional).

The Hebrew future tense therefore blends into expressions of intent, willingness, or politeness, especially in conversation.

Negation in the Future

Negation is simple: place לא (lo) before the verb.

אני לא אלך לשם (ani lo elech lesham) I will not go there
היא לא תדבר על זה (hi lo tedaber al ze) she will not talk about it.

Time Expressions

Common adverbs of time accompany the future tense to indicate when something will happen:

מחר (machar) tomorrow
בעתיד (ba’atid) in the future
עוד מעט (od me’at) soon
בעוד שבוע (be’od shavua) in a week
כשתחזור (kshetachzor) when you return

Example:
נפגש בעוד שבוע (nifgash be’od shavua) we’ll meet in a week.

Agreement and Simplicity

Despite its many prefixes, the future tense system is logical and predictable once learned. Each binyan preserves its internal vowel pattern, while the prefixes and suffixes mark person, gender, and number.

Example summary:
אכתוב (I will write), תכתוב (you/he will write), נכתוב (we will write), יכתבו (they will write).

Imperatives in Hebrew

The imperative in Ivrit (tzivui) expresses commands, requests, instructions, or invitations. It is one of the most vivid and expressive verb forms in the language, used to tell someone what to do directly, politely, or urgently. Unlike English, Hebrew imperatives are inflected for gender and number, and they only exist in the second person—addressing you (m.), you (f.), or you (plural).

General Formation

The imperative form is derived from the future tense by removing its prefix. In other words, the future tense base is shortened, and sometimes internal vowels are adjusted to create a smoother or more natural sound. Each binyan (verb pattern) has its own characteristic imperative structure, though the endings remain largely consistent.

Hebrew does not use a separate auxiliary word like do in English. The imperative stands alone as a complete command.

Binyan Pa‘al

Example verb: לכתוב (likhtov) to write

כתוב! (ktov!) write! (m. singular)
כתבי! (kitvi!) write! (f. singular)
כתבו! (kitvu!) write! (plural)

Examples:
כתוב את זה עכשיו! (ktov et ze achshav!) write this now!
כתבי לי הודעה בבקשה (kitvi li hoda’ah bevakasha) write me a message, please.

The masculine form כתוב (ktov) is the base from which the others are derived.

Binyan Nif‘al

Example verb: להיכנס (lehikanes) to enter

היכנס! (hikanes!) enter! (m. singular)
היכנסי! (hikanesi!) enter! (f. singular)
היכנסו! (hikanesu!) enter! (plural)

Example:
היכנסו בבקשה (hikanesu bevakasha) please come in.

These forms retain the initial הי- (hi-) prefix from the infinitive pattern but lose the ל- (le-).

Binyan Pi‘el

Example verb: לדבר (ledaber) to speak

דבר! (daber!) speak! (m. singular)
דברי! (dabri!) speak! (f. singular)
דברו! (dabru!) speak! (plural)

Examples:
דבר לאט יותר (daber le’at yoter) speak more slowly
דברו עברית בבקשה (dabru ivrit bevakasha) please speak Hebrew.

Binyan Hif‘il

Example verb: להתחיל (lehatkhil) to begin

התחל! (hatkhel!) begin! (m. singular)
התחילי! (hatkhili!) begin! (f. singular)
התחילו! (hatkhilu!) begin! (plural)

Example:
התחילו לעבוד עכשיו (hatkhilu la’avod achshav) start working now.

The ה (ha-) prefix identifies this as a Hif‘il form, replacing the infinitive marker לה- (leha-).

Binyan Hitpa‘el

Example verb: להתלבש (lehitlabesh) to get dressed

התלבש! (hitlabesh!) get dressed! (m. singular)
התלבשי! (hitlabshi!) get dressed! (f. singular)
התלבשו! (hitlabshu!) get dressed! (plural)

Example:
התלבשי מהר, אנחנו מאחרים! (hitlabshi maher, anachnu me’achrim!) get dressed quickly, we’re late!.

The הת- (hit-) prefix marks this reflexive form clearly, maintaining the internal pattern.

Negative Imperatives

Negative commands use the future tense preceded by אל (al) do not.

Examples:
אל תכתוב! (al tichtov!) don’t write!
אל תדבר ככה! (al tedaber kachah!) don’t speak like that!
אל תיכנס לחדר! (al tikanes laheder!) don’t enter the room!

This rule is universal: Hebrew does not have a separate negative imperative form—only אל + future tense.

Polite and Indirect Imperatives

For politeness or softer tone, Ivrit often replaces the pure imperative with the future tense, especially when preceded by בבקשה (bevakasha) please.

Examples:
תסגור את הדלת, בבקשה (tisgor et hadelet, bevakasha) please close the door
תשב כאן (teshev kan) sit here (polite suggestion rather than command).

This usage softens the directness of the imperative and is common in everyday Israeli speech.

Imperatives in Everyday Expressions

Imperatives appear in countless idiomatic and fixed expressions:

בוא! (bo!) come!
בואי! (bo’i!) come! (f.)
תראה! (tireh!) look!
שמע! (shma!) listen!
קום! (kum!) get up!
שב! (shev!) sit!
לך! (lech!) go!
חכה! (chake!) wait!

Examples:
קום מהר! (kum maher!) get up quickly!
שמע אותי! (shma oti!) listen to me!
לך הביתה עכשיו! (lech habayta achshav!) go home now!

These short forms are some of the most commonly used words in daily Hebrew and often appear in colloquial speech, street signs, or slogans.

Tone and Context

Hebrew imperatives can express a range of emotions—from affection and encouragement to urgency or authority—depending on tone, stress, and accompanying particles such as נא (na) please or בבקשה (bevakasha).

Examples:
שב נא (shev na) please sit down
קח בבקשה (kach bevakasha) take it, please.

The small word נא adds gentleness and is typical in formal, biblical, or respectful speech, while בבקשה is the standard polite term in modern Ivrit.

The imperative in Ivrit embodies the energy of action—direct, concise, and personal. With a single word like כתוב, שמע, or לך, the speaker moves the listener to act. Its simplicity hides great nuance: Hebrew can command, invite, plead, or encourage through rhythm and tone alone, revealing the language’s deep roots in both everyday conversation and ancient expression.

Passives in Hebrew

The passive voice in Ivrit (binyanim satulim) expresses actions that happen to the subject, rather than those the subject performs. It answers questions like What was done? or Who was affected? instead of Who did it?. Hebrew passives are elegant and systematic—they are not formed with auxiliary verbs like to be or to get, but through distinct binyanim (verb patterns). Each active binyan has its own passive counterpart, with consistent vowel changes and prefixes that convey the idea of being acted upon.

The Logic of Passive Formation

In Ivrit, the passive form is not a grammatical transformation of an active sentence but a separate verb pattern. Every passive verb shares its root (shoresh) with its active form but uses a different template (binyan). For example, from the active כתב (katav) he wrote comes the passive נכתב (nichtav) it was written.

Passive verbs agree with the subject in gender, number, and tense, but not in person.

Binyan Nif‘al

The Nif‘al binyan is the most common way to form the passive of the simple active Pa‘al pattern. It is often recognized by the prefix נ- (ni-) or נִת- (nit-).

Example:
Active: כתב (katav) he wrote
Passive: נכתב (nichtav) it was written

Examples in context:
המכתב נכתב אתמול (hamichtav nichtav etmol) the letter was written yesterday
הספר נכתב על ידי הסופר הידוע (hasefer nichtav al yedei hasofer hayadua) the book was written by the famous author.

The Nif‘al pattern can also carry reflexive meaning (to do something to oneself), but context makes the difference clear.

Binyan Pu‘al

The Pu‘al binyan is the passive counterpart of Pi‘el (the intensive pattern). It conveys an action done upon something, usually by an unspecified agent. The u vowels characterize it:

Example:
Active: דיבר (diber) he spoke
Passive: דובר (dubar) was spoken / is spoken

Examples in context:
הנושא דובר כבר בישיבה (hanose dubar kvar bayeshiva) the subject was already discussed in the meeting
המילים דוברו בצורה לא ברורה (hamilim dubru betsura lo brura) the words were spoken unclearly.

Although Pu‘al forms are less common in everyday speech, they appear frequently in formal, academic, and media Hebrew.

Binyan Huf‘al

The Huf‘al binyan is the passive of Hif‘il, which expresses causative actions (to cause to do something). Huf‘al is recognized by the prefix הו- (hu-) or הופ- (hof-), with u or o vowels indicating passivity.

Example:
Active: התחיל (hitchil) he began / he started something
Passive: הוחל (huchal) was begun / was initiated

Examples:
הפרויקט הוחל בשנה שעברה (haproyekt huchal bashanah she’avrah) the project was initiated last year
החוקים הופעלו אתמול (hachukim huf’alu etmol) the laws were enforced yesterday.

Huf‘al verbs often appear in news reports, official documents, or institutional contexts.

Passive-Like Meanings in Hitpa‘el

While Hitpa‘el is primarily reflexive (to act upon oneself), in many cases it also carries a quasi-passive sense. These verbs describe situations where the subject undergoes change without explicitly stating the agent.

Examples:
להתפתח (lehitpate’ach) to develop (itself)
להתקלח (lehitkale’ach) to shower
להתקבל (lehitkabel) to be accepted

Examples in context:
האוניברסיטה התקבלה לבסוף כחברה בארגון (ha’universita hitkabla levasof kechavera be’irgun) the university was eventually accepted as a member of the organization
המצב התפתח במהירות (hamatzav hitpate’ach bemehirut) the situation developed quickly.

Although technically reflexive, the sense of “undergoing an action” places these forms close to the passive voice.

Passive Participles in the Present

In the present tense, passive verbs behave like adjectives, describing states resulting from an action rather than ongoing processes.

Examples:
הבית סגור (habayit sagur) the house is closed
הדלת פתוחה (hadelet ptucha) the door is open
הפרויקט גמור (haproyekt gamur) the project is finished

These forms come from the passive participles of Pa‘al or Nif‘al, functioning as descriptions rather than active events. They are central to everyday Hebrew.

Expressing the Agent

In passive sentences, the doer of the action is introduced with the phrase על ידי (al yedei) meaning by.

Examples:
המכתב נשלח על ידי המזכירה (hamichtav nishlach al yedei hamazkira) the letter was sent by the secretary
הבניין נבנה על ידי החברה הקבלנית (habinyan nivna al yedei hachevra hakablanit) the building was constructed by the contractor.

This structure parallels the English “by” phrase but occurs less frequently, since Hebrew often omits the agent unless context demands it.

Passive in Context

Hebrew prefers active constructions in everyday speech, reserving passive verbs for formal, written, or bureaucratic language. Yet passives remain central to clarity and precision when the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or intentionally omitted.

Examples:
הדלת ננעלה בטעות (hadelet nen’ala beta’ut) the door was locked by mistake
נאמר שצריך להיזהר (ne’emar shetzarikh lehizaher) it was said that caution is needed.

Summary of Passive Binyanim

ActivePassiveExampleMeaningPa‘alNif‘alכתב / נכתב (katav / nichtav)wrote / was writtenPi‘elPu‘alדיבר / דובר (diber / dubar)spoke / was spokenHif‘ilHuf‘alהפעיל / הופעל (hif’il / huf’al)activated / was activatedHitpa‘el(Reflexive / quasi-passive)התקבל (hitkabel)was accepted

(Note: Table here is only textual summary; no formatting beyond plain text.)

The passive system in Ivrit is concise and deeply logical. Rather than adding auxiliary words, it reshapes the internal pattern of the verb to convey meaning. Each passive carries the echo of its active counterpart—נכתב from כתב, דובר from דיבר, הופעל from הפעיל—transforming the focus from the doer to the deed itself. Through this elegant internal shift, Hebrew preserves both brevity and depth, making every passive form a window into action’s quiet aftermath.

Negation in Hebrew

Negation in Ivrit (shlilah) is clear, direct, and remarkably simple compared to many other languages. Hebrew does not rely on auxiliary verbs or complicated structures—most of the time, a single word placed before the verb, noun, or adjective is enough to turn a sentence negative. The most common word for “not” is לא (lo), but several other negative particles appear depending on tense, formality, and emphasis. Mastering negation is essential because it interacts naturally with every part of speech—verbs, nouns, pronouns, and even prepositions—creating precise and concise meanings.

The Basic Negator: לא (lo)

The word לא (lo) is the universal negator in modern Ivrit. It is used to negate verbs in all tenses, adjectives, and whole sentences. It is placed directly before the word it negates, without auxiliary verbs such as do or be.

Examples:
אני לא עובד היום (ani lo oved hayom) I’m not working today
היא לא באה אתמול (hi lo ba’ah etmol) she didn’t come yesterday
אנחנו לא נלך לשם (anachnu lo nelech lesham) we will not go there
הוא לא עייף (hu lo ayef) he is not tired
זה לא נכון (ze lo nachon) that’s not correct

לא is simple and extremely frequent—it is the standard way to negate almost any statement in Hebrew.

Negating Verbs by Tense

Hebrew negation behaves consistently across all tenses:

Present tense:
אני לא לומד עברית עכשיו (ani lo lomed ivrit achshav) I’m not studying Hebrew now

Past tense:
הם לא אכלו אתמול (hem lo akhlu etmol) they didn’t eat yesterday

Future tense:
היא לא תיסע מחר (hi lo tisa machar) she will not travel tomorrow

Unlike English, there is no need for “do” in Hebrew negatives. The negation marker לא alone reverses the meaning of the verb.

Negation in Imperatives

When giving a negative command, Hebrew uses a different negator: אַל (al) instead of לא.
The structure is אַל + future tense, which replaces a dedicated negative imperative form.

Examples:
אַל תדבר עכשיו! (al tedaber achshav!) don’t speak now!
אַל תיכנס לחדר! (al tikanes laheder!) don’t enter the room!
אַל תאחר לעבודה! (al te’acher la’avoda!) don’t be late for work!

אַל appears mostly in direct commands, warnings, or instructions. It is formal but widely used in everyday speech to convey seriousness or urgency.

Negation of Nouns and Adjectives

When negating a noun phrase or adjective, Hebrew still uses לא (lo).

Examples:
זה לא תלמיד (ze lo talmid) this is not a student
הבית לא גדול (habayit lo gadol) the house is not big
הספר לא מעניין (hasefer lo me’anyen) the book is not interesting

Here לא negates the quality or identity, not an action.

Negating Possession

To express “don’t have” or “doesn’t have,” Ivrit uses אין (ein) instead of לא.
This special word literally means there is not and is followed by the prepositional pronoun indicating the possessor.

Structure:
אין + pronoun suffix

Examples:
אין לי זמן (ein li zman) I don’t have time
אין לה כסף (ein la kesef) she doesn’t have money
אין לנו בעיה (ein lanu be’ayah) we don’t have a problem
אין להם ילדים (ein lahem yeladim) they don’t have children

The positive counterpart is יש (yesh) there is / there are / have.

Examples:
יש לי ספר (yesh li sefer) I have a book
יש לנו זמן (yesh lanu zman) we have time.

Thus, יש and אין form a clear and simple existential pair—affirmation and negation of possession.

Negating the Existence of Something

When referring to there is / there are not, Hebrew again uses אין:

Examples:
אין מים בבקבוק (ein mayim babakbuk) there is no water in the bottle
אין בעיה (ein be’ayah) no problem
אין טעם לדבר על זה (ein ta’am ledaber al ze) there’s no point in talking about it.

In contrast, the affirmative form יש מים בבקבוק (yesh mayim babakbuk) means there is water in the bottle.

Negating Whole Clauses or Ideas

When denying a statement or opinion, לא (lo) also functions as no or not true.

Examples:
לא, זה לא נכון (lo, ze lo nachon) no, that’s not true
אני חושב שלא כדאי (ani choshev shelo kedai) I think it’s not worth it
היא אמרה שלא תבוא (hi amrah shelo tavo) she said she wouldn’t come.

In these examples, שלא (shelo) means that not, combining the conjunction ש (she) that with לא (lo) not.

Negation in Questions

Negation easily combines with questions to express disbelief or expectation.

Examples:
אתה לא בא היום? (ata lo ba hayom?) aren’t you coming today?
הם לא למדו את זה? (hem lo lamdu et ze?) didn’t they study this?
אין לך מושג? (ein lekha musag?) you have no idea?

Here tone and context determine whether the question is neutral or rhetorical.

Double Negation

Hebrew does not allow double negatives to mean a positive (as in English “not unhappy”). Instead, two negatives intensify the negation.

Example:
אין שום סיבה (ein shum sibah) there’s absolutely no reason
לא ראיתי אף אחד (lo ra’iti af echad) I didn’t see anyone (literally: not saw no one).

In such sentences, the second negative word strengthens the first rather than canceling it.

Common Negative Words and Expressions

לא (lo) not, no
אין (ein) there is not / don’t have
אַל (al) don’t (imperative)
שום (shum) no / none
אף אחד (af echad) no one
שום דבר (shum davar) nothing
מעולם לא (me’olam lo) never
עדיין לא (adayin lo) not yet

Examples:
אני עדיין לא מוכן (ani adayin lo mukhan) I’m not ready yet
הוא מעולם לא נסע לחו"ל (hu me’olam lo nasa lechul) he has never traveled abroad.

Negation in Ivrit is a model of clarity. With just a few short words—לא, אין, and אַל—Hebrew expresses the full range of denial, refusal, absence, and prohibition. Each form reflects the language’s preference for simplicity and logic: no auxiliary verbs, no confusion of meaning, only the direct rhythm of thought—לא בא, not coming; אין זמן, no time; אַל תדאג, don’t worry.

Modal Verbs in Hebrew

Modal verbs in Ivrit (po‘alim modali’im) express ability, permission, necessity, obligation, or intention—ideas that in English are conveyed by can, must, should, may, want to, and similar auxiliaries. Unlike English, Hebrew does not use a distinct set of auxiliary verbs that change tense or agree with the subject. Instead, it employs a group of main verbs and impersonal expressions that remain in the present tense and are followed by an infinitive.

This structure makes Hebrew modals direct, elegant, and highly consistent. Each modal is treated grammatically as an independent verb that governs the infinitive form of another verb.

יכול (yakhol) – can, to be able to

This verb expresses ability or possibility. It agrees with the subject in gender and number, but not in person.

Forms:
יכול (yakhol) can (m. sg.)
יכולה (yekhola) can (f. sg.)
יכולים (yekholim) can (m. pl.)
יכולות (yekholot) can (f. pl.)

It is always followed by an infinitive.

Examples:
אני יכול לדבר עברית (ani yakhol ledaber ivrit) I can speak Hebrew
היא יכולה לבוא מחר (hi yekhola lavo machar) she can come tomorrow
אנחנו יכולים לעזור לך (anachnu yekholim la’azor lekha) we can help you
הם לא יכולים לעבוד היום (hem lo yekholim la’avod hayom) they can’t work today.

The infinitive following יכול usually appears without את, making the structure simple and compact.

צריך (tzarikh) – must, need to, should

This impersonal modal verb expresses necessity, obligation, or moral duty. It is perhaps the most frequently used modal in Hebrew and is always followed by an infinitive.

Forms:
צריך (tzarikh) must (m. sg.)
צריכה (tzrikhah) must (f. sg.)
צריכים (tzrikhim) must (m. pl.)
צריכות (tzrikhot) must (f. pl.)

Examples:
אני צריך ללכת עכשיו (ani tzarikh lalechet achshav) I need to go now
את צריכה ללמוד יותר (at tzrikhah lilmod yoter) you should study more
אנחנו צריכים לדבר עם הרופא (anachnu tzrikhim ledaber im harofe) we must talk to the doctor
הם לא צריכים לעבוד מחר (hem lo tzrikhim la’avod machar) they don’t need to work tomorrow.

Although translated as must or should, צריך does not change with tense; time is inferred from context or accompanying time expressions.

מותר (mutar) – may, to be allowed to

מותר is an impersonal adjective meaning permitted or allowed. It is often used with the preposition ל (le) to indicate who is allowed to do something.

Examples:
מותר לי לעשן כאן? (mutar li le’ashen kan?) am I allowed to smoke here?
מותר לנו להיכנס עכשיו (mutar lanu lehikanes achshav) we may enter now
אסור לדבר בזמן השיעור (asur ledaber bezman hashi’ur) it is forbidden to speak during the lesson.

The opposite of מותר is אסור (asur) forbidden, forming a common and natural pair.

Example:
אסור לשכוח את הדרכון (asur lishkoach et hadarkon) you must not forget the passport.

רוצה (rotze) – want to

The verb רצה (ratzah) to want behaves like a normal verb but functions as a modal when followed by an infinitive. It is inflected for gender and number.

Forms:
רוצה (rotze) wants (m. sg.)
רוצה (rotzah) wants (f. sg.)
רוצים (rotzim) want (m. pl.)
רוצות (rotzot) want (f. pl.)

Examples:
אני רוצה ללמוד עברית (ani rotze lilmod ivrit) I want to study Hebrew
היא רוצה לשתות קפה (hi rotzah lishtot kafe) she wants to drink coffee
אנחנו רוצים לצאת לטייל (anachnu rotzim latzet letayel) we want to go for a walk.

רוצה often expresses polite offers or suggestions in spoken Hebrew:
רוצה לשבת? (rotze lashevet?) would you like to sit?.

יכול להיות (yakhol lihyot) – may be, might

This expression literally means can be and serves as a modal for possibility or uncertainty.

Examples:
יכול להיות שהוא בבית (yakhol lihyot shehu babayit) he might be at home
יכול להיות שיהיה גשם מחר (yakhol lihyot sheyihiye geshem machar) it may rain tomorrow.

It is invariable in tense—context provides the temporal frame.

כדאי (kedai) – should, worthwhile, advisable

כדאי is an adjective meaning worthwhile or advisable. It often translates to should or it’s better to when used with an infinitive.

Examples:
כדאי ללמוד עברית (kedai lilmod ivrit) it’s worth learning Hebrew
כדאי לך לנוח קצת (kedai lekha lanuach ktzat) you should rest a bit
לא כדאי לעשות את זה עכשיו (lo kedai la’asot et ze achshav) it’s not a good idea to do it now.

לא כדאי acts as a polite but firm way to discourage an action.

צריך להיות (tzarikh lihyot) – must be, should be

This combination strengthens the expression of obligation or logical necessity.

Examples:
צריך להיות זהיר בכביש (tzarikh lihyot zehir bakvish) one must be careful on the road
צריך להיות מישהו בבית (tzarikh lihyot mishehu babayit) there must be someone at home.

Other Common Modal Expressions

אפשר (efshar) possible, can – אפשר לשבת כאן (efshar lashevet kan) one can sit here.
אי אפשר (i efshar) impossible, cannot – אי אפשר לעשן כאן (i efshar le’ashen kan) you can’t smoke here.
כפוי (kafuy) obliged / forced – הוא כפוי לעשות זאת (hu kafuy la’asot zot) he is forced to do it.

Summary of Common Modals

יכול can – ability or possibility
צריך must / need to – necessity or obligation
מותר may / allowed – permission
אסור must not / forbidden – prohibition
רוצה want to – desire or intention
כדאי should / advisable – recommendation
אפשר / אי אפשר possible / impossible – general possibility

Negation of Modals

Negating modals is straightforward: simply place לא (lo) before them.

Examples:
אני לא יכול לבוא (ani lo yakhol lavo) I can’t come
לא צריך לעבוד היום (lo tzarikh la’avod hayom) you don’t need to work today
לא כדאי לדבר עכשיו (lo kedai ledaber achshav) it’s not worth talking now.

Modal verbs in Ivrit reveal the language’s precision and flexibility: with a few invariable words and simple infinitives, Hebrew conveys everything from I can to I must, from it’s possible to it’s forbidden. They are timeless forms, rooted in logic rather than tense, reflecting the Hebrew preference for directness and clarity—צריך להבין, one must understand; אפשר לומר, one can say—simple words carrying the full weight of intention and possibility.

Conjunctions in Hebrew

Conjunctions in Ivrit (milot kishur) are the invisible threads that hold sentences together, linking words, phrases, and clauses into coherent and flowing thought. They express relationships of addition, contrast, cause, consequence, time, and condition. Though most are short and simple, their function is essential for building connected, natural Hebrew. Many conjunctions in Ivrit are single syllables—some even a single letter—reflecting the language’s preference for brevity and rhythm.

Coordinating Conjunctions

These link words or clauses of equal grammatical rank—like and, but, or in English.

ו (ve) – and

The most common conjunction in Hebrew, ו (ve) connects nouns, verbs, or whole clauses. It is pronounced ve, va, or u depending on the word that follows, due to phonetic harmony.

Examples:
אמא ואבא בבית (ima ve’aba babayit) mother and father are at home
הוא קרא וכתב כל היום (hu kara v’katav kol hayom) he read and wrote all day
שלום ואהבה (shalom ve’ahava) peace and love.

When ו precedes a word starting with certain consonants, its pronunciation shifts for ease of speech:
before labials (b, m, p) it becomes u (e.g., ובית – u’bayit and a house).

או (o) – or

Used to express choice or alternatives.

Examples:
אתה רוצה תה או קפה? (ata rotze te o kafe?) do you want tea or coffee?
אפשר ללכת ברגל או באוטובוס (efshar lalechet baregel o be’otobus) you can go on foot or by bus.

אבל (aval) – but

Expresses contrast or opposition, just like English but.

Examples:
אני אוהב חורף, אבל קר מדי היום (ani ohev choref, aval kar midai hayom) I like winter, but it’s too cold today
רציתי לבוא, אבל לא יכולתי (ratziti lavo, aval lo yacholti) I wanted to come, but I couldn’t.

גם (gam) – also, too

Adds or reinforces information.

Examples:
אני מדבר עברית וגם אנגלית (ani medaber ivrit vegam anglit) I speak Hebrew and also English
הוא בא וגם היא באה (hu ba vegam hi ba’ah) he came and she came too.

Subordinating Conjunctions

These introduce dependent clauses that modify or complete the meaning of the main clause.

כי (ki) – because, that

כי introduces a reason or explanation.

Examples:
אני שמח כי אתה כאן (ani sameach ki ata kan) I’m happy because you’re here
היא אמרה כי תבוא מחר (hi amrah ki tavo machar) she said that she would come tomorrow.

In modern Ivrit, כי often alternates with ש (she), especially in spoken style.

ש (she) – that, which, who

One of the most flexible and frequent conjunctions, ש introduces relative, subordinate, or explanatory clauses. It merges easily with pronouns or prepositions.

Examples:
אני יודע שאתה צודק (ani yode’a she’ata tzodek) I know that you’re right
הספר שראיתי היה מעניין (hasefer sheraiti haya me’anyen) the book that I saw was interesting.

In rapid speech, ש often attaches directly to the next word, becoming almost inseparable.

אם (im) – if, whether

Used for conditions and indirect questions.

Examples:
אם תלמד, תצליח (im tilmad, tatsliach) if you study, you will succeed
אני לא יודע אם הוא בא (ani lo yode’a im hu ba) I don’t know if he’s coming.

אם is also found in polite expressions: אם אפשר (im efshar) if possible, אם תרצה (im tirze) if you wish.

כיוון ש / מפני ש / משום ש – because

Hebrew has several formal ways to express cause.

Examples:
כיוון שהוא חולה, הוא נשאר בבית (kivan shehu choleh, hu nish’ar babayit) since he’s ill, he stayed home
מפני שירד גשם, נשארנו בפנים (mipnei sheyarad geshem, nisharnu bifnim) because it rained, we stayed inside.

These are more formal than כי, often used in written or academic Hebrew.

Temporal Conjunctions

Conjunctions of time establish the relationship between two events.

Examples:
כאשר (ka’asher) when – כאשר הגעתי, הוא כבר הלך (ka’asher higati, hu kvar halach) when I arrived, he had already left
אחרי ש (acharei she) after – אחרי שסיימתי, נחתי קצת (acharei shesiyamti, nachti ktzat) after I finished, I rested a little
לפני ש (lifnei she) before – לפני שאתה הולך, תתקשר אליי (lifnei she’ata holech, titkasher elai) before you go, call me
עד ש (ad she) until – חכה עד שיגיע (chake ad sheyagia) wait until he arrives.

Conditional and Concessive Conjunctions

אם (im) if introduces real conditions.
לו / אילו (lu / ilu) if only / if (unreal) introduce hypothetical or contrary-to-fact conditions.

Examples:
אם תלמד, תעבור את הבחינה (im tilmad, ta’avor et habchina) if you study, you will pass the exam
אילו היה לי כסף, הייתי קונה את זה (ilu haya li kesef, hayiti kone et ze) if I had money, I would buy it.

למרות ש (lamrot she) and אף על פי ש (af al pi she) mean although / even though.

Examples:
למרות שגשם ירד, הם יצאו לטייל (lamrot shegeshem yarad, hem yatzu letayel) although it rained, they went for a walk
אף על פי שהוא צעיר, הוא חכם מאוד (af al pi shehu tza’ir, hu chacham me’od) even though he’s young, he’s very wise.

Causal and Consecutive Conjunctions

Hebrew expresses result or consequence with words like אז (az) then / so, לכן (lakhen) therefore, and בשביל כך (bishvil kach) for this reason.

Examples:
ירד גשם, לכן לא הלכנו לים (yarad geshem, lakhen lo halachnu layam) it rained, therefore we didn’t go to the sea
הוא עבד קשה, אז הצליח (hu avad kashe, az hitsliach) he worked hard, so he succeeded.

Purpose and Contrast

To express purpose, Hebrew uses כדי (kedey) in order to or בשביל (bishvil) for the purpose of.

Examples:
אני לומד עברית כדי לדבר עם חברים (ani lomed ivrit kedey ledaber im chaverim) I study Hebrew to speak with friends
הוא עבד בשביל לקנות מחשב חדש (hu avad bishvil liknot machshev chadash) he worked to buy a new computer.

Common Colloquial Conjunctions

In everyday speech, Hebrew favors short, rhythmic connectors:
אז (az) so / then
אבל (aval) but
כי (ki) because
ש (she) that
וכאילו (ve’ke’ilu) and like / as if

Examples:
אז מה נעשה עכשיו? (az ma na’ase achshav?) so what do we do now?
הוא היה עייף וכאילו לא הקשיב בכלל (hu haya ayef ve’ke’ilu lo hikshiv bikhlal) he was tired and kind of didn’t listen at all.

Summary of Common Conjunctions

ו (ve) and
או (o) or
אבל (aval) but
גם (gam) also
כי (ki) because / that
אם (im) if
ש (she) that / who / which
כאשר (ka’asher) when
למרות ש (lamrot she) although
לכן (lakhen) therefore
כדי (kedey) in order to

Word Order in Hebrew

Word order in Ivrit (sidur milim) reflects both the structure and rhythm of the Hebrew language. Although modern Hebrew generally follows a subject–verb–object (SVO) order like English, it remains flexible, allowing for variations depending on emphasis, style, and context. This flexibility comes from Hebrew’s clear system of verb conjugations, particles, and prepositions, which make the grammatical roles of words easily recognizable even when their positions change.

Understanding word order is essential not only for correct grammar but also for expressing nuance, politeness, and emotional tone in speech and writing.

Basic Sentence Structure

The default order in modern Ivrit is subject + verb + object, or SVO.

Examples:
דני קורא ספר (Dani kore sefer) Dani reads a book
הילדה אוכלת תפוח (hayeledah okhelet tapuach) the girl eats an apple
אנחנו לומדים עברית (anachnu lomdim ivrit) we are studying Hebrew.

This structure is used in most neutral statements, especially in spoken modern Hebrew.

The Biblical Influence: VSO Order

Classical and biblical Hebrew used a verb–subject–object (VSO) pattern as the standard order. While modern Ivrit has shifted to SVO, the older order still appears in literary, poetic, and formal styles, or in certain idiomatic expressions.

Examples:
הלך האיש הביתה (halach ha’ish habayta) the man went home
אמר הנביא (amar hanavi) the prophet said.

In everyday speech, such inversions sound archaic but remain stylistically powerful in writing or ceremonial speech.

Subject and Verb Inversion for Emphasis

Hebrew allows word order changes to emphasize a particular part of the sentence.
Moving a word to the beginning gives it focus or emotional weight.

Examples:
את הספר קראתי אתמול (et hasefer karati etmol) it was the book that I read yesterday (emphasizing the book)
אתמול קראתי את הספר (etmol karati et hasefer) yesterday I read the book (emphasizing yesterday).

These flexible arrangements highlight the topic or contrast information without changing the core meaning.

Word Order in Questions

Questions in Hebrew are formed without changing word order dramatically. The difference lies in intonation and the presence of question words such as מה (ma) what, מי (mi) who, איפה (eifo) where, מתי (matai) when, למה (lama) why, and איך (eich) how.

Examples:
אתה בא היום? (ata ba hayom?) are you coming today?
מה אתה עושה? (ma ata ose?) what are you doing?
איפה הם גרים? (eifo hem garim?) where do they live?

No inversion or auxiliary verb (do, are, have) is needed—Hebrew simply raises the tone at the end to mark a question.

Word Order in Negation

Negation does not change sentence structure. The negator לא (lo) is placed before the verb.

Examples:
אני לא יודע (ani lo yodea) I don’t know
היא לא באה מחר (hi lo ba’ah machar) she isn’t coming tomorrow
הם לא עובדים היום (hem lo ovdim hayom) they aren’t working today.

The order remains SVO, keeping Hebrew word flow natural and direct.

Word Order with Adjectives

Adjectives in Hebrew follow the nouns they describe and must agree with them in gender, number, and definiteness.

Examples:
בית גדול (bayit gadol) a big house
הבית הגדול (habayit hagadol) the big house
ספרים מעניינים (sfarim me’anyenim) interesting books.

If the adjective precedes the noun, it adds poetic or emotional emphasis, as in יפה עירי (yafah iri) beautiful is my city—a construction found mostly in literature or song.

Word Order in Verb Phrases

When a verb takes an object and an adverb or prepositional phrase, the usual order is verb + object + adverbial.

Examples:
הוא כתב מכתב לחבר שלו (hu katav michtav lechaver shelo) he wrote a letter to his friend
היא קנתה מתנה בחנות (hi kanta matanah bakhanut) she bought a gift at the store.

Adverbs of time or place can move to the beginning for focus:
בבוקר הוא עובד (baboker hu oved) in the morning he works.

Prepositions and Word Order

Prepositions always precede their noun phrases and often merge with pronouns to create compact expressions.

Examples:
אני מדבר עם חברים (ani medaber im chaverim) I speak with friends
היא גרה בבית של ההורים (hi gara babayit shel hahorim) she lives in her parents’ house.

Word Order in Compound and Relative Clauses

Relative clauses follow the nouns they describe, introduced by ש (she) that / who / which.

Examples:
האיש שגר כאן הוא רופא (ha’ish shegar kan hu rofe) the man who lives here is a doctor
הספר שקניתי מעניין מאוד (hasefer shekaniti me’anyen me’od) the book that I bought is very interesting.

Here, the order within the clause remains standard—subject before verb—but the entire clause follows the noun.

Emphasis and Focus

In Ivrit, meaning often depends on what comes first. The initial position in a sentence carries the most weight. By rearranging elements, the speaker changes what is highlighted.

Examples:
הוא נתן לי את הספר (hu natan li et hasefer) he gave me the book (neutral)
את הספר הוא נתן לי (et hasefer hu natan li) it was the book he gave me (emphasizing the book)
לי הוא נתן את הספר (li hu natan et hasefer) he gave the book to me (emphasizing to me).

This flexible system allows Hebrew speakers to vary tone and emotional focus without adding words.

Word Order in Nominal Sentences

In the present tense, Hebrew often forms nominal sentences—sentences without a verb. The word order here is subject + complement, and context supplies the meaning of to be.

Examples:
אני עייף (ani ayef) I am tired
הם בבית (hem babayit) they are at home
היום יום שישי (hayom yom shishi) today is Friday.

No copula (am, is, are) is required; Hebrew expresses existence and state simply through juxtaposition.

The Musicality of Hebrew Word Order

Hebrew’s sentence rhythm mirrors its ancient roots: it moves from theme to comment, from known to new information. The key is clarity and emphasis, not fixed position. The result is a language both logical and expressive—capable of shifting tone, emotion, and focus by the order of its words.

Examples of stylistic variation:
דני אכל תפוח (Dani akhal tapuach) Dani ate an apple – neutral.
תפוח אכל דני (tapuach akhal Dani) an apple Dani ate – poetic emphasis.
את התפוח אכל דני (et hatapuach akhal Dani) it was the apple that Dani ate – focus on the object.

Questions in Hebrew

Questions in Ivrit (she’elot) are simple, direct, and rhythmically natural. Unlike English or many European languages, Hebrew does not use auxiliary verbs such as do, does, or is to form questions. Instead, questions are formed by intonation (raising the voice at the end) or by using interrogative words such as who, what, where, when, why, and how. This simplicity makes Hebrew questions highly intuitive once you know the word order and key particles.

Yes–No Questions

The most basic Hebrew questions—those answered by yes or no—use the same word order as statements. The only difference lies in tone. A rising intonation at the end signals a question.

Examples:
אתה בא היום? (ata ba hayom?) are you coming today?
היא גרה בתל אביב? (hi gara beTel Aviv?) does she live in Tel Aviv?
אתם מבינים אותי? (atem mevinim oti?) do you understand me?

No auxiliary words are added. The question form depends solely on voice and punctuation.

To make the question sound more formal or explicit, Hebrew sometimes adds the particle האם (ha’im) at the beginning. This is equivalent to English is it that / do / are and appears mostly in writing, news, or official speech.

Examples:
האם אתה מוכן? (ha’im ata mukhan?) are you ready?
האם הם יבואו מחר? (ha’im hem yavo’u machar?) will they come tomorrow?

In spoken Hebrew, however, האם is rarely used—intonation alone is enough.

Question Words

Interrogative words (milot she’elah) are used when specific information is requested. These words usually come at the beginning of the sentence, followed by a normal subject–verb–object structure.

מי (mi) – who

Used for people or agents of an action.

Examples:
מי בא עכשיו? (mi ba achshav?) who is coming now?
מי עשה את זה? (mi asah et ze?) who did this?
מי אוהב שוקולד? (mi ohev shokolad?) who likes chocolate?

מה (ma) – what

Used for objects, ideas, or general inquiries.

Examples:
מה אתה עושה? (ma ata ose?) what are you doing?
מה זה? (ma ze?) what is this?
מה קרה? (ma kara?) what happened?
מה יש לך? (ma yesh lekha?) what’s wrong with you? / what do you have?

When followed by a guttural or labial consonant, מה (ma) often changes to מַה / מָה / מַ / מָ depending on the word that follows, for smooth pronunciation—e.g., מַתי (when), מָהוּ (what is he).

איפה (eifo) – where

Used for place or location.

Examples:
איפה אתה גר? (eifo ata gar?) where do you live?
איפה המפתח שלי? (eifo hamafte’ach sheli?) where is my key?
מאיפה אתה בא? (me’eifo ata ba?) where are you coming from?

Note the variation מאיפה (me’eifo) from where, used in everyday speech.

מתי (matai) – when

Used for time-related questions.

Examples:
מתי אתה הולך לעבודה? (matai ata holech la’avoda?) when do you go to work?
מתי הם יגיעו? (matai hem yagiu?) when will they arrive?
מתי זה קרה? (matai ze kara?) when did it happen?

למה (lama) – why

Used for asking reasons or causes.

Examples:
למה אתה צוחק? (lama ata tzochek?) why are you laughing?
למה היא עצובה? (lama hi atzuvah?) why is she sad?
למה לא באת אתמול? (lama lo bata etmol?) why didn’t you come yesterday?

A more formal or literary variant is מדוע (madua), often found in written or poetic Hebrew.

Example:
מדוע אתה שותק? (madua ata shotek?) why are you silent?

איך (eich) – how

Used for manner, method, or condition.

Examples:
איך אתה מרגיש? (eich ata margish?) how do you feel?
איך אפשר להגיע לשם? (eich efshar lehagia lesham?) how can one get there?
איך עשית את זה? (eich asita et ze?) how did you do that?

כמה (kama) – how much / how many

Used to ask about quantity or price.

Examples:
כמה זה עולה? (kama ze oleh?) how much does it cost?
כמה תלמידים יש בכיתה? (kama talmidim yesh bakitah?) how many students are in the class?
כמה זמן זה ייקח? (kama zman ze yikach?) how long will it take?

Embedded and Indirect Questions

Hebrew forms indirect questions without changing word order or adding extra words like whether or if—it simply uses אם (im) or ש (she).

Examples:
אני לא יודע אם הוא בא (ani lo yode’a im hu ba) I don’t know if he’s coming
הוא שאל מתי אתה נוסע (hu sha’al matai ata nose’a) he asked when you’re traveling
אני רוצה לדעת למה היא כועסת (ani rotze lada’at lama hi ko’eset) I want to know why she’s angry.

Indirect questions follow the same syntax as statements, with the question word leading the subordinate clause.

Politeness and Tone

In Hebrew, politeness depends not on word order but on tone, intonation, and the use of softening words such as בבקשה (bevakasha) please or אפשר (efshar) is it possible.

Examples:
אפשר לשבת כאן? (efshar lashevet kan?) may I sit here?
תוכל לעזור לי בבקשה? (tukhal la’azor li bevakasha?) can you help me, please?

Tone plays a central role. Rising pitch signals genuine curiosity, while falling pitch may suggest rhetorical questioning or surprise.

Negative Questions

To form a negative question, Hebrew simply adds לא (lo) before the verb, keeping the same structure and intonation.

Examples:
אתה לא עובד היום? (ata lo oved hayom?) aren’t you working today?
היא לא אמרה לך? (hi lo amrah lekha?) didn’t she tell you?
אתם לא שמעתם את החדשות? (atem lo sham’atem et hachadashot?) didn’t you hear the news?

The negation adds surprise, doubt, or expectation, depending on context.

Tag and Echo Questions

Hebrew doesn’t have tag questions like isn’t it? or don’t you? Instead, speakers repeat or emphasize a word, or add נכון? (nachon?) right? or לא? (lo?) isn’t it?.

Examples:
אתה בא, נכון? (ata ba, nachon?) you’re coming, right?
היא יפה, לא? (hi yafah, lo?) she’s pretty, isn’t she?
אנחנו נפגש מחר, נכון? (anachnu nifgash machar, nachon?) we’ll meet tomorrow, right?

These short confirmations are among the most common conversational features in Hebrew.

Relative Clauses in Hebrew

Relative clauses in Ivrit (psukiyot yachas) enrich sentences by linking two ideas—the main clause and a descriptive clause that provides additional information about a noun. They are the Hebrew equivalent of English constructions with who, which, that, or where. In Hebrew, relative clauses are introduced by the particle ש (she), which serves as the universal connector for that / who / which. This tiny word, one of the most frequent in the language, fuses effortlessly with the flow of speech and writing, making Hebrew relative constructions concise and fluid.

The Function of Relative Clauses

A relative clause modifies a noun or pronoun and tells us which one or what kind of person or thing we are talking about.
In English: The man who lives here is a doctor.
In Ivrit: האיש שגר כאן הוא רופא (ha’ish shegar kan hu rofe).

The clause שגר כאן (shegar kan) describes the noun האיש (the man).

The Universal Connector ש (she)

In modern Hebrew, ש (she) has replaced the older, longer forms אשר (asher) and שהוא / שהיא (shehu / shehi) in everyday language. It introduces any type of subordinate clause: relative, object, or complement.

Examples:
האישה שדיברה איתך היא המנהלת (ha’ishah shedibrah itcha hi hamenhelet) the woman who spoke with you is the manager
הספר שקנית מעניין מאוד (hasefer shekanita me’anyen me’od) the book that you bought is very interesting
הבית שראינו אתמול יקר מדי (habayit sherainu etmol yakar midai) the house we saw yesterday is too expensive.

The relative particle ש is never separated from its clause; it attaches closely to the next word and can apply to people, things, places, or even ideas.

The Older Form אשר (asher)

The word אשר (asher) is the biblical and formal equivalent of ש (she). It appears in legal, poetic, and elevated written Hebrew, as well as in some religious texts. It functions identically but adds a tone of gravity or formality.

Examples:
המדינה אשר נוסדה בשנת 1948 (hamedina asher nusdah b’shnat 1948) the state that was founded in 1948
האדם אשר עשה זאת לא נודע (ha’adam asher asah zot lo noda) the person who did this is unknown.

In spoken Hebrew, אשר is rare; ש has become universal and natural.

Agreement and Word Order

In Hebrew, the verb inside the relative clause agrees with the subject of that clause, not with the noun it modifies. The word order remains the same as in a normal sentence—usually subject + verb + object—with ש (she) introducing the subordinate idea.

Examples:
התלמיד שכותב על הלוח הוא חדש (hatalmid shekotev al haluach hu chadash) the student who is writing on the board is new
האנשים שעובדים כאן נחמדים מאוד (ha’anashim she’ovdim kan nechmadim me’od) the people who work here are very nice.

The relative clause always follows the noun it modifies.

Prepositions in Relative Clauses

When the verb in the relative clause requires a preposition, Hebrew attaches it directly to ש (she), creating compact forms like שעליו (she’alav) that / on him, שאיתו (she’ito) that / with him, שבו (shebo) that / in it, or שלהם (shelahem) that / belonging to them.

Examples:
הספר שעל השולחן שלי (hasefer she’al hashulchan sheli) the book that is on my table
הילד שאיתו דיברת הוא בן דוד שלי (hayeled she’ito dibarta hu ben dod sheli) the boy you spoke with is my cousin
הבית שבו נולדתי נהרס (habayit shebo noladeti neheras) the house where I was born was demolished.

These combinations express spatial, possessive, or relational meanings without needing separate relative pronouns as in English.

Possessive and Dative Relations

Hebrew relative constructions also integrate possession or indirect relations elegantly.

Examples:
האישה שבעלה רופא (ha’ishah sheba’alah rofe) the woman whose husband is a doctor
הילד שהמורה שלו חולה (hayeled shehamore shelo choleh) the child whose teacher is sick.

Notice that Hebrew expresses whose with a genitive chain using של (shel) inside the relative clause.

Time and Place Relations

Relative clauses with expressions of time or place use ש (she) combined with prepositions like ב (be) in, מ (mi) from, על (al) on, or אצל (etzel) at.

Examples:
היום שבו נפגשנו היה מיוחד (hayom shebo nifgashnu haya meyuchad) the day when we met was special
המקום שבו גדלתי רחוק מכאן (hamakom shebo gadalti rachok mikan) the place where I grew up is far from here
הרגע שממנו הכול השתנה (harega shemimenu hakol hishtana) the moment from which everything changed.

Object Relative Clauses

When the head noun is the object of the verb in the relative clause, ש (she) introduces the clause without requiring any special form.

Examples:
האיש שראית אתמול הוא חבר שלי (ha’ish sheraita etmol hu chaver sheli) the man you saw yesterday is my friend
העוגה שאכלנו טעימה מאוד (ha’ugah she’akhalnu te’imah me’od) the cake we ate was very tasty.

Hebrew does not need a placeholder like English that / which / whom—ש (she) alone connects the ideas seamlessly.

Reduced and Implicit Relative Clauses

In conversational Hebrew, relative clauses are often reduced when the meaning is clear from context.

Examples:
הילדה עם השיער הארוך? (hayeledah im hase’ar ha’arokh?) the girl with the long hair?
הסיפור ההוא על הילד? (hasipur ha’hu al hayeled?) that story about the boy?

In these forms, the relative clause becomes a simple prepositional phrase, avoiding the need for ש entirely.

Double Clauses and Nested Constructions

Complex sentences may include several layers of ש, reflecting nested relationships:

Examples:
אני מכיר את האיש שאמר שיבוא מחר (ani makir et ha’ish she’amar sheyavo machar) I know the man who said that he’ll come tomorrow
הם קנו את הבית שאתה חושב שהוא הכי יפה בעיר (hem kanu et habayit she’ata choshev shehu hachi yafe ba’ir) they bought the house you think is the most beautiful in the city.

Such constructions, though grammatically dense, are perfectly natural in Hebrew because ש efficiently carries multiple layers of subordination.

Formal Variants and Literary Style

In formal, poetic, or biblical contexts, the relative marker אשר (asher) adds solemnity and rhythm. It is frequently combined with prepositions in fixed expressions:
על אשר for which / because of which, מן אשר from which, לאשר to whom.

Example:
העם אשר הלך בחושך ראה אור גדול (ha’am asher halach bachoshech ra’ah or gadol) the people who walked in darkness saw a great light.

This biblical rhythm still echoes in modern Hebrew prose, prayers, and national poetry.

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