Pronouns, professions, first expressions

FormsPersonal pronouns

Ten pronouns. Hebrew separates masculine and feminine in the second and third person, singular and plural.

Word	m.s	f.s	m.pl	f.pl
I, weSame form for both genders, the only pronouns that do not distinguish.	אֲנִיani	אֲנִיani	אֲנַחְנוּanachnu	אֲנַחְנוּanachnu
you	אַתָּהata	אַתְּat	אַתֶּםatem	אַתֶּןaten
he, she, they	הוּאhu	הִיאhi	הֵםhem	הֵןhen

FormsNouns and adjectives: gender and number agreement

Same word, four forms. This is the skeleton of the whole language: m.s / f.s / m.pl / f.pl.

Word	m.s	f.s	m.pl	f.pl
pupil	תַּלְמִידtalmid	תַּלְמִידָהtalmida	תַּלְמִידִיםtalmidim	תַּלְמִידוֹתtalmidot
teacherMasculine and feminine differ only by the last vowel in the singular: moré / mora.	מוֹרֶהmore	מוֹרָהmora	מוֹרִיםmorim	מוֹרוֹתmorot
tourist	תַּיָּירtayar	תַּיֶּירֶתtayeret	תַּיָּירִיםtayarim	תַּיָּירוֹתtayarot
student	סְטוּדֶנְטstudent	סְטוּדֶנְטִיתstudentit	סְטוּדֶנְטִיםstudentim	סְטוּדֶנְטִיּוֹתstudentiyot
classroom		כִּתָּהkita		כִּתּוֹתkitot
tiredAdjective: it follows the noun and agrees with it. סְטוּדֶנְט עָיֵף, סְטוּדֶנְטִית עֲיֵפָה.	עָיֵףayef	עֲיֵפָהayefa	עֲיֵפִיםayefim	עֲיֵפוֹתayefot
long	אָרוֹךְaroch	אֲרוּכָּהaruka	אֲרוּכִּיםarukim	אֲרוּכּוֹתarukot
short	קָצָרkatzar	קְצָרָהktzara	קְצָרִיםktzarim	קְצָרוֹתktzarot
this is	זֶהze	זֹאתzot	אֵלֶּהele	אֵלֶּהele

FormsThe verbs of the dialogue, present tense

Po'al: the infinitive, then the root and the binyan.

Word	Po'al	m.s	f.s	m.pl	f.pl
to knowאֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ, I don't know.לָדַעַתladaatי.ד.ע · pa'al	לָדַעַתladaatי.ד.ע · pa'al	יוֹדֵעַyode'a	יוֹדַעַתyoda'at	יוֹדְעִיםyod'im	יוֹדְעוֹתyod'ot
to keep, to observeשׁוֹמֵר נְגִיעָה, shomer negiah, literally: keeps touch.לִשְׁמוֹרlishmorש.מ.ר · pa'al	לִשְׁמוֹרlishmorש.מ.ר · pa'al	שׁוֹמֵרshomer	שׁוֹמֶרֶתshomeret	שׁוֹמְרִיםshomrim	שׁוֹמְרוֹתshomrot

VocabularyExpressions and function words

Set phrases and invariable words: nothing to decline here.

Hebrew	Reading	English
נָעִים מְאוֹד	naim meod	pleased to meet you
לַבְּרִיאוּת	labriut	bless youwhen someone sneezes
לֹא, אֲנִי לֹא	lo, ani lo	no, I'm not
אֵין בְּעָיָה	ein be'aya	no problem
מִי	mi	who?
לָמָּה	lama	why?
כָּכָה	kakha	just because, that's how it is
כִּי	ki	becausea real cause, unlike kakha
אֵיפֹה	eifo	where?
מָתַי	matay	when?
פֹּה	po	here
בַּחוּץ	bachutz	outside
בָּאוּלְפָּן עֶצְיוֹן	ba'ulpan Etzion	at Ulpan Etzion

FormsNouns of the lesson

Word	sg	pl
breakf	הַפְסָקָהhafsaka	הַפְסָקוֹתhafsakot
program, schedulef	תָּכְנִיתtochnit	תָּכְנִיּוֹתtochniyot
picture, photof	תְּמוּנָהtmuna	תְּמוּנוֹתtmunot
gamem	מִשְׂחָקmischak	מִשְׂחָקִיםmischakim

Formsשֶׁל — of, mine, yours

One preposition, שֶׁל, with the pronoun endings.

my, your, his...

1s

שֶׁלִּיsheli

m.2s

שֶׁלְּךָshelcha

f.2s

שֶׁלָּךְshelach

m.3s

שֶׁלּוֹshelo

f.3s

שֶׁלָּהּshela

1pl

שֶׁלָּנוּshelanu

m.2pl

שֶׁלָּכֶםshelachem

f.2pl

שֶׁלָּכֶןshelachen

m.3pl

שֶׁלָּהֶםshelahem

f.3pl

שֶׁלָּהֶןshelahen

DialogueConversation: why are you tired?

Two characters at the ulpan, Dani and David.

לָמָּה אַתָּה עָיֵף?
Lama ata ayef?
Why are you tired?
כִּי הַתָּכְנִית בָּאוּלְפָּן אֲרוּכָּה מְאוֹד.
Ki hatochnit ba'ulpan aruka meod.
Because the program at the ulpan is very long.
מָתַי הַהַפְסָקָה?
Matay hahafsaka?
When is the break?
הַהַפְסָקָה בְּעֶשֶׂר וָרֶבַע.
Hahafsaka be'eser va'reva.
The break is at a quarter past ten.
אַתָּה תַּלְמִיד פֹּה?
Ata talmid po?
Are you a pupil here?
לֹא, אֲנִי לֹא תַּלְמִיד, אֲנִי מוֹרֶה. וְאַתָּה?
Lo, ani lo talmid, ani more. Ve'ata?
No, I'm not a pupil, I'm a teacher. And you?
אֲנִי סְטוּדֶנְט. נָעִים מְאוֹד.
Ani student. Naim meod.
I'm a student. Pleased to meet you.
נָעִים מְאוֹד. מִי בַּתְּמוּנָה?
Naim meod. Mi batmuna?
Pleased to meet you. Who is in the picture?
זֹאת הַמּוֹרָה שֶׁלִּי. הִיא לֹא פֹּה הַיּוֹם.
Zot hamora sheli. Hi lo po hayom.
That's my teacher. She isn't here today.
לָמָּה הִיא לֹא פֹּה?
Lama hi lo po?
Why isn't she here?
כָּכָה. אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ.
Kakha. Ani lo yodea.
That's how it is. I don't know.
אַפְּצִ'י!
Apchi!
Achoo!
לַבְּרִיאוּת!
Labriut!
Bless you!
תּוֹדָה. הַסְּטוּדֶנְטִים שֶׁלְּךָ עֲיֵפִים?
Toda. Hastudentim shelcha ayefim?
Thanks. Are your students tired?
כֵּן, הֵן עֲיֵפוֹת מְאוֹד, כִּי הַהַפְסָקָה קְצָרָה.
Ken, hen ayefot meod, ki hahafsaka ktzara.
Yes, they are very tired, because the break is short.
אֲנִי שׁוֹמֵר נְגִיעָה, אָז שָׁלוֹם בְּלִי יָד.
Ani shomer neguia, az shalom bli yad.
I'm shomer negiah, so hello without the hand.
אֵין בְּעָיָה. אֵיפֹה הַתַּיָּירִים?
Ein be'aya. Eifo hatayarim?
No problem. Where are the tourists?
הֵם בַּהַפְסָקָה. אֲנַחְנוּ בַּכִּתָּה, וְהֵם בַּחוּץ.
Hem bahafsaka. Anachnu bakita, vehem bachutz.
They're on break. We're in the classroom, and they're outside.

NotesKey points

In the present tense Hebrew has no verb to be: "I am a student" is simply ani student.
The adjective comes after the noun and agrees with it: student ayef, studentit ayefa.
kakha closes the question, ki opens it. "Why? Kakha." means: because that's how it is.
Timetable noted that day: 8:15-9:50, 9:50-10:15, 10:15-11:45, 11:45-12:00, 12:00-12:50.

DrillDrill

Rewrite the dialogue with the genders flipped: Dani speaks to a female teacher, and the students become female students.
ata becomes at, ayef becomes ayefa, moré is read mora, talmid becomes talmida.