There is and having
"There is", "there isn't" and "I have".
יֵשׁ yesh means "there is" or "there are"; אֵין ein means "there isn't" or "there aren't". Neither changes for gender or number.
- yesh po mis'ada?Is there a restaurant here?
- ein zmanThere's no time.
- ein be'ayaNo problem.
Having: יֵשׁ לִי
There is no verb "to have". Instead you say "there is to me": יֵשׁ לִי yesh li "I have", with ל and an ending for the owner (see Prepositions with endings).
| Owner | Has | Doesn't have |
|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי | יֵשׁ לִי yesh li | אֵין לִי ein li |
| אַתָּה | יֵשׁ לְךָ yesh lekha | אֵין לְךָ ein lekha |
| אַתְּ | יֵשׁ לָךְ yesh lakh | אֵין לָךְ ein lakh |
| הוּא | יֵשׁ לוֹ yesh lo | אֵין לוֹ ein lo |
| הִיא | יֵשׁ לָהּ yesh la | אֵין לָהּ ein la |
| אֲנַחְנוּ | יֵשׁ לָנוּ yesh lanu | אֵין לָנוּ ein lanu |
- yesh li akh ve'akhotI have a brother and a sister.
- ein lanu kesefWe don't have any money.
- yesh lekha zman?Do you have time?to a man
- ledana yesh kelevDana has a dog.
In the past and future
יֵשׁ becomes a form of הָיָה haya in the past and of יִהְיֶה yihye in the future; אֵין becomes לֹא with the same forms. The verb agrees with the thing had, not the owner.
| Thing had | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|
| m. sg. | הָיָה haya | יִהְיֶה yihye |
| f. sg. | הָיְתָה hayta | תִּהְיֶה tihye |
| pl. | הָיוּ hayu | יִהְיוּ yihyu |
- haya li kelevI had a dog.
- hayta lanu be'ayaWe had a problem.
- hayu la harbe khaverimShe had a lot of friends.
- lo haya li zmanI didn't have time.
- makhar yihye li zmanI'll have time tomorrow.
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.
What does יֵשׁ (yesh) mean?
'There is' or 'there are'
How do you say 'there isn't' or 'there aren't'?
אֵין (ein)
Hebrew has no verb 'to have'. How do you say 'I have'?
יֵשׁ לִי (yesh li), literally 'there is to me'
How do you ask a woman whether she has time?
יֵשׁ לָךְ זְמַן? (yesh lakh zman?)
How do you say 'She doesn't have time'?
אֵין לָהּ זְמַן (ein la zman)
How do you say 'Dana has a dog', with a name as the owner?
לְדָנָה יֵשׁ כֶּלֶב (ledana yesh kelev)
What replaces יֵשׁ in the past, as in 'I had a dog'?
A form of הָיָה (haya): הָיָה לִי כֶּלֶב
How do you say 'I had a car' (מְכוֹנִית, feminine)?
הָיְתָה לִי מְכוֹנִית (hayta li mekhonit)
What's the future of יֵשׁ before a plural noun, as in 'we'll have guests'?
יִהְיוּ (yihyu): יִהְיוּ לָנוּ אוֹרְחִים
How do you say 'I didn't have time' (זְמַן, masculine)?
לֹא הָיָה לִי זְמַן (lo haya li zman)