Language/Hebrew/Grammar/Negation

Hebrew Grammar - Negation

Hi Hebrew learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on Hebrew Grammar Negation. You will learn how to form negatives, the use of אֵין (ein) and how to use negation in sentences. We will also include some cultural information and interesting facts. Let's get started!

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Nouns, Future Tense, Pronouns & Reading Practice.

Basics of Negation

To create a negative sentence in Hebrew, we use the word לא (lo), which means "no" or "not." Here are some examples:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
לֹא דיברתי	lo dibarti	I did not speak
לֹא הבנתי	lo hivanti	I did not understand
לֹא אוכל	lo ochel	I do not eat

• Note that the word לֹא (lo) comes before the verb. If the verb begins with a vowel, use לֹא ו in its place.

אֵין (ein)

The word אֵין (ein) means "no" or "there is no." It is used to negate the existence of objects, people or concepts. Here are some examples:

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
אֵין כָּאן קֶשֶׁה	ein kan kase	There is no problem here.
אֵין אוויר	ein avir	There is no air.
אֵין לִי אָח	ein li ach	I have no brother.

Negation in Sentences

When negating sentences, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. אֵין (ein) Vs. לֹא (lo)

אֵין (ein) is used to negate the existence of something, while לֹא (lo) is used to negate actions, events or states of being. For example:

• אֵין שָׁם סוכנות. (ein sham sukhanut) - "There is no agency there."

In this sentence, אֵין (ein) is used to negate the existence of something (an agency).

• אני לֹא רוֹצֶה לצאת היום. (ani lo rotse latset hayom) - "I don't want to go out today."

In this sentence, לֹא (lo) is used to negate the action of going out.

2. Words typically used with negatives

Certain words are typically used with negatives and carry an implied negative when standing alone as an answer. Here is an example:

• !אני לא יודע כלום (ani lo yodea klum) - "I don't know anything!"
• !מה אתה יודע? - כלום - "What do you know? - [Not] anything (i.e. nothing).

(This should not be confused with the notion of double negatives found for example in languages such as Afrikaans or Bulgarian, or certain English dialects such as AAVE where a negating word appears twice in the sentence.)

3. Placement of לֹא (lo)

In Hebrew, לֹא (lo) usually appears before the main verb in a sentence. However, in some cases, it can appear after the main verb. In this case, the word את (et) is inserted before the object of the sentence. Here are some examples:

• אכל לא אמרתי. (achal lo amarti) - "Did not eat, I said." (Literally: "Ate not, I said.")

• אני מכיר אותה לא. (ani mekhir ota lo) - "I know her not."

Interesting Fact and Cultural Information

Hebrew is a Semitic language, an ancient language family that also includes Arabic, Amharic, and Aramaic. It is the official language of Israel, and it is spoken by around nine million people worldwide. Hebrew is written right to left. Due to having been used exclusively for religious study for many centuries rather than as an everyday language, Modern Hebrew has not evolved substantially from ancient times and Biblical Hebrew remains intelligible to Modern Hebrew speakers although somewhat old-fashioned sounding.

Dialogues

Here is a dialogue to help you see negation in context.

• Person 1: לֹא אוכל לחם. (Lo ochel lechem) ("I don't eat bread.")
• Person 2: למה? (Lama?) ("Why?")

• Person 1: אני משתנה לא מעט בחיים האחרונים. (Ani mishtane me'at ba'hayim ha'acheronim) ("I've changed quite a bit in the recent years.")
• Person 2: זה לא מפחיד אותי. (Ze lo mafchid oti) ("It doesn't scare me.")

Sources

• Particle Negative — unfoldingWord® Hebrew Grammar 1 ...
• Hebrew Negation: Learn How to Form Negative Sentences
• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HEBREW LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS

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Other Lessons

• Verb to Have
• Nouns
• Conditional Mood
• Adjectives
• Personal pronouns and the present tense
• Personal pronouns
• Plurals
• Future Tense
• How to Use Be