Lesson 6
1. yesh – there is and en – there is not
Two syllables are very frequent in Hebrew: yesh – there is and en – there is not.
Examples:
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Is there food? -> ?יש אוכל - yesh ochel?
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There is no room -> אין מקום - en makom
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What’s up? -> ?מה יש - mah yesh?
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Never mind -> אין דבר - en davar lit. „there is no thing“
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There is no point (to…) -> אין טעם - en ta'am (ta'am : purpose, taste)
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Is there no coke? -> ?אין קולה - en kola?
2. The verb to have
The verb "to have“ in Hebrew is formed with the word yesh / there is, the expression doesn’t have or don’t have with the word en / there is not, both followed by dative.
I have thus is translated as there is to me, yesh li, I don’t have as there is not to me, en li.
Examples:
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I don’t feel like -> אין לי חשק - en li cheshek (there is no desire to me)
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They don’t have time -> אין להם זמן - en lahem zman (there is no time to them)
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What do you have? -> ?מה יש לך - mah yesh lechah (what is there to you?)
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We are lucky -> יש לנו מזל - yesh lanu mazal (there is luck to us)
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My hat has got three corners -> לכובע שלי שלוש פינות - la-kova sheli shalosh pinot (to my hat there are three corners).
3. The dative, formed with the preposition le- – to
The dative is formed with the preposition to – le-. This prefix is placed before the noun and merged with it. to the – le + ha is shortened to la.
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I travel to Germany -> אני נוסע לגרמניה - ani nose’a le-germania
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The beduin gives water to the camel -> הבדוי נותן מיים לגמל - ha-bedui noten mayim la-gamal
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Lara has a driver’s licence -> ללרה יש רשיון - le-lara yesh rishayon (there is a driver’s licence to Lara)
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He doesn’t answer to the teacher -> הוא לא עונה למורה - hu lo oneh la-moreh
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Go to hell! -> !לך לעזאזל - lech la-azazel
4. More verbs
to... | Singular M | Singular F | Plural M | Plural F | Infinitive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
to happen | קורה (koreh) | - | קורים (korim) | קורות (korot) | לקרות (likrot) |
read, call | קורא (koreh) | קוראת (koret) | קוראים (kor’im) | קוראות (kor’ot) | לקרוא (likro) |
act | פועל (po’el) | פועלת (po’elet) | פועלים (po’alim) | פועלות (po’alot) | לפעול (lif’ol) |
hate | שונא (sone) | שונאת (sonet) | שונאים (son'im) | שונאות (son'ot) | לשנוא (lisno) |
find | מוצא (motze) | מוצאת (motzet) | מוצאים (motz'im) | מוצאות (motz'ot) | למצוא (limtzo) |
travel | נוסע (nose’a) | נוסעת (nosa’at) | נוסעים (nos’im) | נוסעות (nos’ot) | לנסוע (linsoa) |
hear | שומע (shome’a) | שומעת (shoma’at) | שומעים (shom’im) | שומעות (shom’ot) | לשמוע (lishmoa) |
know, be able | יודע (yode’a) | יודעת (yoda’at) | יודעים (yod’im) | יודעות (yod’ot) | לדעת (lada’at) |
open | פותח (pote’ach) | פותחת (potachat) | פותחים (potchim) | פותחות (potchot) | לפתוח (lifto’ach) |
take | לוקח (loke’ach) | לוקחת (lokachat) | לוקחים (lokchim) | לוקחות (lokchot) | לקחת (lakachat) |
finish | גומר (gomer) | גומרת (gomeret) | גומרים (gomrim) | גומרות (gomrot) | לגמור (ligmor) |
close | סוגר (soger) | סוגרת (sogeret) | סוגרים (sogrim) | סוגרות (sogrot) | לסגור (lisgor) |
drink | שותה (shoteh) | שותה (shotah) | שותים (shotim) | שותות (shotot) | לשתות (lishtot) |
eat | אוכל (ochel) | אוכלת (ochelet) | אוכלים (ochlim) | אוכלות (ochlot) | לאכול (le’echol) |
write | כותב (kotev) | כותבת (kotevet) | כותבים (kotvim) | כותבות (kotvot) | לכתוב (lichtov) |
think | חושב (choshev) | חושבת (choshevet) | חושבים (choshvim) | חושבות (choshvot) | לחשוב (lachshov) |
say | אומר (omer) | אומרת (omeret) | אומרים (omrim) | אומרות (omrot) | לאמר (le'emor) |
love | אוהב (ohev) | אוהבת (ohevet) | אוהבים (ohavim) | אוהבות (ohavot) | לאהוב (le’ehov) |
see | רואה (ro'eh) | רואה (ro'ah) | רואים (ro'im) | רואות (ro'ot) | לראות (lir'ot) |
Note:
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The different vocalization in verbs which have a chet or an ajin as third consonant of the shoresh, eg hu shome’a, he hears, hi shoma’at, she hears.
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The female form singular in verbs, which have a he as third consonant of the shoresh, eg hi ro’ah, and the ending of the infinitive lir’ot.
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The ending of the female singular in verbs which have an alef as third consonant of the root, eg hi kor’et, she reads.
5. More prepositions
Examples:
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Within two weeks -> תוך שבועיים - toch shvu'ayim
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Under the chair -> תחת הכסא - tachat ha-kiseh
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Next to the building -> על-יד הבניין - al-yad ha-binyan
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With mommy -> עם אמא - im ima
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Opposite the post office -> מול הדואר - mul ha-do’ar
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Without money -> בלי כסף - bli kesef
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Against Syria -> נגד סוריה - neged suria
6. The merging of prepositions and personal pronouns
When in Hebrew a preposition (eg to, about, from, next to etc.) is connected with a personal pronoun (eg to me, about you, from him, next to us), then the preposition and the personal pronoun are usually merged into one word.
Example: because of – biglal.
Some prepositions have special endings in the 3rd person singular, eg. על, אל, תחת, לפני (al – on, about, el – to, tachat – under, lifneh – before, in front of)
Note: al + infinitive has the meaning of must, to have to.
Examples:
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He must apologize -> עליו להתנצל - alav lehitnatzel
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We must praise the Lord -> עלינו לשבח לאדון - alenu leshabeach la'-adon
Specialties: some prepositions change when merged with personal pronouns.
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im, with becomes iti, with me
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mi, min, from becomes – mimeni, from me and me-itanu, from us
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beli, without – becomes bil’adi, without me.
Examples:
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Come with us! -> !בוא אתנו - bo itanu!
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Without you (f) everything is boring -> בלעדיך הכל משעמם - bil'adayich ha-kol mesha'amem
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He simply ignores us -> הוא פשוט מתעלם מאתנו - hu pashut mitalem me-itanu
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We rely on you. -> אנחנו סומכים עליכם - anachnu somchim alechem
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Who comes after him? -> ?מי בא אחריו - mi ba acharav?
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I did that because of him -> עשיתי את זה בגללו - asiti et se biglalo
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He acted against me -> הוא פעל נגדי - hu pa'al negdi
7. Interrogative sentences without question word begin with ha-img
A statement becomes a question if the word ha’im precedes the sentence.
Examples:
In the spoken language ha’im is used little. Instead, the cadence is changed so that the sentence is understood as a question.
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Are you hungry? -> ?אתה רעב - atah ra'ev?
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Is there class tomorrow? -> ?יש שיעור מחר - yesh shi’ur machar?