Hebrew

Ivrit bkalut

Hebrew is easy

By Dàvid Uhlár i Escandell

Pages dedicated to Dana I. and all my Israeli and Jewish friends (Ilan, Danny,…)

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1/Pronunciation 2/Vocabulary 3/Grammar 4/Conjugation

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1/ PRONUNCIATION

Ancient Hebrew (Hebrew spoken by Moses and Abraham) had certainly a pronunciation close to modern Arabic, ie full of guttural and emphatic sounds. Modern Hebrew has lost almost all these hard sounds and we often say it has a 'European' pronunciation.

-Ashkenazi Hebrew really sounds like a European language (German). 'Alef has no sound. "ayin represents a simple stop. Resh is pronounced French (Parisian) or German 'r'. Qof and Kaf sounds like a regular 'k'. Khaf and Het are pronounced like German 'ch' (as in Bach) or Spanish 'j' (as in hijo). He is often not pronounced or sounds like a regular Alef.

-Sepharadi Hebrew has a pronunciation closer to Ancient Hebrew and to nowadays Middle East Arabic. 'Alef is a full glottal stop. "ayin is pronounced with the throat (like the initial sound of Arabic "omar). Resh is rolled like Spanish or Italian 'r'. Qof and Kaf, Khaf and Het sound different. He is clearly pronounced. A dotted consonant sounds different (thus d with a dot sounds like English 'th' of that, not like d of David).

Because of HTML limitations I will write Hebrew by means of Latin alphabet. This is a simple but efficient phonetic transcription. We'll use the following letters: ', B, V, G, D, H, W, Z, KH, T, Y, K, L, M, N, S, ", P, F, TS, R, SH, A, E, I, O, U.

In order to have a rather good and modern pronunciation just remember that basically all vowels and consonnants sound like in Spanish, Italian or German (not English). SH and H sound like English short and hat. KH sounds like Arabic 'kh' (Khartum), Spanish 'j' (Juan, hijo), or Scottish & German 'ch' (Loch, Bach). R can be pronounced the Spanish, Italian, French or German way. It is not an English or American 'r'! TS as in tsetse. ' ('alef) is generally silent. " ("ayin) can be pronounced as a glottal stop when it is in the middle of a word (example: nosa"at (go) must be pronounced [nosa-at], not *[nosat]). Otherwise, at the beginning or the end of a word you can forget it. Vowels are: A as in bus; E as in get; I as Israel; O as in sword; U as in tool.

NB1: The word "alphabet" comes from the 2 first Hebrew letters, Alef and Beth. Surprisingly enough, Hebrew alphabet is related to ours. This ancient relationship is still visible nowadays: look at Qof (Q) or Resh (R) after an axial symmetry for instance!! Take squared Shin, make a 90° rotation and with a lttle imagination you'll get Greek Sigma which became our S.

NB2: A dot in Veth (V aka BH) turns it into a Beth (B). Likewise, a dot in Khaf (KH) turns it into a Kaf (K), and a dot in Fe (F aka PH) turns it into a Pe (P). My way to remember it is to say the dot removes the H: BH(V)->B, KH->K, PH(F)->P. In a regular text these dots are never written.

NB3: Gimel, Daleth or Tav without a dot were used to write different sounds still existing in Arabic and in Yemeni Hebrew for instance (GH, DH and TH). The usual pronunciation is G, D and T with or without the dot (which is, in any case, never written!)

NB4: Shin (SH) and Sin (S) are the same letter. Shin has a dot on its right (generally not written). Sin has a dot on its left.

NB5: Khaf (KH), Mem (M), Nun (N) and Tsadi (TS) have two shapes each: one when the letter is inside a word (2^nd shape in the table) and one when the letter is at the end of a word (1^st shape in the table).

NB6: Kaf (K) and Qof (Q) used to represent two different sounds: regular K and maybe emphatic K. Nowadays there is no difference in pronunciation between these letters and we'll transcribe both of them as K. Same story with Sin and Samekh, Tet and Tav.

NB7: Hebrew is written from right to left (I thought this one was important to mention…!)

It is important to mention that in Hebrew, like in Arabic and Syriac, only consonants (and Y and W) are written. This is certainly due to the fact that all Semitic words are based on a consonant root. Therefore, it is difficult for a beginner to read a text in Hebrew since to read a text you need to know the vowels of all the words… Even worse: in some cases only the context will help you to put an end to the ambiguity.Yesh lekha khatul (he has a cat) and Yesh lakh khatul (she has a cat) are written exactly the same way…

Here is an example of a text in modern Hebrew, taken from an Israeli magazine (it's about Ben Affleck…)

Fortunately, in textbooks for students and books for children a system of vocalization is used. It is, in my opinion, not perfect, but it helps a lot to read accurately any text. Here it is:

Here is an example of a vocalized text in modern hebrew (it's about Winnie the Pooh…)

2/ VOCABULARY-EXPRESSIONS

(Hebrew-English-French)

Shalom = peace, hi = paix, bonjour

Ken = yes = oui

Lo = no = non

Boker tov = good morning = bonjour (le matin)

Tsahoraim tovim = good afternoon = bonjour (l'après-midi)

'Erev tov = good evening = bonsoir

Laila tov = good night = bonne nuit

Shabbat shalom = Shabbat of peace (on Friday evening) = Shabbat de paix (le Vendr. soir)

-> Answer: Shabbat shalom umevorakh

Shavua' tov = good week (on Sat. Night) = bonne semaine (le Samedi soir)

Shana tova = happy new year = bonne année

Khag sameakh = good feast = bonne fête

Barukh haba = welcome = Soyez le bienvenu

-> Answer: Barukh hanimtsa

Beteavon = enjoy your meal! = bon appétit

Lekhaim = cheers! = A votre santé, Tchin-tchin!

Toda = thank you = merci

Toda raba = thank you very much = merci beaucoup

-> Answer: 'al lo davar; bevakasha; ze haya ta'anug

Bevakasha = please = s'il vous plaît

Slikha = excuse me but...(question) = (pour poser une q°)

Ani mevakesh = I'm sorry = excusez-moi

Slikha 'al hahafra'a = I'm sorry = je suis désolé

Ani mitsta'er = I regret = je suis désolé, navré

Mazal tov = congratulations = félicitations

Kol hakavod = bravo! = bravo!

Bevakasha lehakir et... = I'd like to introduce you to... = je vous présente...

Na lehakir et... = I'd like to introduce you to... = je vous présente...

-> Answer: Na'im me'od = nice to meet you = enchanté

Shmi... = my name's... = je m'appelle...

Ma shimkha? = what's your name (masculine)? = comment vous appelez vous(masculin)?

Ma shmekh? = what's your name (feminine)? = comment vous appelez vous(féminin)?

Ma shlomkha? = how are you (masculine)? = comment allez vous (masculin)?

Ma shlomekh? = how are you (feminine)? = comment allez vous (féminin)?

Shlomi tov = I'm fine = je vais bien

Lehitra'ot = good bye, see you = au revoir, à bientôt

Lehitra'ot makhar = see you tomorrow = à demain

Ze lo meshane = that's nothing = cela ne fait rien

Nim 'as li = I'm fed up = j'en ai marre

Adjectives (only masculine forms are given)

Katan = little, small = petit

Gadol = big, large, great = grand, gros

Me"anyen = interesting = intéressant

Gavoha = tall, high = grand, haut

Moshekh = attractive = attirant

Eleganti = elegant = élégant

Tov = good = bon

Ra" = bad = mauvais

Ragil = ordinary = ordinaire

Mushlam = perfect = parfait

"aliz = gay = gai/gay

Kaved= heavy = lourd

Khamud = cute = mignon

Ge'e = proud = fier

Nehedar = magnificent = maginfique

Tari = fresh (food) = frais

"atslan = lazy = fainéant

Yafe = pretty, beautiful = joli, beau

"ashir = rich = riche

Rakh = soft = doux

Ta"im = delicious = délicieux

Arokh = long = long

Yakar = dear, expensive= cher

Khakham = wise = sage, savant

Kehe = dark = sombre

Retsini = serious = sérieux

"atsbani = nervous= nerveux

Ko"es = angry = en colère

Naki = clean = propre

Khadash = new = neuf, nouveau

Yashar = straight, honest = honnête

Sha'aftan = ambitious = ambitieux

Ken = sincere = sincère

Mishtokek le'ahavim = amorous = amoureux

Bari' = healthy = en bonne santé

Enokhi = selfish = égoïste

Levad = alone = seul

Batuakh = safe = sûr

Melukhlakh = dirty = sale

"ayef = tired = fatigué

Normali = normal = normal

Shone = different = différent

Kar = cold = froid

Kham = hot = chaud
"asuk = busy = occupé

Gamur = finished = terminé

Muzar = weird = bizarre, mystérieux

Meshune = strange = étrange

"ani = poor = pauvre

Yakhid = unique = unique

Raze = skinny = maigre

Nadiv = generous = généreux

Khazak = strong = fort

Tsa"ir = young = jeune

Ro"esh = noisy = bruyant

Kashe = difficult, hard = difficile

Savir = sensible = sensible

Tipesh = stupid = stupide

Samikh = thin = fin

Nasuy = married = marié

Nehedar = wonderful = merveilleux

Kereakh = bald = chauve

Khole = sick = malade

Zol = cheap = pas cher

Kal = easy = facile

Tsame = thirsty = assoiffé

Ayom = terrible = terrible

Tsar = narrow = étroit

Mekho"ar = ugly = laid

Shavur = broken = cassé

Katsar = short, brief = court, bref

Kafu = frozen = gelé

Pir'i = wild = sauvage

Me"unan = cloudy = nuageux

Kal = light = léger

Yashev = dry = sec

Shavir = fragile = fragile

Ragish = tender = tendre

Amits = brave = courageux

Metoraf = crazy = fou

Barur = obvious = évident

Ratuv = wet = mouillé

Iti = slow = lent

Meruba" = square = carré

Nakhuts = necessary = nécessaire

Male' = full = plein

Akhra'i = responsible = responsable

Tov lev = kind, gentle = gentil

Ha-tsva'im= the colors = les couleurs

Adom= red = rouge

Varod= pink = rose

Lavan= white = blanc

Afor= grey = gris

Khum= brown = marron

Shakhor= black = noir

Yarok= green = vert

Tsahov= yellow = jaune

Kakhol= blue = bleu

Katom= orange = orange

Luakh hashana= the calendar = le calendrier

Yom ri'shon= Sunday = dimanche

Yom sheni= Monday = lundi

Yom shlishi= Tuesday = mardi

Yom revi'i= Wednesday = mercredi

Yom khamishi= Thursday = jeudi

Yom shishi= Friday = vendredi

Yom shabbat= Saturday = samedi

Boker= morning = matin

Akharey hatsahorayim= afternoon = après-midi

Erev= evening = soir

Layla= night = nuit

Etmol= yesterday = hier

Hayom= today = aujourd'hui

Makhar= tomorrow = demain

Yanuar, Februar, Merts, April, May, Yuni, Yuli,

Ogust, September, Oktober, November, Detsember

Aviv= spring = printemps

Kayits= summer = été

Stav= autumn = automne

Khoref= winter = hiver

Ha-mispakha= the family = la famille

Ben= son = fils

Bat= daughter = fille

Yuladim= children = enfants

Akh= brother = frère

Akhot= sister = soeur

Aba= father = père

Ima= mother = mère

Dod= uncle = oncle

Doda= aunt = tante

Saba= grandfather = grand-père

Savta= grandmother = grand-mère

Key words

Mi = who = qui

Ma = what = quoi

Eifo = where = où

Le'an = to where = vers où

Me'ayin = from where = d'où

Matai = when = quand

Lama = why = pourquoi

Ekh = how = comment

Kama = how much/many = combien

Eze = which one(s) = lequel, lesquel(le)s

Ezo = which one (fem) = laquelle

Lo...lo = neither...nor = ni...ni

Yesh = there is/are = il y a

Ein = there isn't/aren't = il n'y a pas

Ish/adam lo = no-one = personne

Lo...klum = no...anythg = ne...rien

Shum = no, none = aucun

Beshum makom = nowhere = nulle part

Af pa'am = never = jamais

Me 'olam lo = never = jamais

Im ki = though = bien que

Af 'al pi she = though = bien que

Kede she = in order to = afin que

Im = if = si

Ba= in = dans

Lifney= in front of = devant

Meakhorey= behind = derrière

Mi= from = de

Al= on = sur

Mitakhat la= under = sous

Kol= all = tout (ex: kol haTmunot=all the pictures)
'Ad ki = till = jusqu'à

'Ad asher = till = jusqu'à

Me'az she = since = depuis que

Mishe = as soon as = dès que

Ve = and = et (ve needs to be 'glued' to a word; it cannot be written alone)

O = or = ou

Aval = but = mais

Akh/Ulam/Bram = however = toutefois/cependant

She = that = que

Mishehu = someone = quelqu'un

Mashehu = something = quelque chose

Tsarikh she = it is necessary that = il est nécessaire que

Muzar she = it is strange that = il est étrange que

Tov she = it is good that = il est bon que

Khaval she = it's a pity that = il est dommage que

Mazal she = it's a chance that = c'est une chance que

Mipne she = because = parce que

Mishum she = because = parce que

Mikevan she = since, because = puisque

Me'akhar she = given that = étant donné que

Ho'il ve = given that = étant donné que

Leakhar she = after that = après que

Lifne she = before that = avant que

Bizman she = at the moment when = au moment où

Kefi she = like, as = comme (comparaison)

Kol kakh she = so much that = tellement que

Me'al la= over = par-dessus

Ban= between = entre

Al yad= next to = à côté de

El= into = dans

3/ GRAMMAR

A/ Personal Pronouns

	Feminine	Masculine
First Singular (I)	Ani
2^nd Singular (Thou)	At	Ata
3^rd Singular (He/she/it)	Hi	Hu
First Plural (We)	Anakhnu
2^nd Plural (You)	Aten	Atem
3^rd Plural (They)	Hen	Hem

These pronouns are used exactly the same way as in English.

In Hebrew the verb 'to be' has no present form. Thus to say "I'm David" you will simply say Ani David (*"I David").

B/ Personal Suffixes - Declension of nouns and prepositions

A great difference between Hebrew and IndoEuropean languages is that prepositions and nouns can be "conjugated" (declined). Hebrew "declensions" are much easier than in Latin, Greek or Russian, fortunately. They are based on the following endings:

	Feminine	Masculine
First Singular (I)	-i
2^nd Singular (Thou)	-kh	-kha
3^rd Singular (He/she/it)	-a	-o
First Plural (We)	-nu
2^nd Plural (You)	-khen	-khem
3^rd Plural (They)	-an or -hen	-am or -hem

These endings will be used to express the possession when added to a noun, and also to conjugate prepositions.

Let's see a full example of a noun declension: how to say my uncle, your aunt, our uncles…??

Uncle=dod. Aunt=doda.

	Dod (uncle)	Doda (aunt)	Dodim (uncles)	Dodot (aunts)
1^st sing	Dodi	Dodati	Doday	Dodotay
2^nd sing masc	Dodkha	Dodatkha	Dodeykha	Dodoteykha
2^nd sing fem	Dodekh	Dodatekh	Dodaykh	Dodotaykh
3^rd sing masc	Dodo	Dodato	Dodav	Dodotav
3^rd sing fem	Doda	Dodata	Dodeyha	Dodoteyha
1^st plur	Dodenu	Dodatenu	Dodeynu	Dodoteynu
2^nd plur masc	Dodkhem	Dodatkhem	Dodeykhem	Dodoteykhem
2^nd plur fem	Dodkhen	Dodatkhen	Dodeykhen	Dodoteykhen
3^rd plur masc	Dodam	Dodatam	Dodeyhem	Dodoteyhem
3^rd plur fem	Dodan	Dodatan	Dodeyhen	Dodoteyhen

(the green suffixes are called 'constructed state' and are explained a bit further)

Thus, our aunts=dodoteynu; my uncle=dodi; his uncles=dodav, etc.

By means of these personal suffixes you can decline a lot of prepositions. Here are some of them:

Shel (of) -> my, your,…

Sheli (of mine=my-1^st sing)	Shelanu (of ours=our-1^st plur)
Shelkha (of yours=your-2^nd masc sing)	Shelakhem (of yours=your-2^nd masc plur)
Shelakh (of yours=your-2^nd fem sing)	Shelakhen (of yours=your-2^nd fem plur)
Shelo (of his=his-3^rd masc sing)	Shelahem (of theirs=their-3^rd masc plur)
Shela (of hers=her-3^rd fem sing)	Shelahen (of theirs=their-3^rd fem plur)

This is another way, more colloquial, to express possession. My uncle=dodi or ha dod sheli ("the-uncle of mine").

Shel non declined means of: haKhatula shel David ("The-she-cat of David")=David's cat.

L- (to, towards, for) -> to me,…

Li	Lanu
Lekha	Lakhem
Lekh	Lakhen
Lo	Lahem
La	Lahen

These forms are very useful to create the verb 'to have' in Hebrew. Actually Hebrew doesn't have any verb 'to have'. We use instead the expression Yesh l- ("there is to…"). Thus I have an uncle will be said yesh li dod. They (masc plur) have a cat is yesh lahem khatul.

The negative form of Yesh l- is Ein l- ("there isn't to…"). I don't have any aunt will be ein li doda.

B- (in) -> in me,…

Bi	Banu
Bekha	Bakhem
Bakh	Bakhen
Bo	Bahem
Ba	Bahen

Et (direct object marker) -> me,…

Oti	Otanu
Otkha	Otkhem
Otakh	Otkhen
Oto	Otam
Ota	Otan

This is another little word you need to know. Et is a direct object marker. It can be conjugated and thus become English me, you, him, her, us, you, them in I see you, you want us, etc.

Let's take the most telltale example: how to say I love you ? To love is ohev for masculine lovers and ohevet for feminine lovers. We have thus 4 ways to say I love you: Male to female => Ani ohev otakh. Male to male => Ani ohev otkha. Female to male => Ani ohevet otkha. Female to female => Ani ohevet otakh.

Further we'll se the other uses of et.

M- (from) -> from me,…

Mimeni	Mimenu
Mimkha	Mikem
Mimekh	Miken
Mimenu	Mehem
Mimena	Mehen

This one is marvellously irregular. Be careful!

'im (with) -> with me,…

Iti	Itanu
Itkha	Itkhem
Itakh	Itkhen
Ito	Itam
Ita	Itan

The declension is made by using another form of et.

Go with us will be bo itanu.

Bishvil (for) -> for me,…

Bishvili	Bishvilenu
Bishvilkha	Bishvilkhem
Bishvilekh	Bishvilkhen
Bishvilo	Bishvilam
Bishvila	Bishvilan

"al (on) -> on me,…

Alay	Aleynu
Aleykha	Aleykhem
Alaykh	Aleykhen
Alav	Aleyhem
Aleyha	Aleyhen

Of course this one has many uses. A good example is the famous expression Shalom aleykhem which means Peace on you and which sounds so close to its Arabic counterpart Salem 'alikum!

Beyn (between, among) -> between me,…

Beyni	Beynenu
Beynkha	Beynekhem
Beynekh	Beynekhen
Beyno	Beynehem
Beyna	Beynehen

El (to, towards) -> to me,…

Elay	Eleynu
Eleykha	Eleykhem
Elaykh	Eleykhen
Elav	Eleyhem
Eleyha	Eleyhen

Lifney (before, in front of) -> in front of me,…

Lefanay	Lefaneynu
Lefaneykha	Lifneykhem
Lefanaykh	Lifneykhen
Lefanav	Lifneyhem
Lefaneyha	Lifneyhen

Akharey (after) -> after me,…

Akharay	Akhareynu
Akhareykha	Akhareykhem
Akharaykh	Akhareykhen
Akharav	Akhareyhem
Akhareyha	Akhareyhen

Ein (not to be) -> I am not,…

Eineni / Eini	Einenu
Einkha	Einkhem
Einekh	Einkhen
Eino	Einam
Eina	Einan

Kmo (as, like) -> like me,…

Kamoni / Kemoti	Kamonu / Kemotenu
Kamokha / Kemotkha	Kemokhem / Kemotkhem
Kamokh / Kemotekh	Kemokhen / Kemotkhen
Kamohu / Kemoto	Kemohem / Kemotam
Kamoha / Kemota	Kemohen / Kemotan

"ad (as far as) -> as far as me,…

Aday	Adeynu
Adeykha	Adeykhem
Adaykh	Adeykhen
Adav	Adeyhem
Adeyha	Adeyhen

Bli (without -> without me,…

Bil'aday	Bil'adeynu
Bil'adeykha	Bil'adeykhem
Bil'adaykh	Bil'adeykhen
Bil'adav	Bil'adeyhem
Bil'adeyha	Bil'adeyhen

(built with bli+'ad)

Example (from a song I really love): Ani lo yekhola bil'adeykha=I can't live without you.

'atsm (self)-> myself,…

Atsmi	Atsmenu
Atsmekha	Atsmekhem
Atsmekh	Atsmekhen
Atsmo	Atsmam
Atsma	Atsman

C/ Masculine, Feminine, Singular, Plural

Feminine nouns generally end in either a or t.

The plural endings are generally -im for masculine nouns and -ot for feminine nouns.

Example: dod (uncle), doda (aunt), dodim (uncles), dodot (aunts). It is not always that easy…

The easiest adjectives follow these rules.

Example1: tov (good, masc sing), tova (good, fem sing), tovim (good, masc plur), tovot (good, fem plur).

Example2: gadol (tall, great), gdola, gdolim, gdolot. The a is dropped, be careful!

D/ Articles - Demonstratives

The definite article is HA in Hebrew. It is always prefixed to a noun. The film is HaSeret.

HA is 'swallowed' by L- (to) and B- (in) to become LA (to the) and BA (in the). For instance, In the morning is BaBoker (and not *BeHaBoker).

Their is no indefinite article. A film is simply Seret.

Ze = this is (for masc)

Z'ot = this is (for fem)

Now let's have a look at some telltale examples you need to learn… (be careful, they were chosen on purpose!):

Seret tov ("film good"; film is masc) = a good film

Mis'ada tova ("restaurant good"; restaurant is fem) = a good restaurant

Haseret hakhadash ("the-film the-new") = the new film

Haseret khadash ("the-film new"; 'to be' does not exist in present tenses) = the film is new

Seret khadash ("film new") = a new film

Hakibuts haze ("the-kibbutz the-this is") = this kibbutz

Hatmuna haz'ot me'anyenet ("the-picture the-this is interesting") = this picture is interesting

Hasimla hatsehuba haz'ot ("the-dress the-yellow the-this is") = this yellow dress

E/ Construct state

A construct state characterizes a group of two nouns in which the second noun determines the first one without any preposition.

Example: mits tapuzim ("juice oranges")= orange juice

At fem-sing and masc-plur the end of the first word is modified. At fem-plur and masc-sing there are no changes.

Fem-sing A becomes AT

Masc-plur IM becomes EI

Example1: uga (fem-sing)=cake => ugat shokolad=a chocolate cake

Example2: tapuzim (masc-plur)=oranges => tapuzei Isra'el=oranges from Israel

It is interesting to say that the -AT ending shows us a very primitive stage of the Hebrew language. Uga (cake), written with a final silent -H, was certainly prounounced *Ugat thousands of years ago. Then the final -T disappeared and its ghost reappears only in the construct state!

Use of the definite article (The) with the construct state: be careful!!! Ha is used only with the second noun...

Mits tapuzim = (an) orange juice

Mits hatapuzim = the orange juice

F/ The numbers
From 1 to 19:

Numbers for feminine words:

1=Akhat, 2=Shtaim (Shtey in construct state), 3=Shalosh, 4=Arba", 5=Khamesh, 6=Shesh, 7=Sheva", 8=Shmone, 9=Tesha", 10="Eser

11=Akhat "esre, 12=Shtem "esre, 13=Shlosh "esre, 14=Arba" "esre, 15=Khamesh "esre, 16=Shesh "esre, 17=Shva" "esre, 18=Shmone "esre, 19=Tsha" "esre

Numbers for masculine words:

1=Ekhad, 2=Shnaim (Shney in construct state), 3=Shlosha, 4=Arba"a, 5=Khamisha, 6=Shisha, 7=Shiv"a, 8=Shmona, 9=Tish"a, 10="Asara

11=Akhad "asar, 12=Shnem "asar, 13=Shlosha "asar, 14=Arba"a "asar, 15=Khamisha "asar, 16=Shisha "asar, 17=Shiv"a "asar, 18=Shmona "asar, 19=Tish"a "asar

From 20 to 90:

20="Esrim, 30=Shloshim, 40=Arba"im, 50=Khamishim, 60=Shishim, 70=Shiv"im, 80=Shmonim, 90=Tish"im

From 100 to 900:

100=Me'a, 200=Mataim, 300=Shlosh me'ot, 400=Arba" me'ot, 500=Khamesh me'ot, 600=Shesh me'ot, 700=Shva" me'ot, 800=Shmone me'ot, 900=Tsha" me'ot

From 1000 to 10000:

1000=Elef, 2000=Alpaim, 3000=Shloshet alafim, 4000=Arba"at alafim, 5000=Khameshet alafim, 6000=Sheshet alafim, 7000=Shiv"at alafim, 8000=Shmonat alafim, 9000=Tish"at alafim, 10000="Aseret alafim

How to use these numbers?

-The feminine form is used for counting: one, two, three… is akhat, shtaim, shalosh,…

-The numerals from 1 to 19 agree with their noun. One goes after the noun whereas the other numerals go before it. Two is used in its construct form: Shtaim becomes Shtey and Shnaim becomes Shney.

Examples:

Counting pictures: Tmuna (picture, photo; feminine noun): tmuna akhat, shtey tmunot, shalosh tmunot, arba" tmunot, etc

Counting teachers: More (teacher; masculine noun): more ekhad, shney morim, shlosha morim, arba"a morim, etc.

- the numerals up to 99 are made by connecting tens and units with ve (and). Twenty-six is "esrim veshesh (feminine) and "esrim veshisha (masculine). In these compounds One does not follow the noun anymore and Two is in its usual form (no construct state).

- Greater numbers are made starting from the higher units, adding ve (and) before the last member.

1225 is Elef mataim "esrim vekhamesh (1000 200 20 and5).

Ordinal numbers:

Ordinal numbers for masculine words:

1st=Rishon, 2nd=Sheni, 3rd=Shlishi, 4th=Rvi"i, 5th=Khamishi, 6th=Shishi, 7th=Shvi"i, 8th=Shmini, 9th=Tshi"i, 10th="Asiri

Ordinal numbers for feminine words:

1st=Rishona, 2nd=Shenit, 3rd=Shlishit, 4th=Rvi"it, 5th=Khamishit, 6th=Shishit, 7th=Shvi"it, 8th=Shminit, 9th=Tshi"it, 10th="Asirit

G/ Some expressions

Very

Me'od= very

Ex: dvarim me'anyenet me'od ("things interesting very")=things very interesting

That

She (pronounced as in Sherry)= that

Ex: Ata khosev she ha-kneset ptukha ("you think that the-parliament open")=you think that the parliament is open

Age

Ben kama hu? ("son how many he?")= How old is he?

Bat kama hi? ("daughter how many she?")= How old is she?

Hu ben X ("he son X")= He is X years old

Hi bat X ("she daughter X")= She is X years old

Ani ben X=I'm X years old

There is/are...There is/are no

Yesh = There is, There are

Ein = There is no, There are no

Ex1: Yesh malon al-yad Qumran ("there's hotel near Qumran")=there is a hotel near Qumran

Ex2: Ein malon beQumran ("there's no hotel in-Qumran")=there is no hotel in Qumran

We have already seen Yesh and Ein in the expression Yesh L- / Ein L- (to have, not to have)

Where?

Eifo = Where (for static things=locative)

Le'an = Where (to where=directive)

Me'ayin = From where

Et-The direct Object marker

We have already seen the declension of this little word to express me, him, us, etc.

Et is only used to mark a definite noun (ie preceded by HA=the), otherwise it is not used.

Example: Kakh kise ("take chair")=take a chair. "a chair" is direct object of "take". No et needed because it is indefinite.

But: Kakh et hakise ("take et the-chair")=take the chair. "the chair" needs et to become direct object of "take" because it is definite (by HA).

More than

Yoter mi…=more than…

Ex: Hu yoter tov mimeni ("he more good than me")=He's better than me

Yoter…=more…

Ex: Yoter kham ("more warm")=warmer

The most

Haki…=the most…

Ex: hayom haki kham ("the-day the most warm")=the warmest day

Also:

Beyoter…=the most…

The noun and the adjective mus be preceded by HA (the).

Ex: hamakom hayafe beyoter ("the-place the-beautiful most")=the most beautiful place

As…as

Kmo…= as…as / like

To go to the conjugation page click here!

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