Prepositions with endings
"To me", "with you", "him": prepositions take endings.
Prepositions don't stand before a pronoun. Instead they take an ending for the person, much like שֶׁל in Possession. The object marker אֶת does the same.
| ל to, for | עִם with | ב in, at | אֶת object | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי | לִי li | אִתִּי iti | בִּי bi | אוֹתִי oti |
| אַתָּה | לְךָ lekha | אִתְּךָ itkha | בְּךָ bekha | אוֹתְךָ otkha |
| אַתְּ | לָךְ lakh | אִתָּךְ itakh | בָּךְ bakh | אוֹתָךְ otakh |
| הוּא | לוֹ lo | אִתּוֹ ito | בּוֹ bo | אוֹתוֹ oto |
| הִיא | לָהּ la | אִתָּהּ ita | בָּהּ ba | אוֹתָהּ ota |
| אֲנַחְנוּ | לָנוּ lanu | אִתָּנוּ itanu | בָּנוּ banu | אוֹתָנוּ otanu |
| אַתֶּם | לָכֶם lakhem | אִתְּכֶם itkhem | בָּכֶם bakhem | אֶתְכֶם etkhem |
| אַתֶּן | לָכֶן lakhen | אִתְּכֶן itkhen | בָּכֶן bakhen | אֶתְכֶן etkhen |
| הֵם | לָהֶם lahem | אִתָּם itam | בָּהֶם bahem | אוֹתָם otam |
| הֵן | לָהֶן lahen | אִתָּן itan | בָּהֶן bahen | אוֹתָן otan |
- ten li et hamafte'akhGive me the key.to a man
- ata ba itanu?Are you coming with us?to a man
- ani ohev otakhI love you.a man to a woman
- hu katav li mikhtavHe wrote me a letter.
More prepositions
Here are a few more common ones, with their "me" and "him" forms. Some, like עַל and אֶל, take a second set of endings, with a י in them. On עַל they are:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | עָלַי alai | עָלֵינוּ aleinu |
| 2nd m. | עָלֶיךָ alekha | עֲלֵיכֶם aleikhem |
| 2nd f. | עָלַיִךְ alayikh | עֲלֵיכֶן aleikhen |
| 3rd m. | עָלָיו alav | עֲלֵיהֶם aleihem |
| 3rd f. | עָלֶיהָ aleha | עֲלֵיהֶן aleihen |
Plural nouns take this same set when they carry an owner's ending (Endings for "my" and "his").
| Preposition | Me | Him |
|---|---|---|
| עַל al on, about | עָלַי alai | עָלָיו alav |
| אֶל el to | אֵלַי elai | אֵלָיו elav |
| מִן min from | מִמֶּנִּי mimeni | מִמֶּנּוּ mimenu |
| אֵצֶל etsel at the home of | אֶצְלִי etsli | אֶצְלוֹ etslo |
| בִּשְׁבִיל bishvil for | בִּשְׁבִילִי bishvili | בִּשְׁבִילוֹ bishvilo |
- hi gara etsliShe's staying at my place.
Where things are
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| לְיַד leyad | next to, near | לְיַד הַבַּיִת next to the house |
| לִפְנֵי lifnei | in front of, before | לִפְנֵי הַבַּנְק in front of the bank |
| אַחֲרֵי akharei | after | אַחֲרֵי הָאֲרוּחָה after the meal |
| מֵאֲחוֹרֵי me'akhorei | behind | מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַבַּיִת behind the house |
| מוּל mul | opposite, facing | מוּל הַיָּם facing the sea |
| בֵּין bein | between | בֵּין הַבַּנְק לַדֹּאַר between the bank and the post office |
| מִתַּחַת לְ mitakhat le- | under | מִתַּחַת לַשֻּׁלְחָן under the table |
| מֵעַל לְ me'al le- | above | מֵעַל לַמִּטָּה above the bed |
| בְּתוֹךְ betokh | inside | בְּתוֹךְ הַקֻּפְסָה inside the box |
These take endings too. לְיַד takes the usual ones: לְיָדִי leyadi "next to me". לִפְנֵי and אַחֲרֵי take the endings plural nouns take, like עַל: לְפָנַי lefanai "in front of me", אַחֲרָיו akharav "after him".
- shvi leyadiSit next to me.to a woman
- ma yesh mitakhat lamita?What's under the bed?
Cards from this guide
12 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 Objects and prepositions cards.
What happens to a preposition like ל (to) before a pronoun like 'me'?
It takes a person ending instead: לִי (li) 'to me'.
How do you say 'with us'?
אִתָּנוּ (itanu)
What's 'him' as a direct object (אֶת + 'he')?
אוֹתוֹ (oto)
How does a man say 'I love you' to a woman?
אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אוֹתָךְ (ani ohev otakh)
How do you tell a man 'Give her the book', using תֵּן (give!)?
תֵּן לָהּ אֶת הַסֵּפֶר (ten la et hasefer)
What word sounds exactly like לוֹ (lo, to him) but means 'not'?
לֹא (lo)
What's 'to you' when speaking to a group of men or a mixed group?
לָכֶם (lakhem)
What's 'about me' or 'on me' (עַל + 'me')?
עָלַי (alai)
What does אֶצְלִי (etsli) mean?
'At my place'
How do you say 'next to me'?
לְיָדִי (leyadi)
What's 'after him' or 'behind him' (אַחֲרֵי + 'him')?
אַחֲרָיו (akharav) 'after him'; 'behind him' is מֵאֲחוֹרָיו (me'akhorav).
How do you say 'under the table'?
מִתַּחַת לַשֻּׁלְחָן (mitakhat lashulkhan)