Language/Hebrew/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Hebrew Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Hebrew learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "have" in Hebrew. "Have" is a useful verb that allows us to express possession, obligation, and other situations. We will go over the conjugation of "have" in Hebrew and provide examples to illustrate its usage.

Conjugation of "Have"

In Hebrew, "have" is translated as "yesh" (יֵשׁ). "Yesh" is an irregular verb, which means its conjugation pattern is different than regular verbs. Below are the conjugations of "yesh" in present tense:

Person	Hebrew Pronoun	Conjugation	English Translation
1st singular	אני	יש לי (Yesh li)	I have
2nd singular (male)	אתה	יש לך (Yesh lecha)	You have (masc. sing.)
2nd singular (female)	את	יש לך (Yesh lach)	You have (fem. sing.)
3rd singular (male)	הוא	יש לו (Yesh lo)	He has
3rd singular (female)	היא	יש לה (Yesh la)	She has
1st plural	אנחנו	יש לנו (Yesh lanu)	We have
2nd plural (male)	אתם	יש לכם (Yesh lechem)	You have (masc. pl.)
2nd plural (female)	אתן	יש לכן (Yesh lechem)	You have (fem. pl.)
3rd plural	הם/הן	יש להם/להן (Yesh lahem/lan)	They have (masc/fem)

Notice that "yesh" is usually combined with the preposition "ל" (le), which means "to" or "for." This is why we have "yesh li" (I have) instead of just "yesh." The object possessed, indicated by "ל," follows the verb.

Expressing Obligation

In Hebrew, we use "yesh" to express obligation. In this case, "yesh" is combined with the preposition "ל" to mean "must" or "have to." For example:

• אני חייב ללמוד עברית (Ani chayav lilmud ivrit) - I must learn Hebrew.
• אתה חייב לגמור את העבודה (Atah chayav ligmor et ha'avoda) - You have to finish the work.

Notice that we use the word "chayav" (חייב) to indicate obligation.

Possessive Pronouns

In Hebrew, we often use possessive pronouns instead of the verb "have" to indicate possession. Possessive pronouns are formed by adding a suffix to the noun. Below are the possessive pronouns in Hebrew:

English	Hebrew	Pronunciation
My	שלי	Sheli
Your (masc. sing.)	שלך	Shelcha
Your (fem. sing.)	שלך	Shelach
His	שלו	Shelo
Her	שלה	Shela
Our	שלנו	Shelanu
Your (masc. pl.)	שלכם	Shelchem
Your (fem. pl.)	שלכן	Shelchen
Their (masc./fem.)	שלהם/שלהן	Shelahem/Shelhen

Here's an example dialogue to illustrate the usage of possessive pronouns:

• Person 1: הרכב שלי הוא ישן מאוד. (Harechev sheli hu yashan me'od.) - My car is very old.
• Person 2: הרכב שלי הוא חדש מאוד. (Harechev sheli hu chadash me'od.) - My car is very new.

In this dialogue, we see that instead of saying "yesh li harechev" (I have a car), Person 1 uses the possessive pronoun "sheli" (my) to indicate possession.

Interesting fact

Did you know that Hebrew is written from right to left? It is the only Semitic language that is written in this direction. This unique aspect of Hebrew's orthography can be challenging for learners, but it also gives the language a distinctive look and feel.

To improve your Hebrew Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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