Personal pronouns
I, you, he, she, with a different "you" for men and women.
Hebrew pronouns show gender in the second and third person, in the singular and the plural.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | אֲנִי ani I | אֲנַחְנוּ anakhnu we |
| 2nd m. | אַתָּה ata you | אַתֶּם atem you |
| 2nd f. | אַתְּ at you | אַתֶּן aten you |
| 3rd m. | הוּא hu he, it | הֵם hem they |
| 3rd f. | הִיא hi she, it | הֵן hen they |
Talking to a man or a woman
Choose "you" by who you're talking to: אַתָּה for a man or boy, אַתְּ for a woman or girl, אַתֶּם for a group of men or a mixed group, אַתֶּן for a group of women. Verbs and adjectives change to match.
- ata medaber ivrit?Do you speak Hebrew?to a man
- at medaberet ivrit?Do you speak Hebrew?to a woman
- hem khaverim sheliThey're my friends.
In everyday speech אַתֶּם and הֵם are often used for groups of women too.
No separate "it"
Things are הוּא or הִיא by their gender.
- eifo hashulkhan? hu bamitbakhWhere's the table? It's in the kitchen.
In the past and future the verb shows the person, with an ending in the past and a prefix in the future, so "I" and "you" are often left out; in the present the pronoun is needed. See The present tense.
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 Sentences cards.
How do you say 'I'?
אֲנִי (ani)
How do you say 'we'?
אֲנַחְנוּ (anakhnu)
How do you say 'you' to one man?
אַתָּה (ata)
How do you say 'you' to one woman?
אַתְּ (at)
How do you say 'you' to a group of men or a mixed group?
אַתֶּם (atem)
How do you say 'you' to a group of women, in standard Hebrew?
אַתֶּן (aten)
How do you say 'they' for a group of men or a mixed group?
הֵם (hem)
How do you say 'they' for a group of women, in standard Hebrew?
הֵן (hen)
How do you say 'it' for a feminine thing like מַחְבֶּרֶת (makhberet, notebook)?
הִיא (hi), the word for 'she'.
In which tense is a subject pronoun like אֲנִי (I) needed, because the verb doesn't show the person?
The present tense.