Language/Hebrew/Grammar/Pronouns

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Hebrew → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Pronouns

Welcome to the lesson on Hebrew pronouns! Pronouns are essential building blocks in any language, including Hebrew. They allow us to communicate more efficiently by replacing nouns, making our conversations smoother and less repetitive. Just think about it: instead of constantly saying "David" or "Sara," we can use "he" or "she." This makes our speech more natural and fluid.

In Hebrew, pronouns can be a bit different from what you might be used to in English, so it’s crucial to get a good grasp on how they work. This lesson will cover the various types of pronouns you will encounter in Hebrew, how to use them, and some practical exercises to help reinforce your learning.

Here’s what you can expect to learn in this lesson:

• Types of Pronouns: We'll explore personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.

• Usage in Sentences: You will see examples of how to integrate these pronouns into everyday sentences.

• Exercises: You'll find practice scenarios designed to help you apply what you've learned.

We’ll dive deep into each of these topics, providing clear examples and explanations. Let’s get started!

Types of Pronouns

Hebrew pronouns can be categorized into several types, but for this lesson, we will focus on the following:

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to refer to specific people or things. In Hebrew, they have different forms based on gender and number (singular vs. plural).

Here’s a table showcasing the personal pronouns in Hebrew:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אני	ani	I
אתה	ata	you (masculine singular)
את	at	you (feminine singular)
הוא	hu	he
היא	hi	she
אנחנו	anachnu	we
אתם	atem	you (masculine plural)
אתן	aten	you (feminine plural)
הם	hem	they (masculine)
הן	hen	they (feminine)

As you can see, Hebrew pronouns change depending on the gender of the subject.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership. In Hebrew, they are usually formed by adding a suffix to the personal pronouns.

Here’s how they look:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
שלי	sheli	my
שלך	shelcha	your (masculine singular)
שלך	shelach	your (feminine singular)
שלו	shelo	his
שלה	shela	her
שלנו	shelanu	our
שלכם	shelachem	your (masculine plural)
שלכן	shelachen	your (feminine plural)
שלהם	shelahen	their (masculine)
שלהן	shelahen	their (feminine)

Notice that possessive pronouns also vary by gender and number.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence. In Hebrew, the reflexive pronoun is "את עצמו" (at atzmo) for masculine and "את עצמה" (at atzma) for feminine.

Here are some examples:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
הוא רואה את עצמו	hu ro'eh et atzmo	He sees himself
היא רואה את עצמה	hi ro'ah et atzma	She sees herself

Usage of Pronouns in Sentences

Now that we’ve covered the types of pronouns, let’s see how they work in sentences. Using pronouns correctly is key to forming meaningful and grammatically correct statements in Hebrew.

Here are some examples of sentences with personal pronouns:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אני לומד עברית	ani lomed ivrit	I am learning Hebrew (masculine)
אני לומדת עברית	ani lomedet ivrit	I am learning Hebrew (feminine)
אתה תלמיד טוב	ata talmid tov	You are a good student (masculine)
את תלמידה טובה	at talmidah tova	You are a good student (feminine)
הוא עייף	hu ayef	He is tired
היא עייפה	hi ayefah	She is tired
אנחנו הולכים לבית הספר	anachnu holchim lebeit hasefer	We are going to school
אתם גרים בתל אביב	atem garim beTel Aviv	You live in Tel Aviv (masculine)
אתן גרות בתל אביב	aten garot beTel Aviv	You live in Tel Aviv (feminine)
הם משחקים כדורגל	hem mesakchim kaduregel	They are playing soccer (masculine)
הן משחקות כדורגל	hen mesakhot kaduregel	They are playing soccer (feminine)

Now, let’s see how possessive pronouns function in sentences:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
זה הספר שלי	ze hasfar sheli	This is my book
זה הבית שלך	ze habayit shelcha	This is your house (masculine)
זה הבית שלך	ze habayit shelach	This is your house (feminine)
זה המחשב שלו	ze hamachshev shelo	This is his computer
זה התיק שלה	ze hatik shela	This is her bag
זה האוטו שלנו	ze ha'oto shelanu	This is our car
זה הבית שלכם	ze habayit shelachem	This is your house (masculine plural)
זה הבית שלךן	ze habayit shelachen	This is your house (feminine plural)
זה הספר שלהם	ze hasfar shelahen	This is their book (masculine)
זה הספר שלהן	ze hasfar shelahen	This is their book (feminine)

And finally, here are some examples using reflexive pronouns:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
הוא מברך את עצמו	hu mevarech et atzmo	He blesses himself
היא מברכת את עצמה	hi mebarechet et atzma	She blesses herself
אנחנו מדברים על עצמנו	anachnu medabrim al atzmenu	We talk about ourselves
אתם צריכים לדאוג לעצמכם	atem tzrichim lid'og le'atzmachem	You need to take care of yourselves (masculine)
אתן צריכות לדאוג לעצמכן	aten tzrichot lid'og le'atzmchen	You need to take care of yourselves (feminine)

Exercises

Now that we have explored the theory, it’s time for some practice! Below are ten exercises designed to reinforce your understanding of Hebrew pronouns.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct personal pronoun.

1. ___ הולך לבית הספר. (He)

2. ___ לומדת עברית. (She)

3. ___ רוצים לאכול. (We)

4. ___ משחקים כדורגל. (They - masculine)

Solutions:

1. הוא (hu)

2. היא (hi)

3. אנחנו (anachnu)

4. הם (hem)

Exercise 2: Translate the Sentences

Translate the following sentences into Hebrew using the correct personal pronouns.

1. I am happy.

2. You (feminine) are a teacher.

3. They (feminine) are my friends.

4. You (plural masculine) are going to the market.

Solutions:

1. אני שמח (ani same'ach) - (if male) / אני שמחה (ani same'achah) - (if female)

2. את מורה (at mora)

3. הן חברות שלי (hen chaverot sheli)

4. אתם הולכים לשוק (atem holchim leshuk)

Exercise 3: Identify the Pronouns

Identify the pronouns in the following sentences.

1. היא רואה את התמונה.

2. אני אוהב את הספר שלי.

3. הם נוסעים לירושלים.

4. אתן צריכות לעזור.

Solutions:

1. היא (hi)

2. אני (ani), שלי (sheli)

3. הם (hem)

4. אתן (aten)

Exercise 4: Create Sentences

Create sentences using the given pronouns.

1. אני

2. אתה

3. הם

4. היא

Solutions: (Example Sentences)

1. אני קורא ספר. (I am reading a book.)

2. אתה משחק כדורסל. (You are playing basketball.)

3. הם הולכים לים. (They are going to the beach.)

4. היא שותה מים. (She is drinking water.)

Exercise 5: Match the Pronoun with the Sentence

Match the pronoun to the correct sentence.

1. אתה

2. הם

3. היא

4. אנחנו

a. ___ רואים את הסרט.

b. ___ מדברת עם חברה.

c. ___ הולכים לקולנוע.

d. ___ מסביר את השאלה.

Solutions:

1. אתה - b

2. הם - a

3. היא - d

4. אנחנו - c

Exercise 6: Rewrite the Sentences

Rewrite the following sentences using the possessive pronouns.

1. הספר של דני.

2. הבית של שרה.

3. המחשב של אבא.

4. התיק של אתי.

Solutions:

1. הספר שלו (hasfar shelo)

2. הבית שלה (habayit shela)

3. המחשב שלו (hamachshev shelo)

4. התיק שלה (hatik shela)

Exercise 7: Fill in the Possessive Pronouns

Complete the sentences with the correct possessive pronoun.

1. זה ___ (my) ספר.

2. זה ___ (her) תיק.

3. זה ___ (our) בית.

4. זה ___ (their - masculine) מחשב.

Solutions:

1. שלי (sheli)

2. שלה (shela)

3. שלנו (shelanu)

4. שלהם (shelahen)

Exercise 8: Translation Exercise

Translate the following sentences into Hebrew using reflexive pronouns.

1. He is looking at himself.

2. They are taking care of themselves (feminine).

3. We enjoy ourselves.

4. She is proud of herself.

Solutions:

1. הוא מסתכל על עצמו (hu mistakel al atzmo)

2. הן דואגות לעצמן (hen do'agot le'atzman)

3. אנחנו נהנים מעצמנו (anachnu nehenim me'atzmenu)

4. היא גאה בעצמה (hi ge'ah be'atzma)

Exercise 9: Fill in the Correct Reflexive Pronoun

Fill in the blanks with the correct reflexive pronoun.

1. הוא שואל את ___.

2. אתן רואות את ___.

3. אנחנו מדברים על ___.

4. היא מתלבשת לבד, כי היא אוהבת את ___.

Solutions:

1. עצמו (atzmo)

2. עצמן (atzman)

3. עצמנו (atzmenu)

4. עצמה (atzma)

Exercise 10: Create a Short Dialogue

Create a short dialogue using at least three different pronouns.

Solutions: (Example Dialogue)

• אתה רוצה לבוא איתי? (Do you want to come with me?)

• אני רוצה לבוא! (I want to come!)

• הם גם רוצים לבוא. (They also want to come.)

Great job on completing this lesson on Hebrew pronouns! Remember, practice is key to mastering a new language. Keep using these pronouns in your everyday conversations, and soon they will become second nature to you.

Table of Contents - Hebrew Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Hebrew Alphabet

• Consonants
• Vowels
• Nikkud
• Reading Practice

  ---

Everyday Hebrew Vocabulary

• Greetings
• Numbers
• Family Members
• Colors, Shapes, and Sizes
• Food and Drink
• Clothing
• Transportation and Travel
• Weather
• Time and Calendar

  ---

Hebrew Grammar

• Nouns
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• Verbs
• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

Israeli Culture

• Jewish Holidays
• Israeli Society
• Famous Israelis
• Israeli Cuisine

  ---

Hebrew Expressions

• Common Phrases
• Slang
• Idioms

  ---

Hebrew Numbers

• Ordinal Numbers
• Fractions and Decimals

  ---

Hebrew Geography and Landmarks

• Cities and Regions
• Landmarks

  ---

Hebrew Literature and Language

• Hebrew Poetry
• Hebrew Proverbs

  ---

Grammar Review

• Review of Nouns and Pronouns
• Review of Adjectives
• Review of Verbs

Sources

• Pronoun Personal — unfoldingWord® Hebrew Grammar 1 ...
• Appendix:Hebrew pronouns - Wiktionary
• A Comprehensive Guide to Hebrew Pronouns

Other Lessons

• Negation
• How to Use Be
• Future Tense
• Personal pronouns and the present tense
• Give your Opinion
• Questions
• Adjectives
• Nouns
• Plurals

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