Gender and number
Masculine and feminine, singular and plural.
Every noun is masculine or feminine. Feminine nouns usually end in ־ָה -a or ־ת -t; masculine nouns usually end in a consonant.
Feminine endings with ת include ־ֶת (מַחְבֶּרֶת makhberet notebook), ־ית (עִבְרִית ivrit Hebrew) and ־וּת (חֲנוּת khanut shop).
Some nouns are feminine without an ending, among them אֶרֶץ erets country, עִיר ir city and body parts that come in pairs: יָד yad hand, רֶגֶל regel leg, עַיִן ayin eye. A few nouns ending in -a are masculine, such as לַיְלָה layla night.
Plurals
Masculine nouns usually take ־ִים -im and feminine nouns ־וֹת -ot. The vowels of the word often change too: סֵפֶר sefer → סְפָרִים sfarim.
Some plurals break the pattern: שֻׁלְחָן shulkhan (m.) → שֻׁלְחָנוֹת shulkhanot, מִלָּה mila (f.) → מִלִּים milim. A few are irregular:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| אִישׁ ish man | אֲנָשִׁים anashim people |
| אִשָּׁה isha woman | נָשִׁים nashim |
| בַּיִת bayit house | בָּתִּים batim |
| עִיר ir city | עָרִים arim |
| יוֹם yom day | יָמִים yamim |
| שָׁנָה shana year | שָׁנִים shanim |
The ending doesn't change the gender: adjectives still follow the noun, as in שֻׁלְחָנוֹת גְּדוֹלִים shulkhanot gdolim "big tables" and מִלִּים קָשׁוֹת milim kashot "hard words".
The dual
The ending ־ַיִם -ayim means "two" with some time words, and is the ordinary plural of paired body parts.
| Singular | Dual |
|---|---|
| יוֹם yom day | יוֹמַיִם yomayim two days |
| שָׁבוּעַ shavu'a week | שְׁבוּעַיִם shvu'ayim two weeks |
| שָׁנָה shana year | שְׁנָתַיִם shnatayim two years |
| פַּעַם pa'am time | פַּעֲמַיִם pa'amayim twice |
| יָד yad hand | יָדַיִם yadayim hands |
| עַיִן ayin eye | עֵינַיִם einayim eyes |
Some words always have this form: מַיִם mayim water, מִשְׁקָפַיִם mishkafayim glasses, מִכְנָסַיִם mikhnasayim trousers.
Agreement
Adjectives come after the noun. They, and present-tense verbs, agree with it in gender and number. A mixed group takes the masculine plural.
| Adjective | Verb | |
|---|---|---|
| m. sg. | גָּדוֹל gadol | כּוֹתֵב kotev |
| f. sg. | גְּדוֹלָה gdola | כּוֹתֶבֶת kotevet |
| m. pl. | גְּדוֹלִים gdolim | כּוֹתְבִים kotvim |
| f. pl. | גְּדוֹלוֹת gdolot | כּוֹתְבוֹת kotvot |
- yeladim ktanimlittle children
- hamila hakhadashathe new word
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Nouns and describing words cards.
What endings usually mark a Hebrew noun as feminine?
־ָה (-a) or ־ת (-t).
What gender is עִיר (ir, city), though it has no feminine ending?
Feminine.
What gender is לַיְלָה (layla, night), though it ends in -a?
Masculine.
What are the usual plural endings for masculine and feminine nouns?
־ִים (-im) for masculine, ־וֹת (-ot) for feminine.
What's the plural of מִלָּה (mila, word), a feminine noun?
מִלִּים (milim)
What's the plural of אִישׁ (ish, man)?
אֲנָשִׁים (anashim), 'people'.
What does the ending ־ַיִם (-ayim) mean on time words like יוֹם (yom, day)?
Two: יוֹמַיִם (yomayim) is 'two days'.
How do you say 'big tables', given that שֻׁלְחָן (shulkhan, table) is masculine?
שֻׁלְחָנוֹת גְּדוֹלִים (shulkhanot gdolim)
What's the feminine singular of the adjective גָּדוֹל (gadol, big)?
גְּדוֹלָה (gdola)
Which form do adjectives and present-tense verbs take for a mixed group of men and women?
The masculine plural.