Joining sentences · 1 of 3

That, which and who: ש

One prefix joins a clause to a noun or a verb.

ש she- joins a whole clause to what comes before it, written on the clause's first word (One-letter words). It is "who", "which" and "that" in one, and unlike English "that" it is never left out. In pointed text it is שֶׁ and doubles the next letter.

Formal Hebrew uses the word אֲשֶׁר asher the same way.

The preposition stays behind

When the noun goes with a preposition in the clause, the preposition stays in the clause with an ending for the noun: "the city that we lived in it".

That after verbs

After verbs of saying, thinking and knowing, ש brings in what is said or thought. The verb in it keeps the tense the speaker used, so "he said he was tired" is "he said that he is tired".

מָה שֶׁ and מִי שֶׁ

מָה שֶׁ ma she- is "what" in the sense "the thing that", and מִי שֶׁ mi she- is "whoever, the one who".

Cards from this guide

9 cards

Each 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 Joining sentences cards.

  • How do you say 'the book I bought'?

    הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁקָּנִיתִי (hasefer shekaniti).

  • Can ש be left out, as English 'that' often is?

    No.

  • How do you say 'the man who lives here'?

    הָאִישׁ שֶׁגָּר פֹּה (ha'ish shegar po).

  • How do you say 'the city we lived in'?

    הָעִיר שֶׁגַּרְנוּ בָּהּ (ha'ir shegarnu ba).

  • How do you say 'the friend I talked to'?

    הֶחָבֵר שֶׁדִּבַּרְתִּי אִתּוֹ (hekhaver shedibarti ito).

  • How does a man say 'I think that ...'?

    אֲנִי חוֹשֵׁב שֶׁ... (ani khoshev she-).

  • He said אֲנִי עָיֵף (I'm tired). How do you report it?

    הוּא אָמַר שֶׁהוּא עָיֵף (hu amar shehu ayef), 'he said he was tired'.

  • How do you say 'what' in 'that's what I wanted'?

    מָה שֶׁ (ma she-): זֶה מָה שֶׁרָצִיתִי.

  • Which word does formal Hebrew use in place of the prefix ש?

    אֲשֶׁר (asher).

Review these cardsSign up to learn them with spaced repetition, as you do words.