epstein@epsteinag.ch

Index

a) the 7 conjugations of verbs – ha-binyanim
b) the genitive (eg king Lear’s death)
c) the possessive pronoun (my, your, his etc.)
d) the possessive ending appended to the noun
e) forming the accusative with the preposition et
f) the first binyan: the active conjugation pa’al

In spoken Hebrew you will hear mostly the word shel to designate a possession.

In written Hebrew you will often find, that my head or your house are expressed by adding the possessive ending to the noun and merging the two words into one.

Examples:

his headראשוmy houseביתיyour eyesעיניכם
roshobetienechem
from:from:from:
headראשhouseביתeyesעינים
roshbayitenayim

In female nouns with the ending –ah in singular the letter he is replaced by a tav.

my wifeאשתיyour apartmentדירתכםour teachingsתורתינו
ishtidiratchemtoratenu
from:from:from:
womanאישהapartmentדירהTora, teachingsתורה
ishahdirahtorah

This table shows all possessive endings of a noun in a systematic fashion.

singular – the ballplural – the balls
malefemalemalefemale
my ballכדוריmy ballsכדוריי
kadurikadurai
your ballכדורךכדורךyour ballsכדוריךכדורייך
kadurchahkadurechkadurechakadurayich
his / her ballכדורוכדורהhis / her ballsכדוריוכדוריה
kadurokadurahkaduravkadureha
our ballכדורנוour ballsכדורינו
kadurenukadurenu
your ballכדורכםכדורכןyour ballsכדוריכםכדוריכן
kadurchemkadurchenkadurechemkadurechen
their ballכדורםכדורןtheir ballsכדוריהםכדוריהן
kaduramkadurankadurehemkadurehen

In few cases the Israeli uses the connection of the possessive pronoun with the noun also in everyday language, eg in the greeting how are you? – literally: what is your peace/condition?

m singularf singularm pluralf plural
How areyou? (a man)you? (a woman)you? (men)you? (women)
?מה שלומך?מה שלומך?מה שלומכם?מה שלומכן
mah shlomchahmah shlomechmah shlomchemmah shlomchen