Possession
Saying whose: "of", "my", "your".
"Of" is שֶׁל shel. It comes after the thing owned, which usually takes ה.
- hasefer shel daniDani's book
- habayit shel hahorimthe parents' house
My, your, his
With a pronoun, שֶׁל takes an ending. The form depends on the owner only, not on the thing owned.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | שֶׁלִּי sheli my | שֶׁלָּנוּ shelanu our |
| 2nd m. | שֶׁלְּךָ shelkha your | שֶׁלָּכֶם shelakhem your |
| 2nd f. | שֶׁלָּךְ shelakh your | שֶׁלָּכֶן shelakhen your |
| 3rd m. | שֶׁלּוֹ shelo his, its | שֶׁלָּהֶם shelahem their |
| 3rd f. | שֶׁלָּהּ shela her, its | שֶׁלָּהֶן shelahen their |
- hasefer shelimy book
- ze hatelefon shelkha?Is this your phone?to a man
- hakhaverim shelanu garim bekheifaOur friends live in Haifa.
- ze shelaIt's hers.
The thing owned usually has ה, so as an object it takes אֶת: רָאִיתִי אֶת הַבַּיִת שֶׁלָּהּ ra'iti et habayit shela "I saw her house".
Two nouns can also be joined directly, without שֶׁל; see Joined nouns.
Cards from this guide
9 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 Hebrew word means 'of', as in 'Dani's book'?
שֶׁל (shel): הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי
How do you say 'my book' (סֵפֶר)?
הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁלִּי (hasefer sheli)
What's 'your' when speaking to a man?
שֶׁלְּךָ (shelkha)
How do you ask a woman 'What's your name?' using שֵׁם (name)?
מָה הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלָּךְ? (ma hashem shelakh?)
What decides the form of שֶׁל + ending: the owner or the thing owned?
The owner only
How do you say 'It's his' (just 'his', with no noun)?
זֶה שֶׁלּוֹ (ze shelo)
What's 'their' for a group of men or a mixed group?
שֶׁלָּהֶם (shelahem)
What word goes before 'her house' as a direct object, as in 'I saw her house'?
אֶת (et): רָאִיתִי אֶת הַבַּיִת שֶׁלָּהּ
What does אִשְׁתִּי (ishti) mean?
'My wife'