Language/Hebrew/Grammar/Adjectives

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Hebrew Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Hebrew learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be exploring adjectives in Hebrew. Adjectives are important in any language because they add more detail and description to the nouns they modify. In Hebrew, adjectives come after the noun they modify and follow the same gender and number as the noun. Let's discover more about adjectives in Hebrew!

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Nouns, Future Tense, Plurals & Conditional Mood.

Types of Adjectives

There are two types of adjectives in Hebrew:

Descriptive Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are used to describe the characteristics of a noun. They give extra information about a person, place or thing. For example:

Examples of Descriptive Adjectives

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
יָפֶה	yafeh	beautiful
גָדוֹל	gadol	big
קָטָן	katan	small

Here's an example of a sentence using descriptive adjectives:

Person 1: הַיָּם נָכוֹן מְאוֹד (Ha-yam na-khon me-od) - The sea is very calm. Person 2: כָּל הַסַּיָּלָה יָפָה (Kol ha-sayala yafa) - All the sailboats are beautiful.

Comparative Adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used to compare two nouns. They indicate if one noun is bigger, smaller, older, younger or better than the other. For example:

Examples of Comparative Adjectives

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
יוֹתֵר טוֹב	yoter tov	better
יוֹתֵר גָדוֹל	yoter gadol	bigger
יוֹתֵר קָטָן	yoter katan	smaller

Here's an example of a sentence using comparative adjectives:

Person 1: אוֹרַח הַלָּכְתִּי הָיָה יוֹתֵר אָרוּךְ מִתָּא הַבַּיִת (Orach halakhti haya yoter arukh mi-ta ha-bayit) - The road I walked on was longer than the street near the house. Person 2: אֶתְיוֹפִּיִּים יוֹתֵר פִּירוּתִיִּים מִכָּל הַמְּדִינוֹת הַצַּפוֹנִיוֹת בַּאֲרַצוֹ (Ethiopiyim yoter p'irutiyim mikol ha-medinyot ha-tzafoniyot ba-arets) - Ethiopians are more fertile than any other northern country in the world.

Placement of Adjectives

As previously mentioned, in Hebrew, adjectives come after the noun they modify, and follow its gender and number. Here are a few examples:

Examples of Adjective Placement

Hebrew Syntax	English
הַכֶּלֶב הַקָּטָן	The small dog
הַיְלָדָה הַיָּפָה	The beautiful girl
הָהַר הַגָּדוֹל	The big mountain

In the examples above, the adjectives come after the noun they modify and agree with its gender and number.

Irregular Adjectives

There are a few irregular adjectives in Hebrew that do not follow the standard rules. Here are some examples:

Examples of Irregular Adjectives

Hebrew	Pronunciation	English
טוֹב	tov	good
רַע	ra	bad
גָּדוֹל	gadol	big
קָטָן	katan	small

These adjectives have irregular masculine and feminine forms as well as unique plural forms. It's important to memorize them since they don't follow the standard rules for adjectives.

Here's an example of a sentence using an irregular adjective:

Person 1: הָאִם הִכְנִיסָה אוֹתְיָה תַהֲלִיך רָע לַמַּכֶּבֶת (Ha-im hichnisaha otia tahalikh ra la-makevet) - The nurse gave her a bad treatment in the hospital. Person 2: הַטֶּבַע הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה הוּא מְקוֹר כֹּחוֹ שֶׁל כָּמָה מְדִינוֹת (Ha-teva ha-gadol hu mekor kocho shel kama medinot) - This big nature is the source of power for several countries.

Practice Exercises

Now that you know more about adjectives in Hebrew, it's time to practice! Try to identify the adjective in the following sentences:

1. הָעוֹוף הַטוֹב טֹעֵן לְמָעָלָה. (Ha-of ha-tov toen le-ma'ala) - The good bird is flying high. 2. הָלַיְּלָה הָיָה חֲשׁוּךְ וְקַר. (Ha-layla haya chashukh ve-kar) - The night was dark and cold. 3. הַיַּרְקוֹת הַפָּרוּסִים נָרְאוּ טוֹבִים. (Ha-yarakot ha-farusim nire'u tovim) - The sliced vegetables looked good.

Final Thoughts

Adjectives are essential in every language to add more detail and description to nouns. In Hebrew, adjectives come after the noun they modify and follow its gender and number. It's important to memorize irregular adjectives since they don't follow the standard rules for adjectives. To improve your Hebrew Grammar, you can refer to the questions and resources available on Polyglot Club. Don't forget to practice and use these new skills whenever you can!😉

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Other Lessons

• Verb to Have
• Pronouns
• Conditional Mood
• How to Use Have
• Give your Opinion
• Nouns
• Questions
• Personal pronouns
• Future Tense

Sources

• Adjective — unfoldingWord® Hebrew Grammar 1 documentation
• Modern Hebrew grammar - Wikipedia
• Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar/133. The Comparison of Adjectives ...

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

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Hebrew Numbers

• Ordinal Numbers
• Fractions and Decimals

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Hebrew Geography and Landmarks

• Cities and Regions
• Landmarks

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Hebrew Literature and Language

• Hebrew Poetry
• Hebrew Proverbs

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Grammar Review

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

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