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EASING INTO MODERN HEBREW GRAMMAR A User-friendly Reference and Exercise Book • Vol. I

Gila Freedman Cohen • Carmia Shoval

EASING INTO MODERN HEBREW GRAMMAR A User-friendly Reference and Exercise Book by Gila Freedman Cohen and Carmia Shoval

VOLUME I

EASING INTO MODERN HEBREW GRAMMAR A User-friendly Reference and Exercise Book by Gila Freedman Cohen and Carmia Shoval

VOLUME I

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY MAGNES PRESS, JERUSALEM

The publication of this book was made possible in part by a grant from Keren Karev of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies.

Editorial advisor: Sharon Sokoler Graphic design: Yossi Pinchuk Illustrations: Gustavo Viselner - pp. 26, 254, 286-289, 309, 319, 320, 324, 536, 675 Ofer Shoval - pp. 346, 444, 502

Published by The Hebrew University Magnes Press P.O. Box 39099, Jerusalem 91390 Fax 972-2-5660341 www.magnespress.co.il

© All rights reserved by The Hebrew University Magnes Press Jerusalem 2011

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher

ISBN 978-965-493-601-9 eBook ISBN 978-965-493-602-6

Printed in Israel Layout: Irit Nachum, Art Plus

Contents VOLUME I Acknowledgements

xi

Introduction

xiii

PART ONE: BASIC CONCEPTS, PARTS OF SPEECH AND PHRASES

I. Basic Concepts 1. Root 3 2. Pattern 9

‫׳‬T !

3 ‫ךש‬1‫ש‬ ‫משקל‬

‫י‬

II. Nouns 17 1. The Gender of Nouns 2. How Are Nouns Made Plural? 3. Definite and Indefinite Nouns 4. Nouns with Possessive Endings (...60 5. How Are Hebrew Nouns Formed? 6 . Segolate Nouns (89 7. Verbal Nouns 108

III. Adjectives 124

‫שמות עצם‬ 18 34 52 (‫ דודיו‬,;‫בנן‬ 78 (‫ בוקר‬,‫ ספר‬,‫ילד‬ ‫שמות פעולה‬

‫ ת תואר‬1‫שמ‬

1. How Do Adjectives Behave?: Placement and Matching 2. How Are Adjectives Fornied? 3. Adjectives Resulting from an Action Taken and Completed: ‫ מופ^ל‬,‫ מפו^ל‬,‫פעול‬

Smeechoot: Noun-Noun PhrasesIV. V. Double Possessives )‫ של שמואל‬i n ( ‫סמיכות כפולה‬ Words

PointingandPronounsVI.

124 138

159 ‫סמיכות‬ 200

)...‫ זח את זה‬,...‫ ההוא‬,...‫ זה‬,...‫ני‬

V

V II. Prepositions 215

‫מילות יחס‬

1. Prepositions and Their Meanings 2. How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?: Writing and Pronunciation 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions (...229

V III. Numbers and Quantifiers 1. Numbers (...8:30 253 2. All, Part o f...: Quantifiers (...291 IX . Adverbials 1. Where Expressions (...301 2. When Expressions (...309 3. How Long Expressions and How Often Expressions (331 4. How Expressions (....339

215 222 (‫ ץליי‬,‫ אצלי‬,‫לי‬

253 (‫ השעה‬,...‫ שנינו‬,...‫ א'= ו‬,...‫ ןאשון‬,...‫אחד‬ (‫ רובם‬,‫ בולם‬,‫ חלק מה־‬,-‫כל ה‬

300 (‫ הביתה‬,‫ למשךד‬,‫פאן‬ (‫ כבר‬,‫ למחרת‬,‫ בשבוע הבא‬,‫היום‬ (‫ לשבוע‬,‫לןר‬1‫ כל ב‬,‫ כל הבולןר‬,‫שבוע‬ (‫ במהירות‬,‫מהר‬

X. Making Comparisons: Comparatives, Superlatives and the Like )‫תר‬1‫ בי‬...-‫ ה‬...-‫ ה‬,-‫תר מ‬1‫ י‬,‫תו ספר‬1‫(א‬

350

PART TWO: VERBS

I. Patterns o f Verbs: The Seven Beenyaneem 361 II. Signs o f Tenses and Forms: Past, Present, Future and Infinitive III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem 379 1. BeenyanPee'el 2. Beenyan Pa'al 3. Beenyan Heetpa'el 4. Beenyan Heefeel 416 5. Beenyan Neefal 6 . Beenyan Poo'al 430 7. Beenyan H o o f al 438 8 . Regular Verbs in All Beenyaneem‫׳‬. Summary

vi

‫הבניינים‬ 369 ‫השלמים‬ 380

‫פיעל‬

392

‫פעל‬

406‫התפעל‬ ‫הפעיל‬ 422 ‫נפעל‬ ‫פועל‬ ‫הופעל‬ 444

IV. Verbs w ith Guttural Consonants ( ‫ ע׳‬/‫ ח‬/‫ ה‬/ ‫) א‬ 1. Guttural Consonants: Beenyan Pa'al 2. Guttural Consonants: Beenyaneem Heef'eel, Hoof'al and Heetpa'el 3. Guttural Consonants and ;‫ר‬: Beenyaneem Pee 'el, Poo'al and Neef'al V. Special Root Groups ‫גזמת‬ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Verbs Verbs Verbs Verbs Verbs

Whose First Root Letter Is ;‫נ‬ Whose First Root Letter Is '‫י‬ Whose Middle Root Letter Is '‫ י‬or '‫ו‬ Whose Third Root Letter Is ‫( י׳‬or ;n) Whose Third Root Letter Is '‫א‬

‫גזרת פ״נ‬ ‫;י‬,‫גזרת פ‬ ‫ע״י‬/‫גזרת ע״ו‬ ‫ל״ה‬/‫גזרת ל׳׳י‬ ‫גזרת ל׳׳א‬

VI. Command Forms (Imperatives) ‫ציווי‬ V II. Meanings and the Beenyaneem 1. Active and Passive Verbs ‫פעיל וסביל‬ 2. Special Categories of Active Verbs: Causative, Reflexive and Reciprocal 3. Verbs that Are Neither Active Nor Passive 4. Meanings and the Beenyaneem: Summary • T !

‫ ־‬T

448 450 462 474 488 490 504 517 532 557 567 578 580 593 606 613

PART THREE: PRONUNCIATION AND SPELLING

I. Basie Concepts: Sounds and Syllables II. The Pronunciation o f ‫ פ׳‬/‫ כ‬/‫ ב‬and the Dagesh

621 624

III. Reduction o f Vowels and the Shva

640

IV. Hebrew Spelling: Selected Issues

654

vii

VOLUME II

PART FOUR: HOW ARE HEBREW SENTENCES BUILT?

I. What Is a Sentence?

673

II. Verb Sentences

675

1. Subjects and Verbs 2. Sentences Without Subjects: Impersonal Sentences 694 3. The Direct Object and the Use of 697

675 ‫סתמי‬ ‫את‬

III. Non-Verb Sentences

705

1. Sentences with a Non-Verb Predicate (.705 2. Sentences with a Connector (.714

(‫יונתן רופא‬ ‫אוגד(יונתן הוא הבן של שרה‬

IV. Sentences w ith ‫ יש‬and 733

‫אין‬

1. Sentences with ‫ יש‬and ‫אין‬: There is (are), There isn't(aren't) 2. Sentences with ...‫ יש לי‬and ...‫אין לי‬: I have / 1 don't have...

V. Sentences w ith Infinitives (.754 VI.

733 742

(‫ללמוד‬,‫ל״‬1‫ יכ‬/ ‫ צריןז‬/ ‫ עלול‬/ ‫הוא התחיל‬

Impersonal Sentences w ith ...‫ אפשר‬,‫ מותר‬,‫כדאי‬

and Their Personal Counterparts

768

1. Impersonal Sentences with ‫ אפשר‬,‫ מותר‬,‫ כךאי‬and the Like 2. Making Impersonal Sentences Personal 3. ‫ טוב ש־‬,-‫ חשוב ש‬,‫ פז־אי ש־‬and the Like

768 778 791

VII. Negation and Negative Expressions

795

V III. Asking Questions

807

IX . Sentences with And, Or, But and the Like 1. Adding Information (...834 2. Dealing with Alternatives: Or, Not... But Rat her . 3. Sentences (...854

viii

834 .

.

(

.

.

(‫ בנוסף לכף‬,‫ גם‬,-‫ו‬ . 8 4 5 ( ‫ אלא‬...‫ ליא‬,‫א ו‬ (‫אבל‬. . . ‫ אמנם‬, ‫אבל‬

X. Adding Clauses

859

1. Clauses that Add Information to Nouns 859 2. Sentences with -877 3. Reporting Speech, Thoughts or Feelings (882 4. Expressing Desire (894

‫משפטי לוואי‬ (‫ (כל) מה ש‬,‫כל) מי ש־‬ ‫ךיבור י^קיף (הוא אמר ש־‬ (‫ מבקש ש ״‬, -‫ר וצה ש‬

PART FIVE: TELLING WHEN, WHYAND THE LIKE IN SENTENCES OF THREE TYPES

I. Defining Three Types ("Categories") o f Sentences ) Sentences w ith ...‫ אחר כך‬,...-‫ אחרי ש‬,...‫(אחרי‬

903

II. When?: Time Sentences ‫משפטי זמן‬

917

III. Why?: Reason and Result Sentences ‫ צאה‬1‫משפטי סיבה ות‬

944

IV. In Order To: Sentences that State an Intended Purpose ‫משפטי תכלית‬

953

T T

J

J

T

*

* * I t *

V. In Spite Of: Contrary to Expectation Sentences ‫משפטי ויתור‬

963

VI. Sim ilarity and Difference: Sentences o f Comparison ‫משפטי השוואה‬ 1. Similarity ‫ן‬1‫משפט י ךמ י‬ 2. Difference ‫משפט י ניגוד‬

970 970 980

V II. What If? : Conditional Sentences ‫משפטי תנאי‬ 1. Conditions that May Exist (‫)אם‬ 2. Hypothetical Conditions (‫״‬. ‫ א ילולא‬,‫)אילו‬

991 991 995

APPENDICES: HELPFUL LISTS

APPENDIX I:

Gender o f Nouns

1007

APPENDIX II: Plural Forms o f Nouns

1011

APPENDIX III: Declensions o f Prepositions

1017

APPENDIX IV: Verbs and their Prepositions

1019

APPENDIX V: "Connecting Words" in Sentences o f Three Types

1030

Sources Cited

1033

Hebrew Word Index

103 5

English Subject Index

1043

ix

Acknowledgments We would like to express our appreciation to the following people: Our students at the Rothberg International School o f the Hebrew University. Over the course of our many years o f teaching Modem Hebrew to non-native speakers, our students have often expressed the need for an accessible, user-friendly reference book in English. It is primarily with their needs in mind that we embarked on this project. It is our hope that Easing into Modern Hebrew Grammar will provide them with the kind o f explanations they have sought. Ms. Sharon Sokoler, who edited a large portion o f the book and provided important guidelines for the presentation of the material. Sharon's experience and insight as a teacher of English as a foreign language and her linguistic sensitivity and extraordinary common sense made her help invaluable. We also thank Sharon for her patience over the years o f work on the manuscript. Our colleagues, Ms. Sarah Israeli and Ms. Hanna Maschler, who read our manuscript with attention to every detail, providing wise insights not only into the subject material, but also into its presentation. Our acknowledgement o f their input "here and there" in the footnotes does not do justice to their contribution to this book. We thank them both for their wonderful generosity and constant encouragement. Prof. Steven Fassberg o f the Hebrew University and Dr. Uri Melammed of the Hebrew Language Academy, who graciously clarified various linguistic issues dealt with in the book, providing insights not available in published sources. We appreciate their time and moral support. Ms. Ruth Almagor-Ramon of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and the Hebrew Language Academy and Ms. Ronit Gadish of the Hebrew Language Academy, both of whom willingly answered our many questions on usage and normativity. Our colleagues at the Rothberg International School - instructors o f Hebrew and English - with whom we often discussed linguistic issues covered in the book. Instructors in the Division o f Hebrew Language Instruction often served as linguistic "informants," filling in questionnaires or answering questions related to usage. Graphic designer, Mr. Yossi Pinchuk, whose comments and questions provided important food for thought and whose ideas and design made the book more readable. Illustrators, Mr. Gustavo Viselner and Ms. Ofer Shoval, who helped convey our ideas with light-hearted images. A special thank you to our indefatiguable layout artist, Ms. Irit Nachum o f Art Plus, whose exactitude and patience made working on the technical aspects o f the book bearable. Our thanks also to Mr. Haim Gross o f Art Plus.

Acknowledgements

Dr. Aliza Yahav, Prof. Aharon Loewenschuss, Mr. Doug McGredy for their advice on various aspects o f language and graphics. Our colleague, Ms. Varda Yishai, director o f the Sfatarbut Program o f the Division o f Hebrew Language Instruction (Rothberg International School, Hebrew University), who provided steadfast support for this project from an early stage. We would like to express our gratitude to the ,Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, whose generous contribution to the Division o f Hebrew Language o f the Rothberg International School supported the editing and publication o f this book. We would also like to thank Mr. Hai Tsabar and Mr. Ram Goldberg o f the Magnes Press of the Hebrew University for their support of this project and for their help in seeing it through to completion. Finally, a word of heartfelt thanks to our families for their willingness to support us in this project in every way. To our children - Tamar and Daniel, Ofer and Yarden - and to Dan Shoval, who served also as a trusted linguistic advisor and tireless informant, and Jeremy Cohen, who provided both technical assistance and much-needed moral support and encouragement.

Introduction Learning the grammar of any language can be challenging. We have written this book to help students o f Modem Hebrew meet this challenge. Our primary audience is English-speaking students o f Modem Hebrew who are looking for explanations o f Hebrew grammar in nontechnical English. We have tried to "ease" them into Hebrew grammar in ways that are described below. Our explanations are accompanied by examples in Hebrew (with English translations). In order to understand these examples, readers must be able to read Hebrew and must know some basic vocabulary and grammar.

What material is covered? This book deals with a wide range o f topics covered in beginning and intermediate Hebrew language courses . 1 We have not attempted to describe Modem Hebrew as a whole, but rather have clearly limited the topics discussed (e.g., the verb groups, the prepositions, the time words, the reason words, etc.) and the vocabulary used to the topics and vocabulary generally learned at the beginning and intermediate levels. In our presentation o f Hebrew grammar we focus on different kinds o f words (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives), their functions, and the ways in which they are formed, written and pronounced. We also look at common ways in which these words join together with other words to form phrases and sentences, which ultimately create a written or oral "text. " 2

Aims and format Easing into Modern Hebrew Grammar is designed to serve as a user-friendly reference and exercise book. Our intention is to engage the student and, to this end, we often use a questionanswer (Q-A) format: We first present a Hebrew sentence or passage (with English translation) and then ask the reader a question about it. The answer to this question appears immediately below it. At frequent intervals we provide brief summaries o f the material covered (called Let's review). A Chapter summary appears at the end of many chapters. The interim and chapter summaries are often followed by exercises (labeled Want to see i f you've understood?), which enable the reader to check if the topic has been understood. Answers are provided at the end o f each exercise.

1 2

Our division into levels is based on the division used at the Hebrew University and, obviously, may vary from institution to institution. We also deal with various aspects of how sentences relate to one another in a larger text, but we do not discuss the structure of this text as such.

Introduction

Readers searching for a specific grammar topic can refer not only to the table of contents, but also to the English subject index and the Hebrew word index at the end of the book. Both the Preview at the beginning of each chapter and the various summaries provide additional guidance. The following icons and headings appear throughout the book:

Preview - presents a list of the main topics discussed in the chapter. Be careful! - emphasizes a point that is a frequent source of mistakes.

*

Did you know? - adds material that is related but either is not of paramount importance or is a clear digression from the topic under discussion. Let's review - provides an interim summary of the material taught. Chapter summary - summarizes the material examined in the chapter. Want to see if yo u ’ve understood? - offers a short exercise of the material taught.

Near the end of the book, we have included five appendices. These include material that students often find helpful. (See the table of contents for details.)

Use o f gram m atical terms, com parisons to English and ‫״‬simplification" o f material In this book we have tried to use only basic grammatical terms and have avoided using more technical terms often found in books on Hebrew grammar. We have included these technical terms (in English or Hebrew) either in parentheses or in the footnotes at the bottom of the page. In several cases we have used Hebrew terms (e.g., beenycm, smeechoot) instead of translating them into English. These terms are written n Latin letters, but not as transcriptions (which would be: been-YAN and smee-CHOOT). The usual translations of these terms are noted in parentheses or in the footnotes. In order to make our explanations clearer, we have often compared and contrasted Hebrew and English. Since the differences between the languages are commonly a source of error, many of the contrasts are included in explanations labeled Be careful! . Teachers and advanced students may notice that we have sometimes "simplified" grammatical material in order to make it easier for students to learn. We have noted blatant cases o f such simplification in our footnotes. Here are three examples:

x iv

Introduction

1. Syllable division In this book we have based the division o f words into syllables on the (fairly slow and clear) pronunciation o f Hebrew by most native speakers today. Thus, a word like ‫ ךבךים‬is regarded as having two syllables: dva-REEM (as opposed to the traditional division de/va-REEM). The word ‫ ךיבר‬is regarded as having the following two syllables: dee-BER (as opposed to the traditional deeb-BER). 2. Sounds and writing In our description o f Hebrew, we have tried to differentiate between the sounds o f the language ( בני‬ According to the spelling guidelines of the Hebrew Language Academy, because there is no 8 '‫ י‬in the form of these nouns when they have no endings, they are to be written without a ‫ י׳‬when they take endings even though they have an ee vowel,

64

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

The words in lines 1 and 2 have an ah sound two syllables before the end o f the word : ,‫ מקום‬,‫שכן‬ ‫ ני סיון‬,‫זיכרון‬.

Q: What happens to the ah vowel when endings are added to these words? A: It changes (reduces) to a shva ‫׳‬9 ‫ ניסיו־ני‬,‫ זיכח־ני‬,‫ מי‬1‫ מק‬,‫ שכני‬. This is a very common change. As you can see, in today's Hebrew sometimes the shva is pronounced eh , as in ‫( מק וימי‬me-koMEE), and sometimes it has no sound, as in the other words. In line 3 we see another case o f vowel reduction. As you may recall, we learned above that when we add possessive endings to feminine singular nouns ending in ‫;ה‬, the ah sound is usually preserved when ‫ ת׳‬and an ending are added: ‫( דודתי‬do-da-TEE), ‫( דיךתי‬dee-ra-TEE), ‫( ילדתי‬yal-daTEE). However, there are cases when the ah vowel reduces to shva , as in the words in line 3: ‫ אישה => אשתי‬and ‫ חבךה => סברתי‬. In most cases in Hebrew, as in lines 1-3, it is an ah vowel that changes to shva. In line 4, however, we see examples o f an eh vowel that changes. Now look at lines 5 and 6 . Q: What is the new vowel in the forms with possessive endings? A: In all cases, the new vowel is ee\ ‫( אמי‬,ee-MEE),‫( לבי‬lee-BEE), ‫( בתי‬bee-TEE) and ‫( צךי‬tsee-DEE). 2. Changes in more than one vowel (segolate nouns) In the following examples the base form to which possessive endings are added is very different from the regular form o f the noun: example 2 changed ‫או־צי‬

4=

'ar-TSEE ‫ע ס קי‬ 'ees-KEE

9

>=

example 1 regular

changed

‫ךץ‬.‫א‬ land E-rets

‫דן פי‬

regular >=

‫דרך‬ way DE-rech

>=

‫ספר‬ book

dar-KEE

‫עסק‬ business

‫ספרי‬

E-sek

seef-REE

SE-fer

See the chapter "Reduction of Vowels and the Shva, " pp. 640-644.

65

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

example 2 changed ‫עיני‬

>=

'ei-NEE

example 1 regular

changed

‫עין‬ eye A-yeen

‫ביתי‬ bei-TEE

regular >=

‫בית‬ house BA-yeet

.3

These nouns belong to a special group o f nouns called segolat.es. As you can see, the regular form of each of these words has three letters and two syllables, the first of which is always stressed. The forms that these and other segolate nouns take when possessive endings are added are presented and fully explained in the chapter "Segolate Nouns" (pp. 97-101).

Did you know? The word ‫ דעה‬with endings W h e n e nding s are a d d e d to the w o rd ‫( ך^ה‬opi ni on), the form ‫ ( דעת‬DA-'at) is used as the base form. Thus, w e say: Wh a t is your opi ni on? In my opi ni on.. .

‫מה דעתך? מה ךעתןזז‬ - ‫ לפי דעת י‬/ ...‫לדעתי‬

3. Singular nouns with '‫( י‬ee) before the ending Here are the forms of the words ‫( אח‬brother) and ‫( אב‬father) when possessive endings are added; ‫אב‬ ‫אח‬ my (tn./f.) father your (m.s.) father

'a-VEE 'a-VEE-cha

‫אבי‬ * ,‫אביך‬

my (m./f.) brother your (111.s. ) brother

'a-CHEE ’a-CHEE-cha

your (f.s.) father

'a-VEECH

‫אביך‬

your (f.s.) brother

'a-CHEECH

his father her father our (111. /. ) father your (111.pl.) father

'a-VEEV 'a-VEE-ha 'a-VEE-noo 'a-vee-CHEM

‫אביו‬ ‫אביה‬ ‫אבינו‬ ‫אביכם‬

his brother her brother our (m./f) brother your (111.pl.) brother

your (J'.pl.) father their (m.) father

'a- vee-CHEN 'a-vee-HEhl

‫אביכן‬ ‫אבי הם‬

your (J'.pl. ) brother their (111.) brother

'a-CHEEV ‫א חיו‬ 'a-CHEE-ha ‫א חי ה‬ 'a-CHEE-noo ‫א חינו‬ 'a-chee-CElEM10 ‫א חי כ ם‬ 'a- chee-CHEN ‫א חיכן‬

their (/.') father

'a-vee-HEN

‫אביהן‬

T

• T

T

* T

• T

their (f. ) brother

‫א חי‬ ‫אחיך‬ ‫אחיך‬ •

‫־‬

T

T

T

* T

•

T

'a-chee-HEKf

‫א חי ה ם‬

'a-chee-HEN

‫א חי הן‬

10 In the chart above, we have indicated the pronunciation found in grammar books and used by many speakers. Many other speakers pronounce these words 'a-CHEE-chem, 'a-CHEE-chen, 'a-CHEE-hem, 'a-CHEE-hen, with the stress on the next to the last syllable.

66

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

Notice that a ‫( י׳‬ee) appears in all these forms . 11 Q: What ending is added to these words in the third person plural ("their") forms? A: The two-letter ending ‫־הן‬/‫הבו‬-. This is different from the one-letter endings ‫ן‬- /‫ ם‬- normally added to singular nouns ( ‫ דודתן‬/ ‫ דודתם‬,‫ דודן‬/ ‫) דודם‬. The word ‫( פה‬mouth) also has a ‫ י׳‬in the form onto which possessive endings are added: 12‫״‬.‫ פיך‬,‫ פיך‬,‫פה => פי‬

Want to see if you've understood? W rite the noun with an ending and pronounce the word. _____

=

_____

=

‫ האח שלכם‬.4

_ =

‫ הפה שלך‬. 5_ = _ =

Answers : )‫ ׳‬a-VEE-noo( ‫ אבינו‬.3 )‫ י‬ee-MA ( ‫ אמה‬.bee-TO,( 2( ‫ בתו‬.1 ) PEE-cha( ‫יך‬a-chee-CHEM or colloquial '( 5. 2: ‫׳‬a-CHEE-chem( ‫ אחיכם‬.4

For exercises on segolate nouns with possessive endings, see the chapter "Segolate Nouns" (p. 102).

• Plural nouns with possessive endings ( ‫ ד וד ותיה‬,‫)דודיו‬ In the section above, we saw how possessive endings are added to singular nouns. Now let's see what happens when the noun to which the ending is added is plural.

11 This is actually the form used when these words are in smeechoot ‫( אבי יוסף‬the father of Yosef), ‫( אחי יוסף‬the brother of Yosef). Note: Sometimes these words - particularly the word ‫ אב‬- appear in smeechoot without the ‫י׳‬: ‫הבית‬-‫( אב‬head custodian), ‫טיפוס‬-‫( אב‬archetype). 12 The form ‫ פי‬is used in smeechoot ‫( פי הבאר‬the mouth of the well). The words ‫ לפי‬and ‫( על פי‬both of which mean ‫״‬according to") contain this word. When endings are added to these words, the forms are the same as those listed above, for example:‫( לפיו‬according to him), ‫( לפיהם‬according to them) and so on.

67

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

Plural nouns ending in ‫ים‬: Read the following sentence: .‫המורה ביקש מתלמידיו לקרוא את סיפוריהם בקול‬ The teacher asked his students to read their stories out loud.

These are the words that appear here with possessive endings:

^ ‫תלמידיו = התלמידים שלו‬ ‫סיפוריהם = הסיפוןים שלהם‬ Q: What happens to the words ‫ תלמידים‬and ‫ סיפורים‬when the possessive ending is added? A: The final ‫ם‬- (of the plural ending) drops off and the possessive endings are added. tal-mee-DAV see-poo-rei-HEM 13

‫סיפוריהם‬

>=

‫ הם‬+ ‫סיפורי‬

‫תלמידיהן‬4= ‫סיפוריה‬

>=

As you can see, the plural ‫ י׳‬rem ains in all these forms. This is the sign that the noun is plural. Here are all the forms of the plural ‫ ך ם‬1‫ ד‬with possessive endings : 14 my (m./f.) uncles

do-DAI

your (m.) uncles your (f) uncles

do-DE-cha do-DA-yeech

his uncles

do-DAV

her uncles our (m./f.) uncles

do-DE-ha do-DEI-noo15

your ('rn.pl.) uncles

do-dei-CHEM 16

your (f.pl.) uncles their (m.) uncles

do-dei-CHEN do-dei-HEM

their (f.) uncles

do-dei-HEN

‫ י‬Hi ‫ד‬ ‫דוךיה‬ ‫דו־ךייךד‬ ‫דודיו‬ ‫די ה‬1 ‫ד‬ ‫ד ^ינו‬ ‫דודיכם‬ ‫דודיכן‬ ‫דודיהם‬ ‫דודיהן‬ T

=

= = = = =

= = =

‫ דים שלי‬1 ‫ הד‬- > ‫שלה‬ ‫שלד‬ ‫שלו‬ ‫?שלה‬ ‫שלנו‬ ‫שלכם‬ ‫?ילכו‬ ‫שלהם‬ T

T V

V T V

V T 7

=

!‫שלה‬

13 Some speakers pronounce the vowel ‫ םי‬as eh and not ei, thus: see-poo-re-HEM. 14 The spelling of the forms in the chart above is the recommended spelling of these forms when vowel signs are not used. We have added vowel signs to make the pronunciation clear. 15 Some speakers pronounce the plural ‫ דודינו‬and the singular ‫ דודנו‬the same: do-DE-noo. 16 See note 13.

68

‫תלמידיו‬

>=

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

Do these endings sound familiar to you? They are exactly the same as the endings on the preposition ‫) על‬and others like it(: 1‫'׳‬ ,‫ דודיה‬- ‫ עליה‬,‫ דודיו‬- ‫עליו‬ ‫ דודיהן‬- ‫עליהן‬

,‫ עלייך ־ די חי ך‬,‫ דודיך‬- ‫עליך‬ ,‫ דודי ה ם‬- ‫עלי ה ם‬

,‫ דודיכן‬- ‫עליכן‬

,‫ דודיכם‬- ‫עליכם‬

These endings are added to almost all nouns ending in ‫ים‬:, whether they are masculine or feminine.18 Here are examples o f possessive endings on feminine nouns that end in ‫ים‬:: her / its stones

T

7 T

V

y

• T ‫־‬:

our ways

Now let's compare singular nouns with endings to plural nouns with endings : plural

singular

(uncles ‫)דוךים‬

(uncle ‫)דוד‬ do-DEE

‫דודי‬

=

‫שלי‬

‫דודיך‬ ‫דולייך‬

dod-CHA do-DECH

‫דולך‬

‫דודיו‬ ‫דודיה‬ ‫דודינו‬

do-DO

‫ךןז‬1‫ד‬ ‫דודו‬

= = =

‫שלה‬ ‫שלד‬ ‫שלו‬

do-DA do-DE-noo

‫דודה‬ ‫דודנו‬

= =

‫שלה‬ ‫שלנו‬

do-dei-CHEM

‫דודיכם‬

dod-CHEM

= ‫שלכם‬

do-dei-CHEN do-dei-HEM

‫דודיכן‬ ‫דודי הם‬

dod-CHEN do-DAM

‫דוךכם‬ ‫דילכן‬ ‫דודם‬ ‫דמ־ן‬

= !‫שלה‬

do-DAl do-DE-cha. do-DA-yeech do-DAV do-DE-ha do-DEI-noo

do-dei-HEN

‫דוליי‬

T

‫דודיהן‬

do-DAN

T

T

T 7

T 7

7 T 7

= ‫®לכן‬ = ‫שלהם‬ 7 T 7

Q: What is the most striking difference between the two columns? A: In the plural nouns, a '‫ י‬appears in every form before the ending, whereas the singular nouns have no such ‫י׳‬. Most of the forms in the plural column have one more syllable than those in the singular column. The extra syllable is the one that contains the Take special note of the ‫ שלנו‬forms in both colum ns: ‫ דו דינו‬/‫ דו דנו‬. Both o f these forms have three syllables and are even pronounced the same by some speakers. In writing, the only difference between these two forms is that the plural has a ‫י׳‬. This is how we know that its equivalent is ‫ הדודים שלנו‬, rather than ‫ ה דו ד שלנו‬.

17 See the chapter "Adding Endings to Prepositions," pp. 244-245. 18 See exceptions such as ‫ עונים‬and ‫ מילים‬below, p. 73.

69

,‫ דודינו‬-

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

Q: Besides the '‫י‬, are there additional differences between how the singular and plural forms are written? A: There are two more differences: 1. The ‫( שלןז‬your f s.) form in the p lu ra l column (‫ דודייך‬do-DA-yeech - sounds like ‫ בית‬BA-yeet) has an additional ‫ י׳‬so that we write "‫ "יי‬in this form. In this way we distinguish it from ‫דודיך‬ (do-DE-cha) = ‫( הדודים שלך‬your m.s. uncles). plural

singular

your (m.s.) uncles

‫דו!י ך‬

your (m.s‫׳‬.) uncle

your (f.s.) uncles

‫דודייך‬

your (f.s.) uncle

- עיניך‬+ ‫ => עיני‬$/‫עיני‬ your (m.s.) eyes

( ,ei-NAV)

eyes

‫ ו => עיניו‬+ ‫עיני‬ his eyes

The forms of 19 ‫ אחים‬are : ‫ אחיהן‬,‫ אחיהם‬,‫ אחיכן‬,‫ אחיכם‬,‫ אחינו‬,‫ אחיה‬,‫ אחיו‬,‫ אחין; אחייןז‬,‫אחיי‬. Since the plural of ‫ אב‬is ‫ אבות‬and the plural of ‫ פה‬is ‫פיות‬, their singular and plural forms do not look the same,

70

‫ דו ד ם‬SC

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

Notice that the last two letters - ‫ים‬- - drop off o f ‫ביניים‬, leaving only one ‫י׳‬. Thus, the end o f ‫ עיניך‬looks and sounds like ‫דודיך‬, and ‫ עיניו‬looks and sounds like ‫ךיו‬1 ‫ ד‬.

Want to see if you've understood? W rite the noun with an ending and pronounce the word. Example:

‫הא וזני ים שלך‬

=

‫ הידיים שלה‬.4

‫ הספר ים שלך‬. 1

=

‫ הפ נ ים של נ ו‬.5

‫ הה ור ים ש לכם‬. 2

= ‫ החבר ים של י‬.6

‫ הבנ ים ש א‬. 3

Answers: )ya-DE-ha( ‫ ידיה‬. ba-NAV (

4( ‫ בניו‬. ho-rei-CHEM (

3( ‫ הוריכם‬. sfa-RA-yeech( 2( ‫ ספחין־‬.1 ‫ חבךיי‬. pa-NEI-noo( 6( ‫ פנינו‬.5

):cha-ve-RAI(

Possessives on plural words ending in ‫ות‬Read the following sentence: ,‫>> המורה שאלה את תלמידותיה מהן תוכניותיהן לחופשה‬ The teacher asked her students what their plans are for vacation.

The words ‫ תלמידותיה‬and ‫ תוכניותיהן‬are plural nouns with possessive endings: ‫תלמידותיה = התלמידות שלה‬ ‫תוכניותיהן = התוכניות שלהן‬ Q: How many plural signs do you see in ‫ תלמידותיה‬and ‫?תוכניותיהן‬ A: Two! One plural sign is the ending ni- that was in the original word: ‫ ת‬1‫ תלמיד‬,‫ כניות‬1‫ ת‬. The second plural sign is the ‫ י׳‬that comes after the ‫ ת‬1 — ‫תלמידותיה‬,‫ תוכניותיהן‬- which we saw above in ‫ךיכן‬1 ‫)־־הדודים שלכן) ד‬. Note: Whenever a plural word ends in ‫ ת‬1‫ ־‬, a ‫ י׳‬is always added to it before the possessive ending is added: (...‫ תלמ ימת י י‬,‫ י (דודותיי‬+ ‫ י‬+ ni -> ‫י‬ ‫ תלמ יד ות יה‬, ‫ ך (ד ותת יך‬+ ‫י‬...) + ni

71

II. Nouns / 4 . Nouns with Possessive Endings

Here are all the forms of the word Dili ‫( ד‬aunts): my aunts your (m.s.) aunts your (f.s.) aunts

do-do-TAI

his aunts

do-do-TE-cha do-do-TA-yeech do-do-TAV

her aunts our (m./f.) aunts

do-do-TE-ha do-do-TEl-noo

your (rn.pl) aunts

do-do-tei-CHEM

your (f.pl.) aunts their (m.) aunts

do-do-tei-CHEN do-do-tei-HEM

their (f.) aunts

do-do-tei-HEN

‫ תיי‬1‫ ד‬1‫= ד‬ ‫= דודו תיך‬ ‫= דודו תייך‬ ‫ תיו‬1‫ ד‬1‫= ד‬ ‫ תי ה‬1‫= דוד‬ T

‫הדודות שלי‬

->

‫שלה‬ ‫שלד‬ ‫שלו‬

‫שלוק‬ ‫ תינו‬1‫ ד‬1‫שלנו = ד‬ ‫שלכם = דודו תיכ ם‬ ‫שלכז = דודו תיכן‬ ‫שלהם = דו דו תי ה ם‬ ‫ תי הן‬1‫שלה! = דוד‬ T

T V

T 7

V T V

7 T V

These are the forms o f all plural words ending in ‫־ות‬, whether they are feminine or masculine. Here are examples o f some masculine nouns:

...‫ זיכרונותיך‬,‫זיכרונותיי‬

=

‫אצבעות‬ 'et$-ba-'OT fingers

W ith an ‫ות‬- ending, this change takes place in all the forms, as in ‫אצבעות‬. In nouns ending in ‫ים‬: and ‫יים‬:, only in the last four forms: ‫י ה ן‬- ,‫יוז ם‬- ,‫י כן‬- ,‫־י ב ם‬

‫ינו‬...‫

girls

‫ברכות‬

‫יוזן‬- ,‫יהם‬: ,‫יכן‬: ,‫ברכותיכם‬

blessings

W ith the ‫ים‬: ending - only in the last four forms :

‫דבןים‬

‫יהן‬: ,‫יהם‬: ,‫יכן‬: ,‫ריכם‬.‫ךב‬

>

things

...‫ דרכיך‬,‫דרכיי‬

‫יהן‬: ,‫יהם‬: ,‫יכן‬: ,‫דרכיכם‬

‫דךכים‬ w ays

‫ירן‬: ,‫יהם‬: ,‫יכן‬: ,‫ספריכם‬

...‫ ספךיך‬,‫ספריי‬

‫ספו־ים‬ books

!‫יה‬: ,‫יהם‬: ,‫יכן‬: ,‫ערכיכם‬

-‫

Another pattern for people with professions is □□i□. The feminine o f this form almost always ends in ‫ ת‬-: ‫שופט‬ ‫שוטר‬ ‫סופר‬ ‫שומר‬ ‫שופטת‬ ‫שוטרת‬ ‫סופרת‬ ‫שומרת‬ judge

policeman, policewoman

writer

guard

As you can see, the □ □ ‫ □ ו‬pattern is also the pattern o f present tense verbs in beenyan pa'al (‫)כ ותב‬. The present tense verb patterns o f other beenyaneem are also frequently used for people with professions, for example: beenyan heefeel (like ‫ו‬2 י‬1 - + ‫יום‬ ‫ן => שבועון‬1 - + ‫שבוע‬ ‫ון => עיתון‬- + ‫עת‬ daily newspaper

day

weekly newspaper or magazine

week

newspaper

time

More endings that have specific meanings Another commonly used ending is ‫;יה‬: (ee-YA). We find books at the ‫( ספךייה‬library), and we buy fresh rolls at the ‫( מאפייה‬bakery). These words all denote places. Looking for a profession? Add the ending ‫ן‬- (and possibly make some changes in the base form) and you could be a ‫כלכלנית‬/‫( כלכלן‬economist), a ‫פסנתרנית‬/‫( פסנתרן‬pianist), a ‫תקליטנית‬/‫( תקליטן‬disc jockey) or even a ‫נדוךסלנית‬/‫( כדוךסלן‬basketball player). Add the ending ‫אי‬: and you could be an ‫עיתונאית‬/‫( עיתונאי‬journalist), a ‫ח שמלאית‬/‫( ח שמלאי‬electrician), a ‫מוזיקאית‬/‫( מוזיקאי‬musician) or a ‫ מ ת מטיקאית‬/‫( מ ת מטיקאי‬mathematician). To name some of the subjects you might like to study, just add the ending ‫ו ת‬- (with some possible changes to the base): ‫ספרות‬ ‫חקלאות‬ ‫אדריכלות‬ T ‫־־‬

hairdressing

5 6

84

T

. —

agriculture

When an ending is added, sometimes there is a change in the vowels of the base form. Since the word ‫ ילחץ‬denotes a person, it has a feminine form ‫ילדונת‬.

T

‫־! ־‬

architecture

II. Nouns /

5. How Are Hebrew Nouns Formed?

The ‫ו ת‬- ending is used not only for some subjects of study, but also for ab stract nouns in general, for example: ‫( א לי מו ת‬violence), ‫( מנ היגו ת‬leadership), ‫( ידידו ת‬friendship).7

Did you know? Abstract nouns ending with

‫ו ת‬-

use not only nouns as their base, as in:

™‫* אדריכל‬

in

- + ‫א ךןי כ ל‬

^

architect

architecture

but also adjectives: ‫=> חילוניו ת‬ secularism

‫ ות‬-

+ ‫חילוני‬ secular

‫אכפ תיות‬

=m-

concern

+ ‫־‬

‫< *אכפתי‬

concerned

and other parts of speech: ‫> זהות‬

‫ ות‬- + ‫זה‬

identity

this

‫> כמות‬ quantity

‫ ות‬- + ‫כמוס‬

‫ ית => איכות‬- + ‫איך‬

how much?

quality

‫>*־‬

how?

Endings o f foreign words Throughout its history, Hebrew has absorbed many words from foreign languages. While some words - such as ‫( רדיו‬radio) and ‫( טל פון‬telephone) - have retained their foreign form, others have "assimilated" into Hebrew by fitting into Hebrew noun patterns. For exam ple,‫( ארגון‬organization) is formed according to the pattern of ‫סיפור‬, and ‫( מהפנט‬hypnotist) is formed according to the pattern of ‫מנהל‬. Still another way in which foreign words "assimilate" into Hebrew is by adding a Hebrew ending to a foreign word, as in: ‫סטקייה‬ ‫>־ ספוךטאי‬ restaurant with meat cooked on a grill same ending as:

7

athlete

I

I

‫ספךייה‬

‫עיתונאי‬

a. As you can see from the translations, many English abstract nouns also have typical endings, such as: -hood, -ism, -ness, -ity and so on. b. There are various patterns that also end in ‫ות‬- and denote abstract nouns, for example ‫ ה ת ם ם םו ת‬, as in: ‫התנגדות‬

‫התרגשות‬

opposition

nervousness


•־‬

In other cases, the ending in Hebrew is somewhat different from the English ending, as in:6 ‫אי נ ט ו נ צי ה‬

‫סי ט ו א צ י ה‬

‫ביו רו ק ר טי ה‬

‫ד מו ק ר טי ה‬

‫הי ס טו ר י ה‬

intonation

situation

bureaucracy

democracy

history

‫פנוז ה‬ ‫הי‬ T J

‫גנוז ה‬ ‫די א‬ T : ‫־‬

‫ ה‬,‫ק‬T ‫ס *ט י‬: ‫ט *ט י‬T ‫ס‬5

‫ק ה‬T ‫מ *טי‬T ‫מ ”ת‬T

‫ה‬T‫*ביו לו !גי‬

‫ ה‬T‫לוגי‬ ‫פ *סי כו‬5 S

hypnosis

diagnosis

statistics

mathematics

biology

psychology

‫>־־‬

For English speakers it is important to note the correspondence between the endings o f these Hebrew words and their English equivalents.

Did you know? As we have seen, some foreign words denoting people o f various types end in ‫יסט‬-, as in ‫ קומוניסט‬and ‫אגואיסט‬. But when the noun they come from ends in ‫לומה‬-, they may be formed in the follow ing w ay: ‫פסיכולוג‬

‫מ‬/‫פסיכולוג‬

psychologist

‫ביולוג‬

>=

‫ מ‬/‫ביולוג‬

biologist

‫סוציולוג‬

‫ס וצ י ו ל ו ג י‬

sociologist

Here the equivalent of "-ist" does not a ppear in the Hebrew.

8

86

The end of these Hebrew words may correspond to endings in Latin or Greek or another language.

II. Nouns /

5. How A re Hebrew Nouns Formed?

Let’s review Many Hebrew nouns are formed by adding an ending to a base form. ♦ Some endings have no special meaning, while others may have one or more specific meanings. Here are some examples discussed above: ‫ית‬: may denote being small (‫)מפ ית‬, or a language ( ‫ (צו״פתית‬0 1 ‫ ־‬a vehicle (.(‫מכ ו נ ית‬ ‫ון‬- may denote being small (.(‫ספרון‬ ‫ייה‬- may denote a place (.(‫ספו־ייה‬ ‫ ;ן‬and ‫אי‬: may denote a person with a profession or occupation (,‫תקליטן‬ .(‫מתמטיקאי‬ ‫ו ת‬- denotes an abstract noun (‫ אפשרות‬,‫) חקלאות‬. ♦ When foreign words enter Hebrew, they sometimes take Hebrew endings (‫)ספח־־טא י‬. In other cases they retain their foreign endings, which may correspond to English either exactly (‫ )סוציאליזם‬or to some extent (‫)א י נפ וךמצ יה‬.

W ant to see if you've understood? U sin g y o u r k n o w le d g e o f th e m e a n in g o f e n d in g s , gu ess the m e a n in g o f the fo llo w in g w o rd s . (T he w o r d in p a re n th e s e s p ro v id e s a h in t as to the

ending's

m e a n in g ).

) ‫(סטק י יה‬

= ‫ ס נדלר י יה‬.‫ו‬

)‫(כפ יה‬

‫ כ וס ית‬.2

)‫(ספר ו ן‬

T•T

=

: : ‫־‬

‫ מחשב ו ן‬.3

)‫(שב וע ו ן‬

‫ מק ומ ו ן‬.4

) ‫(מתמט יקא י‬

‫ מך ינא י‬.5

)‫( ו זקלא ות‬

‫ ת י יר ות‬.6

A n s w e rs :

1. shoemaker's shop (a place where shoes are fixed or made) 2. a shot glass (a little glass) 3. a calculator 4. a local newspaper 5. a diplomat, statesman 6, tourism

87

II. Nouns /

5. How Are Hebrew Nouns Formed?

• Joining two nouns to form a new word Some Hebrew nouns were created by joining two words together. The word ‫( ק ול נ וע‬movie theater) is a combination of two words: ‫( ק ול‬voice) and ‫( נוע‬moving). The words ‫( ח י‬living) and ‫( ך ק‬slender) were joined together to form the word ‫( ח י ידק‬bacterium). Sometimes when two words join together, one or more o f the original letters drop out, especially when there are letters that appear in both words, for example: ‫ רגל => כד ורגל‬+ 7‫ רגל => כדח‬+ ‫כד ור‬ football foot ball

•‫>־‬

Here are some more examples of words formed in this way:9 ‫מךךחוב‬

> =

pedestrian mall

‫ךמזור‬

>=

traffic light

‫רכבל‬ cable car

‫ךחוב‬

+

‫אור‬

T

+

‫כבל‬

T : *

‫רמז‬ hint; sign

light

>=

‫מדרכה‬ sidewalk

street

+

cable

‫_רכבינ‬ train

Let's review ♦ A third way of forming nouns is by joining two nouns together: ‫ נוע => ק ול נ וע‬+ ‫ק ול‬

-C

In the new noun we sometimes find the original words in their entirety (as in ‫ ;)קולנוע‬at other times one or more letters may drop out when the words are combined, as in: ‫ רגל => כד ורגל‬+ ‫כד ור‬.

9

88

These words are called compound nouns. In Hebrew, a word like ‫ קולנוע‬is called a ‫הרכב‬. and a word like ‫כדורגל‬ (in w h ic h part of one of the original words is missing) is called a ‫הלחם‬.

6 Segolate Nouns )‫ בוקר‬,‫ ספר‬,‫(ילד‬ Preview • Singular and plural form s o f segolate nouns • Segolate nouns with possessive endings and in smeechoot

• Singular and plural form s o f segolate nouns What is a segolate noun? Read the following words out loud: ‫חלק‬

‫ארץ‬

‫ילד‬

‫ספר‬

CHE-Iek part

E-retz country

YE-led

SE-fer book

boy

‫דוד‬ DE-rech way

Q: What do all these words have in common? A: They all contain three letters and are divided into two syllables. Unlike nouns like ‫שולחן‬ (,shool-CHAN), ‫( כיסא‬kee-SE) and ‫( דבר‬da-1: IR), whose last syllable is stressed, here the first of the two syllables is stressed: 1...SE-fer ‫ס ־ פ ר‬

, DE-rech 1 H‫* ־‬T

These nouns also share one more common trait: they all contain the vowel sign □ (three dots called ‫ סגול‬se-GOL) - pronounced eh - in their second syllable. This is true of m ost nouns that belong to this group, and for this reason they are called segolate nouns - or segolat.es (in Hebrew: ‫ שמות סגוליים‬or 2.(‫ שמות מלעיליים‬The exceptions (segolates without a segol in the second syllable) will be discussed below. As we will see, segolates behave in special, fairly consistent ways when they are made plural, when they take possessive endings and when they appear in smeechoot. Thus, identifying a noun as a segolate provides us with a key to the correct pronunciation o f the different forms of that noun.

1 2

We are referring to the stressed syllable here as the first syllable. In grammar books, this syllable is usually referred to as the next to last syllable. ‫ מלעיל‬in Aramaic means that the stress is on the syllable before last.

89

II. Nouns / 6. Segolate Nouns

Did you know? The s e g o la te n o u n ‫'( א ר ץ‬E-refs land, country) b e h a v e s in a u n iq u e w a y : its p ro n u n c ia tio n c h a n g e s to 'A-rets w h e n it is p re c e d e d b y the d e fin ite a rtic le ‫( ה ־‬the): the land (also used to refer to Israel)

ha-'A-rets

‫הארץ‬

Problems in identifying segolate nouns Here are some more segolate nouns: ‫אוזן‬

‫שבט‬

‫חודש‬

‫עבד‬

‫בוקר‬

‫שמן‬

‫מלך‬

‫כלב‬

'O-zen

SHE-vet

CHO-desh

'E-ved

BO-ker

SHE-men

ME-lech

KE-tev

ear

tribe

month

slave

morning

oil

king

dog

Q: Do all these nouns have only three letters? A: Yes, except for the words ‫בוקר‬, ‫ חודש‬and ‫אוזן‬, which are written here with four letters. This is the way they are written in full spelling (i.e., in texts w ithout vowel signs and with an added ‫ ו׳‬to indicate the sound oh). However, when written w ithout the added % these words - like all other segolate nouns - have only three letters: ‫אזן‬ ‫חיז־ש‬ ‫בקר‬ ‫>־‬ All of the words in the list above also have the other tell-tale signs of segolates: a segol (□) in the second syllable and - most importantly - the stress on their first syllable. Thus, singular segolate nouns can be divided into two basic groups according to the vowel sound in their first syllable: with 011 (i□ / □) in the first syllable

with eh (either □ or □) in the first syllable

‫אזן‬ )‫(אתן‬

‫חז״ש‬ )‫(חודש‬

‫בקר‬ )‫(בוקר‬

‫ספר‬

‫ילד‬

‫ארץ‬

'O-zen

CHO-desh

BO-ker

SE-fer

YE-led

E-rets


חודשים‬. The vowel sign □ (called hatafkamatz) is pronounced oh. The word ‫ עצם‬also means thing (as in ‫ = שם עצם‬noun, lit.: name of a thing). When it has this meaning, it is masculine and the plural form is ‫עצמים‬. The plural of the masculine noun ‫( קבר‬grave) is ‫קברים‬. However, a form with ‫ות‬- appears in the word for cemetery. ‫ בית קברות‬.

II. Nouns / 6. Segolate Nouns

Nouns with ‫ י׳‬in the middle constitute a special group, and their plural forms usually have □ (ei / eh)9 in the first syllable: r!

‫קיץ‬

‫זית‬

‫יינות‬

10‫קיצים‬

‫זי תי ם‬

wines

summers

olives

The word ‫ בית‬has an irre g u la r form in the plural: ‫בית‬ ‫בתים‬ ‫ ־‬T

houses

Some segolate nouns form their plural by adding the ‫יים‬: (A-yeem) ending. The base o f these forms is not the same as the plurals above, which have a shva in the first syllable ( ‫ נפשות‬,‫)ילךים‬. Rather, these forms have a vowel after the first letter and each has to be learned . 11 Most o f these happen to be feminine:

masculine :

‫איזן‬

‫ברך‬

‫נעל‬

‫רגל‬

‫אוזניים‬ ears

ti ‫בךכיים‬ knees

‫נעליים‬ shoes

‫רגליים‬ legs

‫גרב‬

i

‫גרביים‬ socks

Let's review The basic plural form of segolate nouns is ♦ ‫ בלןךים) □ □ □י ם‬,‫ ספו־ים‬,‫ (ילדים‬and sometimes ‫ נפשות) □ □ □ו ת‬,‫(תשות‬. ♦ When ‫א׳‬, ‫ה׳‬, ‫ ח׳‬or ‫) ע׳‬the gutturals) appear at the beginning o f the plural form and are expected to take a shva, they take an ah vowel )‫ חו־בות‬,‫ עבךים‬,‫(אבנים‬, except when they have ‫ ו׳‬in the singular form )‫ חודש‬,‫(עונש‬, in which case they keep the oh sound )‫ חוד שים)(ו׳‬,‫(עונשים‬

9 Some speakers pronounce ‫( □י‬as in ‫ )זיתים‬zei-TEEM; others say ze-TEEM. 10 The form ‫ קיצים‬also exists but is used less than ‫קיצים‬. 11 As you will see below, pp. 105-107, this vowel is the same vowel that appears in forms like ‫( ת לו‬his leg) and ‫( בךפו‬his knee), i.e., singular segolate nouns with possessive endings.

95

II. Nouns /

6. Segolate Nouns

♦ The plural form of segolates with ‫ י׳‬in the middle is different: ‫ זיתים‬and ‫יינות‬. The word ‫ בית‬has an irregular plural: ‫בתים‬. ♦ Some segolate plurals take the ending ‫יים‬:. Their base is unlike regular segolate plurals in that it does not begin with shva, for example: ‫תליים‬, ‫ בו־־כיים‬and ‫אוזניים‬.

W ant to see if you've understood? A . C h a n g e fro m s in g u la r to p lu ra l o r fro m p lu ra l to s in g u la r a n d s a y the w o r d o u t lo u d .

p lu ra l

s in g u la r

‫אבנים‬

‫ עךןל‬.3 ‫בוקר‬

.4

‫ספל‬

.5

‫פחד‬

.7

‫פרחים‬

‫נערים‬

__ .8 ‫ פיקגל‬.9

A n s w e rs :

) bka-REEM( ‫ בל!ךים‬,4 )‫י‬a-ra-CHEEM( ‫ ערכים‬,3 )‫ ׳‬E-ven( ‫ אבן‬,me-la-CHEEM( 2( ‫ מלכים‬.1 ) N A -'ar ( ‫ נער‬.pcha-DEEM ( 8( ‫ פחז־ים‬.PE-rach( 7( ‫ פרח‬,sfa-LEEM( 6( ‫ ספלים‬.5 )pe-'a-LEEM( ‫ פעלים‬,9

i.

C h a n g e fro m s in g u la r to p lu ra l o r fro m p lu ra l to s in g u la r.

p lu ra l

s in g u la r

‫ אוזן‬.‫ו‬ ‫זיתים‬ ‫רגליים‬

96

___ .2 _____

.3

II. Nouns / 6. Segolate Nouns

_______ >=< _

o

:A n s w e rs

gar-BA-yeem((‫גו־ביים‬. ba-TEEM( 5( ‫ ( בתים‬RE-gel A( ‫ מל‬.ZA-yeei (3(

‫זית‬.oz-NA-yeem '(2(

• Segolate nouns with possessive endings and in smeechoot Adding possessive endings to singular segolate nouns The highlighted words in the following passage are segolate nouns with possessive endings added to them : 12 ,‫ הוא שם א ת העיפרון מאחורי אתנו‬,‫פרום׳ לוין סיים לחבר א ת התרגיל האחרון בספרו החד ש לאלגברה‬ .‫ סגר א ת הדלת והלך לדרכו‬,‫ לקח א ת ספלו‬,‫ קם ויצא מרח־רג הוא חזר לרגע‬,‫ה ת מ ת ח מלוא אוךכו‬ Prof. Levine finished making up the last exercise in his new algebra book. He put his pencil behind his ear, stretched out to his full height (lit.: length), got up and left his room. He went back for a moment, took his mug, closed the door and went on his way.

Try this: Divide the segolate nouns in the passage above into three groups according to the vowel in their first syllable. oh ee ah

Here's the solution: There are three types of segolates with possessive endings. the oh group

the ee group

the ah group

‫ספרו אוזנו‬ ‫ספלו אורכו‬ 12 See the chapter ‫״‬Nouns with Possessive Endings," pp. 60-67 for a full explanation of possessive endings. The present chapter will deal only with changes in the base of the noun to which the endings are added.

97

II. Nouns / 6. Segolate Nouns

There are three striking differences between the regular singular form of segolate nouns (‫ אוזן‬,‫ ספר‬,‫ ) חדר‬and the forms with endings: ‫ ־‬The vowel of the first syllable ‫ ־‬The place o f the stress ‫ ־‬The pronunciation o f ‫ב׳‬,‫ כ׳‬or ‫ פ׳‬when they appear at the end o f the regular form, as in ‫ דרד‬and ‫כלב‬.

The vowel o f the first syllable and the stress Let's take a closer look at the forms with the endings as compared to their regular forms. (We have added some more examples to each group): th e ah group with ending

regularform

his room

chad-RO

‫סדרו‬

his way

dar-KO

his dog his money

kal-BO kas-PO

‫ךן כו‬ ‫כלבו‬ ‫כספו‬

his child

yal-DO

‫ילדו‬

CHE-der

♦ When possessive endings are added to plural segolates ending in ‫ות‬- and ‫יים‬:, the base in all forms is the same as that of the singular noun with possessive endings, as in: ‫הן‬-,‫הם‬-,‫כן‬-,‫עצמותיכם‬

‫עצמותיי‬ ...'ats-mo-TAI

‫הן‬-,‫הם‬-,‫כן‬-,‫בךכיכם‬

'ats-MOT-

'ats-MO

'a-tsa-MOT

‫בךכיי‬

)‫(ברכי הילד‬

)‫(בךכו‬

:‫בךכיים‬

...beer-KAI

beer-KEI-

beer-KO

beer-K4-yeem

107

)‫הגוף‬

Q Verbal Nouns ‫ ת פעולה‬1‫שמ‬ Preview • What is verbal noun? ‫ ״‬Automatic verbal noun forms • Non-au tomatic verbal noun forms

• What is a verbal noun? Read the following sentences: .‫שמעתי שפתח ו את הכביש החדש בטקס חגיגי‬

‫>*־‬

I heard that they opened the new highway with a festive ceremony.

.‫שמעתי על הפתיחה החגיגית של הכביש החדש‬ T

* :

I heard about the festive opening of the new highway.

In the first sentence, the verb ‫ פתח ו‬tells us what action was taken. Q: What word in the second sentence expresses the same idea as the verb ‫?פתח ו‬ A: The noun ‫( פתיחה‬opening). We refer to this as a verbal noun (1,( ‫ שם פעולה‬i.e., a noun that expresses the same idea as a verb .2 Let's look at some more examples of verbal nouns in Hebrew: The guard fell asleep after three hours of guarding. (=after he guarded for three hours) The students learn driving in school. (=110w to drive)

1

2

.‫השומר נרדם אחרי שלוש שעות שמירה‬ )‫(=אחרי ששמ ר שלוש שעות‬ T

*

:

->

.‫התלמידים לומדים נהיגה בבית הספר‬ )‫(=איך נוהג ים‬ T

• :

In grammar books, verbal nouns are often called gerunds. However, the term gerund in English is limited to verbal nouns that end in "-ing." Sometimes, the English equivalent of a Hebrew verbal noun does not end in "-ing" and. thus, is not a gerund. The Hebrew term ‫ =( שם פעולה‬the noun or name of the action) may be misleading since not all verbs and verbal nouns denote actions, for example: ‫( לעמוד‬to stand), ‫( עמידה‬standing) denote a state, not an action. See Haiim B. Rosen, 1977, p. 160.

108

II. Nouns / 7. Verbal Nouns

All the Hebrew verbal nouns we have presented so far have the same form: ‫□□ י □ ה‬. This is because they are all related to verbs in the same beenyan : pa'al (‫ נהג‬,‫ פתח‬,‫)שמר‬. The verbal nouns of other beenyaneem have different forms and will be discussed below . 3 But before we look at other verbal noun forms in Hebrew, let's look at several questions that relate to all verbal nouns. We will use the form ‫ □ □ י □ ה‬as our example.

The English equivalents o f Hebrew verbal nouns Q: What are the English equivalents of the verbal nouns mentioned above: ‫ פ תי ח ה‬, ‫ שמירה‬and ‫?נ היג ה‬

A: All three are translated as nouns with an -ing ending: opening, guarding and driving. This is often, but not always, the case. For example, the word ‫ מכירה‬can be translated as sale, as in: .‫מכירת סמים אסורה ברוב המדינות‬ The sale (=selling) of drugs is forbidden in most countries.

Thus, when you translate from English to Hebrew, you have to be aware that a variety of forms in English (here, both selling and sale) can be rendered in Hebrew using the form o f a Hebrew verbal noun.

Uses o f the Hebrew verbal noun form Now let's take a further look at the uses of the verbal noun form in Hebrew. Read the following sentence containing the verb ‫( סתם‬to fill a cavity/hole): The dentist filled the cavity in Gali's tooth.

.‫השיניים סתם את החור בשן של גלי רופא‬

**C

Here is the verbal noun that expresses the same idea as the verb ‫ ס ת ם‬: Filling the cavity took fifteen minutes.

.‫ס תי מ ת החור נמשכה רבע שעה‬

■ במהלך הבדיקות חל שיפור במצבו של החולה‬

In the course of testing, an improvement took place in the patient's condition. .‫המשטרה עצרה עשרות אנשים במהלך החיפושים אחרי ההשוד‬

The police arrested tens of people in the course of searching for the suspect.

110

II. Nouns / 7. Verbal Nouns

The ‫ □ □ י □ ה‬pattern is the most common verbal noun pattern for verbs in beenyan pa'al. For this reason, it is often called the ” autom atic” verbal noun, i.e., a verbal noun whose pattern is predictable. Other verbal noun patterns of pa'al will be discussed below, after we look at the "automatic" verbal noun patterns o f the other beenyaneem. Note: Since the passive beenyaneem - poo'al and hoofal - don't have their own verbal nouns, they use the verbal nouns o f their active counterparts: pee'el and heefeel , respectively.

Beenyan pee’el (‫)פיעל‬ Here are examples of the "automatic" verbal noun o f beenyan pee'el.

verb:

.‫אס ור לז־בר בטלפ ו ן סלולרי בזמן הש יעור‬ It is forbidden to speak on a cell phone during class.

verbal noun:

,‫הז־יבור בטלפ ו ן סלולרי בזמן השיעור אס ור‬ Speaking on a cell phone during class is forbidden.

verb: It is not healthy to smoke cigarettes. verbal noun: Smoking is not health}.‫העישון אינו בריא‬

.‫לא בריא לעש ן סיגריות‬ ‫׳‬-.

Thus: verbal noun

past tense

infinitive

‫שם פעולה‬

‫עבר‬

‫שם פועל‬

‫□♦□ו‬ ‫ךיבור‬ ‫עישון‬

>=

□ ‫□י ם‬

>=

□ ‫□ לס ש‬

‫הוא דיבר‬

‫לז־בר‬

‫הוא עישן‬

‫לעש ן‬

Notice that the first syllable of the verbal noun ( □ ‫ )□ י ש ו‬is the same as that o f the past tense verb ( □ ‫)□ י ם‬. As we saw above, here and in other beenyaneem, too, we have examples of nouns whose form is that of a verbal noun, but whose meaning is not, as in: 1 read an interesting stoiv.

.‫קראתי סיפור מעניין‬

The noun ‫ סיפור‬happens to denote the result of the actions ‫ סיפ ר‬/‫( לספ ר‬to tell).

I ll

II. Nouns / 7. Verbal Nouns

The verbal noun of pee'el serves also as the verbal noun o f its passive counterpart: poo'al. Thus , ‫( תיקון‬fixing) expresses the same idea as the following verbs:

active: The technician fixed the di yer yesterday. passive : The dryer was fixed yesterday. verbal noun o f both:

.5*-‫י יבש הכב יסה אתמ ו ל‬ .‫מ י יבש הכב יסה ת וק ן אתמ ו ל‬ .‫שילמנו הרבה על תיקון המ ייבש‬

We pai d a lot for the fixing of the dryer.

Beenyan heet pa’el (‫)התפעל‬ Here are examples of the "automatic" verbal noun form o f beenyan heetpa'el:

verb: The Knesset member opposed the new law. .‫חבר ה כ נסת הת נ גד לח וק ה ח דש‬ verbal noun: .‫חבר ה כ נסת הב יע התנגדות לח וק ה ח דש‬

**C

The Knesset member expressed opposition to the new law.

verb: The child is developing nicely. verbal noun:

.‫ה ילד מ ת פ ת ח יפה‬

• ה ס ס ס ה‬ ‫הוא הקליט הקלטה‬ ‫הוא הךךיןזהךךכה‬ The passive beenyan hoofal shares the verbal noun of its active partner, beenyan heefeel. Thus:

active: Moshe recorded his new song yesterday. passive: The new song was recorded yesterday. verbal noun o f both:

.‫משה הקליט את השיר החדש שלו אתמול‬ .‫השיר החדש הוקלט אתמול‬

The quality of the recording is excellent.

.‫איכות ההקלטה מצוינת‬

Beenyan neef al (‫)נפעל‬ Here is an example of the verbal noun associated with beenyan neefal:

verb:

.‫רבים נדבקו בשפעת בשנה שעברה‬ Many people got (were infected with) the flu last year.

verbal noun:

.‫הרופאים מנסים למנוע את הידבקות האוכלוסייה בשפעת‬

The doctors are trying to prevent the population from getting (being infected with) the flu.

This verbal noun form is similar to the infinitive form o f neefal (‫)לה ידבק‬. Just remove the ‫ ל־‬and add ‫ות‬-: ‫ הידבקות‬. Notice that the vowel before the ending "reduces" and usually is not pronounced: ‫( הידבקות‬hee-dav-KOOT).

113

II. Nouns /

7. Verbal Nouns

Thus: v e rb a l noun

past tense

in fin itiv e

‫שם פעולה‬

‫עבר‬

‫שם פועל‬

‫הי ם ם םו ת‬ ‫הידבקות‬

□□□‫נ‬ ‫הוא נז־בק‬

□ □ ‫להים‬ ‫להידבק‬

:

T

T

‘

‫**־‬C

!

While the ‫ ה י ם □ □ ות‬form exists for some neefaf verbs, many verbs in neefal tend to use the verbal noun of other beenyaneem , especially of pa'al , for example:

verb:

.‫א סו ר להיכנס ל מ עבד ה של הפיזיקאי‬ It is forbidden to enter the physicist's laboratory.

verbal noun (like pa'al):

Entrance (=entering) is forbidden.

verb:

> - ‫? מ תי אפ שר להירשם ל קו ר ס החד ש‬ When is it possible to register for the new course?

verbal noun (like heefeel):

when does registration begin?

.‫הכניסה א סו ר ה‬ ‫י‬

••

T

:

?‫מ תי ההך שמה מ ת חי ל ה‬

Did you know? Variations caused by special roots The following variations in the forms of verbal nouns are caused by special roots. The changes are highlighted here and are discussed in the chapters on gutturals and on verbs with special roots.

heef'eel ‫הפעיל‬

heetpa'el ‫התפעל‬

pee'el ‫פיעל‬

pa 'al ‫פעל‬

‫הםםםה‬

‫ה ת ם ם םו ת‬

□ ‫□י שו‬

‫□ □י ס ה‬

‫ התקךמות‬- ‫להתקדם‬

‫ דיבור‬- ‫לדבר‬

‫ כתיבה‬- ‫לכתוב‬

initial ‫ ז׳‬,'‫ צ‬,'0 ,'‫ש‬,‫ש׳‬

middle ‫ א׳‬or ‫ו׳‬

T

T

J

‫־‬

model forms:

‫ הרגשה‬- ‫להרגיש‬ :variations initial‫(פ״נ) נ׳‬ ‫ הכרה‬- ‫ להפיר‬:‫ר‬-‫כ‬-‫נ‬

‫ השתתפות‬- ‫ להשתתף‬:‫פ‬-‫ת‬-‫ש‬

‫ הפלה‬- ‫ להפיל‬:‫ל‬-‫פ‬-‫נ‬

‫ הסתכלות‬- ‫ להסתכל‬:‫ל‬-‫כ‬-‫ס‬

initial ‫(פ״י) י׳‬

four-letter roots

‫ הורדה‬- ‫ להוריד‬:‫ד‬-‫ר‬-‫י‬

‫ התארגנות‬- ‫ להתארגן‬:‫נ‬-‫ג‬-‫ר‬-‫א‬

TT ‫־‬

• ‫־‬

!

‫ הודעה‬- ‫ להודיע‬:‫י ד ע‬

114

‫ תיאור‬- ‫ לתאר‬:‫ר‬-‫א‬-‫ת‬ ‫ פירוש‬- ‫ לפרש‬:‫ש‬-‫ר‬-‫פ‬ .. T :

initial guttural ‫ עמידה‬- ‫ לעמוד‬:‫ע מ ד‬ ‫ אכילה‬- ‫ לאכול‬:‫ל‬-‫כ‬-‫א‬

four-letter roots ‫ ארגון‬-

‫ לארגן‬:‫נ‬-‫ג‬-‫ר‬-‫א‬

‫ שחרור‬- ‫ לשחרר‬:‫ש ח ר ר‬

initial ‫(פ״י) י׳‬ ‫ ישיבה‬- ‫ לשבת‬:‫ב‬-‫ש‬-‫י‬ ‫ ירידה‬- ‫ לרדת‬:‫ד‬-‫ר‬-‫י‬ T

• I

V V T

•‫>־‬

II. Nouns / 7. Verbal Nouns

heef'eel ‫הפעיל‬

‫הםםםה‬ T

T

!

‫־‬

heetpa'el ‫התפעל‬ ‫ה ת ם ם םו ת‬

middle ‫׳‬or 1 '‫י‬ )‫ ע״י‬,‫(ע״ו‬

‫ הכנה‬- ‫ להכין‬:‫נ‬-‫ו‬-‫כ‬ ‫ הבנה‬- ‫ להבין‬:‫ב־י־ג‬ T T ‫־‬:

* T !

T T ■!

‫ י‬T !

pee'el ‫פיעל‬ □ ‫□י סו‬

pa'al ‫פעל‬ ‫□□*□ ה‬

middle '‫י‬

middle '1 or '‫י‬ )‫ ע״י‬,‫(ע״ו‬

)= ‫ מכתבים‬+ ‫** כתיבה‬C ‫ חלונות => סגירת (ה)חלונות סגירה‬+

‫כתיבת (ה)מכתבים‬

2. Beenyan h eef eel: ‫ה ם ם ם ה‬ (the) inviting of guests

‫הז מנ ת (ה)אורחים הזמנה‬

(the) lighting of candles

‫הךל קת (ה)נרותהךללןה‬

>= >=

‫ אורחים‬+ ‫ נרות‬+

The form o f the other verbal noun patterns (‫ )משלןלים‬mentioned above does not change since they do not end in ‫ה‬- (ah): ‫( תיקון המכונית‬the fixing of the car), ‫( ה תקד מו ת הילדים‬the progress of the children), ‫( הידבקות האוכלוסייה‬the infection of the population). 5

On smeechoot, see the chapter "Smeechoot," pp. 170-188.

115

II. Nouns /

7. Verbal Nouns

Let's review ♦

verbal noun is a noun that expresses the same idea as a verb. The English equivalent often has an -ing ending, as in ‫( שמירה‬guarding) and ‫( נהיגה‬driving), but this is not always the case (e.g., ‫ מכירה‬sale). A

♦ In Hebrew the pattern of the verbal noun is usually determined by the beenyan to which the corresponding verb belongs. We call the most common verbal noun pattern of each beenyan its "automatic" verbal noun. - These are the four most common verbal noun forms: heefeel ‫בניי ן הפע י ל‬

heetpa'ei ‫בניין הת פ ע ל‬

/ w W ‫בניי ן פ יע ל‬

‫הסססה‬

‫ה ת ס ס סו ת‬

‫ ס‬-‫סי סו‬

‫ס סי ס ה‬

‫ התשה‬- ‫לה ו ־ג יש‬

‫ התקדמות‬- ‫ל הת ק ד ם‬

‫ל דב י ־ דיבור‬

‫ כתיבה‬- ‫לכת וב‬

‫ הקלטה‬- ‫להק ל יט‬

‫ התפתחות‬- ‫ל ה ת פ ת ס‬

‫ עישון‬- ‫לעש ן‬

‫ בדילןה‬- ‫לבד וק‬

T

T

J

“

:

‫־‬

: *

*

p a 'a i ‫*־ האורתים אכלו את המרק בתיאבון רב‬ The guests ate the soup w ith a hearty appetite.

.‫המרק אכלו האורחים את המנה העיקרית‬

‫א כי ל ת‬

‫לאחר‬

A fte r eating the soup, the guests ate the main course.

Some verbal nouns take a preposition different from that of their verbs, as in: Ron

.‫רון אוהב את מיכל‬

loves M ic h a l.

Ron's love for M ic h a l is ve ry strong.

.‫מאוד‬

‫רון למיכל חזקה‬

‫האהבה של‬

14 Here are some cases in which the verbal noun does not form a smeechoot phrase with the noun that follows it. Rather, prepositions such as ‫ את‬or ‫ של‬may be used. L In literary Hebrew, ‫ את‬is sometimes used after a verbal noun, especially if the verbal noun has a possessive ending, as in: ...‫הודות לאהבתם את אחיהם‬ ...‫> בגלל שנאתם את האויב‬ Thanks to their love for their brothers... Because of their hatred of the enemy... 2. Sometimes ‫ של‬is used after the verbal noun. This is especially common when the verbal noun is the second noun in a smeechoot phrase, as in: What is the closing time of this/the store? (‫

Q: What ending do all the forms take? A: All feminine singular forms in these patterns end in :;‫ה‬ -‫־‬

‫ךחולןה אדומה‬

‫ןגילה‬

‫נעולה‬

‫שלמה‬

‫< קטנה‬

Changes in the first syllable (f.s., m .pl.,fpl.) So far we have looked at the feminine singular forms of the above adjectives. Now let's look at all four forms. We have chosen an example from each of the above groups: f.p l.

‫קטנות‬ ‫שקטות‬ ‫סגורות‬ ‫גדולות‬ ‫צעירות‬ '‫צהובות‬

5 6

r n .p l

?‫קטנים‬ ?‫שקטים‬ ,‫סגורים‬ ,‫גדולים‬ ,‫צעירים‬ ,‫צהובים‬

M .S.

f.s .

,‫קטנה‬ ,‫שקטה‬ ,‫סגורה‬: ,‫גדולה‬ ,‫צעירה‬ ,‫צהובה‬ ‫׳‬

T

7

‫׳‬

T

T

!

!

m ,‫שקט‬ ,‫סגור‬ ,‫גדול‬ ,‫צעיר‬ ,‫צהוב‬ /

T

‫׳‬

7

T

T

‫ קטנה‬is slightly different from ‫ הזבה‬and other adjectives in this group. Since it sounds the same as the others, we are including it here. The second vowel in all of the adjectives remains the same, except for in the pattern of colors in line 6 (‫ צהובות‬,‫ צהובים‬,‫ צהובה‬,‫)צהוב‬. Thus, for example, adjectives like ‫ שקט‬in line 2 retain the eh sound in the middle of the word: ‫שקטות‬ *‫קוקטים‬ ,‫?וקטה‬ ,‫שקט‬ >

shke-TOT

shke-TEEM

shke-TA

sha-KET

141

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

Q: Aside from their endings, in what way do the feminine singular and both plural forms differ from the masculine singular form? A: The masculine adjective in the above forms has an ah sound in the first syllable - ka-TAN, sha-KET, sa-GOOR... - whereas all other forms do not have this ah sound (the vowel "reduces"). ‫ '׳‬When we write the vowel signs, we indicate this reduction with a shva (as in ‫)קטנה‬. In today's pronunciation of the feminine singular and both plural forms, sometimes there is no vowel sound after the first consonant - kta-NA, shke-TA, sgoo-RA, gdo-LA , kchoo-LA - and in some words, such as ‫צעירה‬, ‫ מילה‬and ‫ןה‬7‫ירו‬, there is an eh sound: tse-'eeRA, re-gee-LA and ye-roo-KA.

Exceptions to first syllable changes Read aloud the four forms of the following words: f.p l

rn.pl

‫חדשות‬

,‫חדשים‬

cha-da-SHOT

cha-da-SHEEM

cha-da-SHA

cha-DASH

‫אדומות‬

,‫אדומים‬

,‫אדומה‬

,‫אדום‬

'a-doo-MOT

'a-doo-MEEM

'a-doo-MA

,a-DOM

/

T ‫!־‬

fs .

m.s

,‫חדשה‬

■ r ‫־‬:

T T

,‫חדש‬

7 ‫!־‬

T

'

“!

T T

7

T

Whenever a word begins with ‫ ע׳‬/‫ ח‬/‫ ה‬,'‫( א‬the guttural consonants), the ah vowel remains in the first syllable (e.g., cha-da-SHA, ‫׳‬a-doo-MA) . 8

Let's review ♦ Thus far we have seen various common adjective patterns , such as: ‫לבן‬ ‫שמן‬ ‫שבור‬ ‫רגיל‬ ‫ ק‬1 ‫ךח‬ ‫ ארוכה‬/ ‫ארוך‬

‫?!טז‬

:□□□

‫שלןט‬ ‫סגור‬ ‫צ־‬

T

T

T

T

Notice that all of the forms except for the masculine singular have an added ending, which is stressed when it is pronounced. The movement of the stress to these endings triggers the dropping of the ah vowel in the first syllable. This is called vowel reduction. For more on vowel reduction, see the chapter ‫״‬Reduction of Vowels and the Shva" pp. 640-653. See more on the gutturals in the chapter "Guttural Consonants: Beenyan Pa'al" pp. 450-453.

142

‫?‪2. How Are Adjectives Formed‬‬

‫‪III. Adjectives /‬‬

‫ה‪♦ The adjectives in the above patterns take the feminine singular ending :-‬‬ ‫‪-C‬‬

‫קטנת‬

‫‪-‬

‫?‪W ant to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪W r it e the c o rre c t fo rm o f the a d je c tiv e s .‬‬

‫‪ . 1‬ס ב ת א קיבלה פרחים ‪.‬‬ ‫(אדום)‬

‫‪ .‬מהנכרים ה_______________ ש ל ה‪.‬‬ ‫(מת וק)‬

‫‪ .2‬הצלחת ה _______________ כבר ‪I ,______________ .‬‬ ‫(שב ור)‬ ‫(כחול)‬ ‫‪ .3‬א ת ם גרים בשכונה _______________ ו _______________‬ ‫(נעים)‬ ‫(שקט )‬ ‫‪.4‬‬

‫החנו ת ה_______________ ב ר חו ב יפו _______________ היו ם‪,‬‬ ‫(סגור)‬ ‫(חדש)‬

‫‪ .5‬את _______________ מ א ו ד מפה‪ ,‬והדרך אלייך _______________ מ או ד‪.‬‬ ‫(ארוך)‬ ‫(רחוק)‬ ‫‪ .6‬הבת ה ______________ ש ל ך _______________ מ או ד‪.‬‬ ‫(גבוה)‬ ‫(צעיר)‬ ‫‪.7‬‬

‫הדירה ה ______________ ש ל דני ודבורה הייתה _______________ י ו ת ר מהדירות ה_______________‬ ‫(חדש)‬ ‫(קטן)‬ ‫(ישן)‬ ‫שהבנים שלהם קנו‪.‬‬ ‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬

‫‪ .1‬אדומים ‪ ,‬מת וק ים ‪ .2‬כחולה ‪ ,‬שב ורה ‪ .3‬שקטה ‪ ,‬נעימה‬ ‫‪ ,6‬צעירה ‪ ,‬גבוהה ‪ .7‬ישנה ‪ ,‬קטנה ‪ ,‬חדש ות‬

‫‪143‬‬

‫‪ .4‬חדשה ‪ ,‬סג ורה‬

‫‪ .5‬ךח וקה ‪ ,‬אר וכה‬

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

Patterns shared by adjectives and present tense verbs Adjectives formed according to other common patterns are highlighted here, in the continuation of the Snow White story: ‫ הם אמרו לה‬.‫ אבל הם היו מ ק סי מי ם והיו מאוד נךזמךים ל שלגייה‬,‫בני הבית לא היו כל כך מסודו־ים‬ ‫ אבל עכ שיו ה חיי ם שלהם יותר‬,‫ הם היו בו־ךךים והיה להם כבר ק צ ת מ ש ע מ ם‬,‫שלפני שהיא הגיעה‬ ‫ כי זה יכול להיו ת‬,‫ הם אמרו לה לא ל פ תו ח את הדלת‬.‫ החברים החד שי ם של שלגייה דאגו לה‬.‫מענייני ם‬ ‫ היא נתנה‬.‫ עד שיום א חד הגיעה אי שה זקנה ולא בדיוק מו שכת‬,‫ כ מ ע ט מו של ם‬,‫ הכול היה נהדר‬.‫מסוכן‬ ...‫ ואז קרה דבר מפחיד‬,‫לשלגייה ת פו ח מוך^ל‬ The occupants of the house were not very orderly, but they were wonderful and were very kind to Snow White. They told her that before she had arrived, they had been lonely and their lives had been rather boring. Now, however, their lives were interesting! Snow White's new friends looked out for her well-being. They told her not to open the door, since this could be dangerous. Everything was splendid, almost perfect, until one day an old - and not veiy attractive - woman came to call. She gave Snow White a poisoned apple, and then something scary happened...

Let's look more closely at the patterns o f these adjectives.

Try this: List each adjective in the table below according to its pattern. (Change the form o f the adjectives that are not masculine singular to masculine singular). □ □ □ ‫ מו‬. 6

□ ‫ מ ם םי‬.5

□ □ ‫ מ ס ו‬.4

/ □ □ □ ‫ מ‬.3 □□□□‫מ‬

□ □ □ ‫ נ‬.2

□ ‫ ם‬1‫ ם‬. 1

□ ‫ מ ס ו ם‬.4

/ □ □ □ ‫ מ‬.3

□ □ □ ‫ נ‬.2

□pi□ ‫ג‬

Here's the solution: □ □ □ ‫ מו‬. 6

□ ‫ מ ס מ י‬.5

T

T

!

‫י‬

□□□‫מם‬ ‫מו של ם‬

‫מ ק סי ם‬

‫מ סודר‬

‫מגגניין‬

‫נ ח מד‬

‫בודד‬

‫מורעל‬

‫מפחיד‬

‫מ סוכן‬

9‫מ ש ע מ ם‬

‫נהדר‬

‫שך‬1‫מ‬

T

9

!

T

!

T

! V

‫ מעניין‬and ‫ משעמם‬are examples of adjectives with four-letter roots. Four-letter roots are quite common in this pattern, which is the present tense form of beenyan pee'el. When three-letter roots appear in this pattern, there is a strong dagesh in the middle root letter, as in: ‫( ממנר‬addictive).

144

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

All of the adjective patterns listed in the table above are also patterns of present tense verbs. In the table below, we have added one more adjective pattern ( □□□‫ )מת‬and have presented examples o f present tense verbs, too. At the top o f each column, the name of the beenyan to which the verbs and adjectives belong is listed. 10 ‫הופעל‬

‫הפעיל‬

‫התפעל‬

‫פועל‬

‫פיעל‬

‫נפ?גל‬

1 1 ‫פעל‬

hoofal

heefeel

heetpa'el

poo'al

pee'el

neefal

pa'al

‫מוזמן‬ □□□‫מו‬

‫מ תי ש‬ ‫מ ם םי ם‬

‫מתלבש‬ □□□‫מת‬

‫כותב‬ □ □ ‫□ו‬

‫מקסים‬ ‫מפחיד‬ ‫מצחיק‬

‫מתקדם‬ ‫מתחשב‬

‫מדבר‬ / □□□‫מ‬ □□□□‫מ‬ ‫מעניין‬ ‫משעמם‬ ‫ממכר‬

‫נכנס‬ □□□‫נ‬

‫מושלם‬ ‫מומגל‬ ‫מוכשר‬ ‫מוכן‬

‫מצולם‬ /□ □ ‫מ סו‬ □ □ □ ‫מ סו‬ ‫מסודר‬ ‫מסוכן‬ ‫מצוין‬ ‫מפונק‬ ‫מיוחד‬ 1 2 ‫מבולבל‬

‫נפלא‬ ‫נחמד‬ ‫נהדר‬

‫בודד‬ ‫מושך‬

Beenyan:

Present tense verb: Adjective pattern:

T

T

T

T

Adjectives:

T

T

!

5

!

!

T

T !

!

!

T ! ‫־‬

T

:

‫־‬

T ! ‫־‬

T

! V

T ! 7

!

perfect

fantastic

advanced

orderly

interesting

wonderful

lonely

poisoned

scary

considerate

dangerous

boring

nice

attractive

talented

funny

excellent

addictive

fantastic

ready

special confused

Some beenyaneem supply us with many more of these adjectives than others (for example, poo'al and hoofal). For an in-depth treatment of adjectives from these beenyaneem , see the chapter "Adjectives Resulting from an Action Taken and Completed" (pp. 159-169).

Feminine singular forms Let's look at the feminine singular form of the present tense verbs listed above: ‫הופעל‬ hoofal

‫מוזמנת‬

‫פיעל פועל התפעל הפעיל‬ heefeel

heetpa'el

‫פעל‬ poo'al

‫מדברת מצולמת מתלבשת מזמינה‬

pee'el

neefal

pa'al

‫כותבת‬

10 The patterns are named according to the past tense ‫ הוא‬form of the verb. For example, the present tense verb ‫ פויתב‬belongs to the pattern called ‫( פעל‬pa'al) - corresponding to the form ‫נ ת ב‬. 11 Adjectives such as ‫ ךעב‬,‫ זקן‬,‫ שמח‬, which we saw earlier, also belong to beenyan pa'al. Their pattern is the same as the present tense verbs ‫( ישן‬sleeps) and ‫( גדל‬grows). See the chapter "Beenyan Pa'al" pp. 393-395. 12 ‫ מבולבל‬is another example of an adjective with a four-letter root, this time in beenyan poo'al. Four-letter roots are quite common both in pee'el (‫ מעניין‬and ‫ )משעמם‬and in poo'al. Here are more examples: ‫( משועמם‬bored), ‫( מפורסם‬advertised - the result of the action ‫ ;פרסם‬also means famous), ‫( מקולקל‬spoiled, as in spoiled milk).

145

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

Q: Which of the above feminine verb forms ends in ‫?ת׳‬ A: All but .‫מזמינה‬ ‫מוזמנת‬

‫מזמינה‬

‫מתלבשת‬

‫מצולמת‬

‫מדברת‬

‫נכנסת‬

‫כותבת‬

Now let's compare the corresponding adjective forms: ‫מוכשרת‬

‫מצךזילןה‬

‫מתקדמת‬

‫מצוינת‬

‫מעניינת‬

‫נהדרת‬

‫מושכת‬

talented

funny

advanced

excellent

interesting

fantastic

attractive

-‫>י‬

In almost all cases, feminine adjectives that take the form o f present tense verbs have the same feminine endings as verbs. The following are some common exceptions. Their feminine singular ending is not the same as the corresponding verb or as other adjectives in the same group. These exceptions simply must be learned. beenyan: ‫הופעל‬ ‫נפעל‬ ‫פעל‬ hoofal

exceptions'.

neefal

‫ מוכנה‬/ ‫מוכן‬

‫ נחמדה‬/ ‫נחמד‬

ready

nice

‫ מוזרה‬/ ‫מוזר‬

‫ נפלאה‬/ ‫נפלא‬

strange

wonderful

T T

T

TT

T

T T

! 7

T T 5 ‫־‬

T

! V

13

‫ בודדה‬/ ‫בודד‬ T ‫״‬

lonely T ! ‫־‬

Compare these to the regular adjective forms: ‫ מוכשרת‬/ ‫מוכשר‬

‫ נהדרת‬/ ‫נהדר‬

‫ מושכת‬/ ‫מושך‬

talented

fantastic

attractive

‫>״‬

‫ מובנת‬/ ‫מובן‬ understood

Let's review ♦ In the second part o f this section we have looked at adjective patterns whose form is the same as that of present tense verbs: □ □ □ ‫ מ ס ו ם □ מ ת ם □ □ מ ם ם י □ מו‬/ □ □ □ ‫נ □ □□ מ‬ □□□□‫מ‬ ‫נהדר מעניין משוגע מתקדם מצחיק מוכשר‬

13 When the adjective ‫ בודד‬means lonely, its feminine singular form is ‫בודדה‬. When it means single or individual, the feminine singular form is ‫בודדת‬, as in ‫( ״תמונה בודדת״‬an individual picture).

146

III. Adjectives /

2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

♦ As opposed to the adjectives that we examined in the first part of the chapter (‫ה‬/‫גדול‬, ‫ ה‬/‫) ח ד ש‬, adjectives that take the form of present tense verbs usually take the ending ‫ ת‬- in their feminine singular form.

beenyan : m.s.‫׳‬. J&.:

‫פועל הופעל התפעל‬

‫פיעל‬

‫מסודר מתקדם מוכשר‬ ‫מסודרת מתקדמת מוכשרת‬

‫נפעל‬

‫פעל‬

‫נהדר‬ ‫נהדרת‬

‫מושך‬ ‫מושכת‬

T : V

->

♦ Only one beenyan - heefeel - acts differently. Almost all adjectives from this beenyan take the ending ‫ ה‬- in their feminine singular form, like most other adjectives: ‫ מצחיקה‬/ ‫ מצחיק‬. For some exceptions, see above. 14

W ant to see if you've understood? A.

W r it e th e c o rre c t fo rm o f the a d je c tiv e . (A ll a re a d je c tiv e s th a t ta k e the fo rm o f a p re s e n t tense v e rb .)

‫אבל לדעתי היא הייתה‬

. ‫ קראנו בעיתון על הצגה‬.‫ו‬ )‫(מצחיק‬

)‫(מצוין‬ ) ‫(משעמם‬

. ‫היא‬ )‫(מ וכשר‬

)‫(מס ודר‬

. ‫ רונית היא בחורה‬.2 )‫(נהדר‬

.‫מאוד‬

_‫ו‬ )‫(מעניין‬

‫ והיא נראית‬,‫ בזמן האחרון‬. )‫(מבולבל‬

. ‫ ההתנהגות של שלומית קצת‬.3 )‫(מוזר‬

A n s w e rs :

‫ מב ולבלת‬, ‫ מוזרה‬.3 ‫ מעניינת‬, ‫ מס ודרת( מ וכשרת‬, ‫ נהדרת‬.2

‫ משעממת‬, ‫ מצח יקה‬, ‫ מצוינת‬. 1

14 There are some adjectives in beenyan heefeel whose feminine singular form takes '‫ת‬, for example: "‫( " זכוכית מגדלת‬a magnifying glass).

147

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

B.

W r it e th e c o rre c t fo rm o f the a d je c tiv e . (T his e x e rc is e in c lu d e s m a te ria l fro m the e n tire s e c tio n " C o m b in in g a ro o t a n d a p a tte r n ." )

________________ ‫ רוני גר בב ית _______________ ע ם דלת‬. 1 )‫(אד ום‬ )‫(גדול‬

)‫(שח ור‬

___ ‫ב כל יום ה וא ל ובש ח ולצה _______________ ו ז ׳קט‬ )‫(לבן‬

___________ ‫ ליד הד ירה ה_______________ש ל י יש גינה _______________ ו‬.3 )‫(מיוחד‬ )‫(קטן‬ ) ‫(חדש‬ ________________ ‫ השח י יה בא ז ור ה זה‬.4 )‫(מסוכן‬ ________________ ‫ החת ולה ה זאת _______________ א ב ל‬.5 )‫(מפונק‬ ___________ ‫ בק ופסה ה ______________ יש צ לחת‬.6 )‫(שביר‬ _________ ‫ הדעה ש לכם _______________ א ב ל קצת‬.7 )‫(מוזר‬ )‫(מעניין‬ A n s w e rs :

‫ מפ ו נקת‬, ‫ מתולןה‬.5

‫ מס וכ נת‬.4 ‫ מ י וחדת‬, ‫ קטנה‬, ‫ חדשה‬.3 ‫ שח ור‬, ‫ לבנה‬.2 ‫ אד ומה‬,‫ גדול‬.1 ‫ מהרה‬, ‫ מעניינת‬.7 ‫ שב ירה‬, ‫ סגורה‬.6

• Adding an ending (suffix) to a base In the preceding section we saw that many common adjectives are formed by combining a root and a pattern. In this section we will examine yet another way in which many common adjectives are formed: by adding an ending to a base. Here is an example:

adjective ‫דתי‬ ■ T

religious

= ending + = ‫י‬+ ‫־‬

base ‫דת‬ T

religion

Masculine singularforms ending in The ending ‫י‬Read the following: ‫ זהו סיפור רומנטי מן‬.‫ אבל זה לא ממש בעייתי‬,‫הסיפור על שלגייה אינו סיפור אמיתי או היסטוךי‬ !‫ כדאי לראות אותו‬.‫ אולפני וולט דיסני עשו ממנו סרט משפחתי מאוד יפה ואסתטי‬.‫הפולקלור הגןמני‬

148

5‫*־־‬C

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

The tale of Snow White is neither a true nor a historical story, but this is not really problematic. It is a romantic tale from German folklore. Disney Studios made it into a lovely, aesthetic movie for the whole family (literally: familial movie). It's worth seeing!

Q: What do all the adjectives highlighted above have in common? A: They all end in ‫י‬-. Usually the final ‫י‬- is stressed, as in ‫׳) א מי תי‬a-mee-TEE) and ‫בעיי תי‬ (be-'a-ya-TEE). Sometimes adjectives o f foreign origin have an unstressed ‫י‬- , as in ‫ ךי‬1‫הי ס ט‬ (hees-TO-ree) , ‫( רו׳מנסי‬ro-MAN-tee) and ‫ ( א ס ת טי‬,es-TE-tee). Many adjectives that end in ‫י‬- are formed from nouns. Sometimes ‫י‬- is simply added to the end of a noun to create an adjective, as in: ‫ציבורי‬ ‫ילדותי‬ ‫דתי‬ ■ T

tsee-boo-REE public

yal-doo-TEE childish

da-TEE religious

This is also so in the case of some adjectives denoting nationality, such as: ‫יפני‬

‫סיני‬

‫ספרדי‬

ya-PA-nee

SEE-nee

sfa-ra-DEE

tsar-fa-TEE

Japanese

Chinese

Spanish

French

1T‫־‬

‫ ־‬T

!

> ‫צרפתי‬ ‫ ־‬T

! T

‫י‬

Now let's look at the adjective ‫( א מי תי‬true) from the passage above. Q: What happened when ‫י‬: was added to the noun ‫( אמת‬truth) to form this adjective? A: The vowels of ‫ אמת‬changed. The same is true of many other words, for example: ‫צבאי‬ (military) from ‫( צבא‬army),‫( טבעי‬natural) from ‫( טבע‬nature) and ‫( יווני‬Greek) from ‫( יוון‬Greece). Other adjectives ending in ‫י‬- , such as ‫ ךי‬1‫( הי ס ט‬historical) and ‫( גן מני‬German) from the passage above, are formed in a slightly different way. In order to turn the nouns from which they come into adjectives, the final ‫י ה‬- is removed and ‫י‬- is added : 15 ‫גרמני‬ T

:Y

‫גרמניה‬

,‫היסטורי‬

ger-ma-NEE

hees-TO-ree

German

historical

‫היסטוריה‬

Here are some more examples o f academic subjects and nouns denoting nationality formed in this way:

15 We present here one possible explanation of how various adjectives are formed. There may be others.

149

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

‫סוציולוגיה‬

‫סוציולוגי‬

‫רומני‬

‫ביואגיה‬

sots-yo-LO-gee

bee-yo-LO-gee

sociological

biological

‫רומניה‬

• T

,‫ביולוגי‬

,‫רוסי‬

‫אנגליה‬

,‫אנגלי‬

‫רוסיה‬

ro-ma-NEE

'an-GLEE

roo-SEE

Romanian

English

Russian

An exception is the word for Italian : ‫( איטלקי‬from ‫)איטליה‬. In this adjective, the letter ‫ ק׳‬is added before the ending ‫י‬-. Other adjectives ending in ‫י‬- are formed from nouns with an ‫ ; ה‬ending. Here, too, the ending drops off and ‫י‬- is added: ‫מדיני‬

>= ‫מדינה‬ T

diplomatic

‫ ״‬S

state

,‫=> רפואי‬

'

‫־‬

!

medical

‫רפואה‬

,‫כלכלי‬

medicine

economic

T

!

>= ‫כלכלה‬

* T ! “

T T ! ‫־־‬

economy

,‫יהודי‬ *

>= ‫יהודה‬

!

T

Jew/Jewish

!

Judah

Sometimes the ‫ ; ה‬ending of a noun does not simply drop off when its adjective is formed. Rather, as in the cases o f ‫ בעייתי‬and ‫ משפחתי‬in the passage a b ov e,‫ ת׳‬replaces the final ‫ה‬- and then the ending ‫י‬- is added (sometimes accompanied by vowel changes): ‫משפחתי‬ ‫ ׳‬: ‫ ־ ־‬: ■

>=

‫משפחה‬

,‫בעייתי‬

family

problematic

familial

T T

!

‫־‬7‫ י‬T T !

>=

‫בעיה‬ TT!

problem

Here are some more adjectives ending in ‫תי‬‫אופנתי‬

‫שנתי‬ ‫ ־ ד ־‬:

‫שיטתי‬

fashionable, stylish

annual

systematic

• T :

T

‫חברתי‬

r : v

social

B e c a r e fu l! Since it is impossible to predict how a specific adjective will be formed, when you try creating adjectives from nouns, be sure to check the dictionaiy to see if the form exists.

Adding ‫( ;ני‬-a-NEE) and ‫וני‬- (-o-NEE) Here are examples o f two more endings on adjectives: .‫הבחור הגיע לפגישה לבוש בבגד צבעתי ובידו פרח ריחני‬ The young man came to the meeting dressed in a colorful outfit with a fragrant flower in his hand.

150

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

In the case of ‫ריחני‬, the ending ‫( ;ני‬-a-NEE) is added to the end of a noun: ‫ריחני‬

4=

‫ריס‬

fragrant

smell, fragrance

Here are some more adjectives with the ending :-‫ני‬ ‫כוחני‬

‫רוחני‬

‫גופני‬

‫קולני‬

‫סופני‬

aggressive, power-oriented

spiritual

physical

loud

terminal

■ T

1 T

1 T

‫ ־‬T

1‫ ׳‬T

In ‫צבעוני‬, the ending ‫וני‬- (-o-NEE) is added (and some vowel changes also take place). ‫צבעוני‬

>=

‫צבע‬

colorful

color

Here are some more adjectives that end in ‫וני‬-: 16‫י‬ flowered, floral

‫פרחוני‬ vegetarian

municipal

Adjectives ending in ‫( ;אי‬-a-fEE) Look at the following sentences: .‫ הוא בחור עצמאי אבל מאוד לא אחראי‬.‫>״־ דוד מבלה עם חבריו במקום לעבוד‬ David spends time with his friends instead of working. He is an independent young man, but very irresponsible.

The adjectives ‫ עצמאי‬and ‫ אחראי‬in the second sentence end in ‫( ;אי‬-a-EE): ‫אחראי‬

‫עצמאי‬

Often the ‫ א׳‬in these words exists also in the noun to which they are related, as in ‫עצמאות‬ (independence), but this is not always the case, as we see in ‫( אךזךיות‬responsibility). Here are some more adjectives that end in ‫;אי‬: 1 7 (‫אוניברסיטאי‬

‫אוניבךסיטאי(תואר‬

university degree

)‫חקלאי(אזור חקלאי‬ agricultural area

)‫בנקאי(צ׳ק בנלןאי‬ bank check

16 For more examples and exercises, see Meira Rom and Rina Rafaeli, 2008, pp. 127-128,137-138, 146. 17 The Hebrew phrases listed in parentheses are all noun + adjective phrases in which the form of each adjective is clearly adjectival. In the English translations, however, only in the phrase agricultural area does the adjective (agricultural) have a form different from the related noun (agriculture).

151

‫וני‬

III. Adjectives /

2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

B e c a r e fu l! When no vowel signs are used, adjectives and nouns that end in ‫אי‬- look, but - according to rules of grammar - do not sound the same, for example: This is an agricultural tool.

(adjective)

(chak-la-'EE)

•‫זה כלי ח קל אי‬

He works as a fanner.

{noun)

(chak-LAI)

I received a bank check.

(adjective) (noun)

(ban-ka-'EE) •‫קיבלתי צ׳ק בנקאי‬ (ban-KAi) .‫מר כהן הוא בנקאי בכיר בבנק ל או מי‬

.‫הוא עובד כחקלאי‬

Mr. Cohen is a senior banker at Bank Leuini.

Many speakers do not distinguish between the two, and pronounce both ‫( ;אי‬a-'EE).

Did you know? The adjective American can be either ‫ אמרילןאי‬or ‫( אמרילןני‬the latter form is probably influenced by the English ending -an). Similarly, we may say ‫אפןילןאי‬ or ‫( אפןילןני‬African), ‫ מרולןאי‬or ‫( מרוקני‬Moroccan), ‫ מקסילןאי‬or ‫( מקסילןני‬Mexican) (‫ מקסילןני‬is the form favored in today's Hebrew). For Brazilian we usually use only the form ‫• ברזילאי‬

Let's review Thus far we have seen that many adjectives are built from a base form to which an ending is added. ♦ Many masculine adjectives end in ‫י‬:: ‫ בעייתי‬,‫ מדיני‬,‫ציבורי‬. This ending is very common in adjectives denoting national origin ( ‫ גךמני‬,‫ צךפתי‬,‫ ) ישראלי‬and in adjectives of foreign origin (‫ רומנטי‬,‫ אופטימי‬,‫)ביולוגי‬. Usually the ‫י‬: ending is stressed (‫ דתי‬da-TEE), but - especially in foreign words - sometimes it isn't (‫ רומנטי‬m-.\U\-tee). Sometimes the base remains the same (‫ )דתי‬and sometimes it changes when the ending is added (‫ בעייתי‬,‫)מדיני‬. ♦ Some adjectives are formed by adding the ending ‫( ;ני‬-a-NEE) or ‫וני‬- (-o-NEE) to the bas e: .‫ עירוני‬,‫רוחני‬ ‫׳‬

.

. T

♦ Some adjectives end in ‫( ;אי‬-a-EE): ‫ עצמאי׳ אחראי‬.

152

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

Thefeminine singular form o f adjectives ending in ‫ך י‬ The following passage contains feminine singular forms o f adjectives whose masculine singular form ends in ‫י‬:. ‫ המקום היה נעים והאווירה הייתה מאוד‬.‫במסעדה ישבו סביב שולחן גדול צעירות מארצות שונות‬ ‫ הבחורה הצרפתייה‬.‫ הבחורה האיטלקייה לבשה שמלה אופנתית והזמינה עוגה דיאטטית‬.‫משפחתית‬ ‫ הבחורה האמךילןאית אמרה שהיא צמחונית‬.‫ גבינה צךפתית‬,‫ כמובן‬,‫לבשה חולצה צבעונית ואכלה‬ .‫ והבחורה הישךאלית הייתה עסוקה בשיחת טלפון פרטית‬,‫והזמינה נקניקייה צמחונית‬ T ‫ י‬T!T

.......................

‫ ־‬TV

J

•T

‫־‬

*

! ‫־‬

!

‫־‬

Young women from different countries sat around a table in a restaurant. The place was pleasant, and there was a "family" atmosphere (lit.: the atmosphere was familial). The young Italian woman wore a stylish dress and ordered a dietetic cake. The young French woman wore a colorful blouse and (obviously) ate French cheese. The young American woman said that she was vegetarian and ordered a vegetarian hotdog. The young Israeli woman was occupied with a private phone call.

Q: What is the ending of the feminine singular forms included in this paragraph? A: Most end in ‫ית‬- and some end in ‫ייה‬-, i.e., the endings ‫ ת‬- and ‫ ;יה‬are added on to the masculine singular ending ‫־י‬. The feminine adjectives in the passage above that describe an inanimate noun all end in ‫־ית‬, whether the adjective is non-ethnic (‫ צבעונית‬,‫ ) משפחתית‬or ethnic ( ‫ צךפתית‬,‫) ישךאלית‬. (W7e are using the term "ethnic" for adjectives that denote nationality, religion or ethnic group.) ‫אווירה משפחתית‬ ‫שמלה אופנתית‬ ‫עוגה דיאטטית‬ ‫חולצה צבעונית‬ ‫גבינה צרפתית‬ ‫נקניקייה צמחונית‬ ‫שיחת טלפון פרטית‬ ‫ ־‬T :

T

: T

What happens when we describe a person? Non-ethnic adjectives used to describe a person almost always take the ending ‫~ית‬, as in the following examples from the passage above: a vegetarian young woman a practical woman a hyperactive girl a passive student (f)

‫בחורה צמחונית‬ ‫אישה פרקטית‬ ‫ילדה היפראקטיבית‬ ‫תלמידה פסיבית‬

153

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

It is when ethnic adjectives are used to describe people that confusion sets in. In the above passage, some ethnic adjectives take ‫ייה‬- when referring to a woman, and others take ‫ית‬-:

ending in ‫ייה‬:: ending in ‫ית‬::

‫ בחורה צרפתייה‬,‫בחורה איטלקייה‬ ‫ בחורה ישראלית‬,‫בחורה אמריקאית‬ T ‫־‬

T

^‫>י‬

‫*ת‬- or ‫? ־ ”ה‬ T 4

There is no fool-proof way for knowing whether a specific ethnic adjective that refers to a woman will take ‫ייה‬- or ‫ית‬-. However, the following rule-of-thumb helps us know in the majority of cases : 18 When the stress in the masculine adjective is on the last syllable, the feminine ending is usually 7 ‫( יי ה‬-ee-YA) (the stress moves to the end), as in: ‫יהודייה‬

‫יהוךי‬

ye-hoo-dee-YA

ye-hoo-DEE

T

!

,‫רוסייה‬

‫רוסי‬

roo-see-YA

roo-SEE

'

T *

Jewish

Russian

Here are some more examples: ‫ערבייה‬

‫נוצרייה‬

‫אשכנזייה‬

‫ספרדייה‬

‫גרמנייה‬

‫אנגלייה‬

‫צרפתייה‬

‫איטלקייה‬

Arab

Christian

Ashkenazic

Sephardic, Spanish

German

English

French

Italian

T *

T1

T ♦

T‫־‬

T ‫־‬

T ‫־‬

T *

When the stress in the masculine adjective is on the syllable before the last, the feminine ending is usually ‫ית‬- (and the placement o f the stress remains the same), as in: ‫הולנדית‬

‫הולנדי‬

,‫ירדנית‬

ho-LAN-deet

ho-LAN-dee Dutch

yar-DE-neet

=

‫יךדני‬

*>

yar-DE-nee Jordanian

Here are some more examples: ‫בודהיסטית‬

‫ךרוזית‬

‫שווייצרית‬

bood-HEES-teet

DROO-zeet

shve-TSA-reet

Buddhist

Druze

Swiss

T

!

"

5

->

Here are some noteworthy exceptions (their feminine form takes ‫י ת‬: even though the last syllable of the masculine singular adjective is stressed): ‫מוסלמית‬

‫מוסלמי‬

,‫ישראלית‬

‫ישראלי‬

moos-le-MEET

moos-le-MEE

yees-re-'e-LEET

yees-re-'e-LEE

Muslim

18 According to Rivka Bliboim, 1995, p. 28, who acknowledges Esther Goldenberg as her source.

154

Israeli

*»>

III. Adjectives / 2. How Are Adjectives Formed?

The feminine singular form of the adjective ‫( דתי‬religious) when referring to a woman is either ‫ דתייה‬or ‫דתית‬. T ‫ ־‬T

‫־‬

T

The plural forms of adjectives ending in ‫י‬: Masculine plural The following passage contains masculine plural forms of adjectives whose masculine singular form ends in ‫י‬:. Read the passage: ‫ בחורים‬,‫ היו שם בחורים צו־פתים ששתו יינות צו־פתיים‬.‫בשולחן אחר במסעדה ישבו כמה בחורים‬ ‫איטלקים בבגדים צבעוניים שדיברו על עניינים פוליטיים וכמה בחורים מקסילןנים ךציניים עם כובעים‬ ‫מקסילןניים רחבים שדיברו על נושאים חבךתיים‬. At a different table in the restaurant sat several young men. There were young French men drinking French wines, young Italian men in colorful clothes, who were speaking about political matters and several young Mexican men in wide Mexican hats, who were speaking about social issues.

Q: What are the endings of the masculine plural adjectives highlighted above? A: Some end in ‫ י י ם‬: )‫ פוליטיים‬,‫ים‬:‫ ) צךפת‬and some end in ‫ י ם‬: )‫ מקסילןנים‬,‫) צךפתים‬. What determines whether the masculine plural adjective ending has two ‫ י׳‬or one? If an adjective describes an inanimate noun, it (the adjective) always ends in two ‫ יים) י׳‬-), whether it is a regular adjective ( ‫ צבעוניים‬,‫ ) פוליטןים‬or an ethnic adjective (:(‫צךפתיים‬, ‫מקסילןנןים‬ ‫כובעים מקסילןניים‬

,‫יינות צךפתיים‬

,‫נושאים חברתיים‬

,‫עניינים פוליטיים‬

,‫בגדים צבעוניים‬

This is so because the ending ‫ים‬: is added on to the singular base form, which ends in ‫י‬:: ‫ים‬

‫ישראלי‬ ‫ישראלי‬

And what if the adjective describes a person? If the adjective is regular (non-ethnic), it usually ends in two :(-‫יים) י׳‬ ‫סטודנטים דתמם‬

‫אנשים פךקטןים‬

‫בחורים ךציניים‬

religious students

practical people

serious young men

If the adjective is ethnic, it usually ends in one '‫ ים) י‬-), as in: ‫בח ור ים מקס יק נ ים‬

‫בח ור ים א יטלק ים‬

‫ בח ור ים צךפת ים‬-‫

Most ‫ פעול‬adjectives with a final ‫ י׳‬are related to verbs that end in ‫ה׳‬: ‫( בנה‬he built), ‫( לןנה‬he bought). In fa c t,‫ י׳‬and not '‫ ה‬is actually the third root letter of these verbs. (Their roots are ‫י‬-‫נ‬-‫ ב‬and ‫י‬-‫נ‬-‫)ק‬. In the verb forms, the ‫ י׳‬in the original ‫בני‬ and ‫ קני‬dropped off, and the letter ‫ ה׳‬was added. The original ‫ י׳‬is seen in the adjectives ‫ בנוי‬and ‫קנוי‬. Notice that ‫ בנויים‬has a double ‫י׳‬: ‫ים => בנויים‬: + ‫בנוי‬. An interesting case is the root ‫א‬-‫ש‬-‫נ‬, often used to speak about marriage. These are the ‫ פעול‬forms of this root: married

‫נשואותנשואיםנשואהנשוי‬-
האוכל היה מוכן לפני שעה‬ The food was ready an hour ago.

T

!

.‫האוכל מוכן‬ The food is ready, (prepared)

III. Adjectives / 3. Adjectives Resulting from an Action Taken and Completed

‫ ״‬The adjective-verb connection We have seen above that many adjectives whose patterns are ‫ מופעל‬,‫ מפועל‬,‫ פעול‬denote the result of an action. Now we will look at the connections between each o f these three adjective patterns and certain beenyaneem (verb patterns).

‫ פעול‬p a -fOOL action

result

.‫מישהו כתב אותו‬ ‫־‬

-

T

Someone wrote it.

.‫המכתב כתוב‬ T

The letter is written.

.‫מישהו בךק אותו‬

-

Someone checked it.

.‫המבחן בדוק‬ The exam is checked.

.‫מישהו שבר את הבקבוק‬

-

Someone broke the bottle.

.‫אני רואה את הבקבוק השבור‬ I see the broken bottle.

Q: What do the verbs ‫כתב‬, ‫ בדק‬and ‫ שבר‬have in common? A: They all belong to beenyan (pa'al).8 When the adjective looks and sounds like ‫כתוב‬ (ka-TOOV), ‫( בדוק‬ha-DOOfC) and ‫( שבור‬sha-VOOR) (i.e., ‫ פעול‬pa-'OOL), its past tense verb usually takes the same form as ‫( כתב‬ka-TAV), ‫( בדק‬ba-DAIC) and ‫( שבר‬sha-VAR). The reverse is also true. If we begin with a verb in beenyan ‫( פ?גל‬pa'al), we can usually (but not always) predict that the adjective describing the result of the action will be in the ‫ פעול‬form: action

.‫עכשיו המלפפון שטוף‬

result

>=

Now the cucumber is rinsed.

.‫עכשיו המלפפון חתוך‬

Yoni rinsed the cucumber.

>=

Now the cucumber is cut up.

.‫עכשיו המעיל תלוי בארון‬ Now the coat is hanging in the closet.

8

.‫יוני שטף את המלפפון‬ .‫הוא חתןז את המלפפון‬ He cut up the cucumber.

>=

.‫הוא תלה את המעיל בארון‬ He hung up the coat in the closet.

See the chapter "Patterns of Verbs," pp. 361-364.

165

III. Adjectives / 3. Adjectives Resulting from an Action Taken and Completed

Did you know? In addition to ‫( פעול‬pa'ool) forms, beenyan ‫( נפעל‬neef'a!) forms, too, can denote the result of an action that is expressed with a verb in beenyan pa'al. Thus: n e e f'a l

p a 'a l ( a c tio n )

.‫החלון נפתח עכשיו‬

.‫ פותחים את החלון עכשיו‬. ‫ו‬

The w in d o w is openi ng (or: is bei ng opened) now.

Someone is openi ng the w in d o w .

p a 'o o l

p a 'a l ( a c tio n )

.‫עכשיו החלון פתוח‬

.‫פתחו את החלון‬

The w in d o w s op en .

Someone opened the w in d o w .

.2

N eef'al forms (e.g., sent. 1) are used mainly as verbs (less as adjectives). They usually denote an action in progress, whereas p a 'o o l forms (e.g., sent. 2) are adjectives that denote a completed action.

‫ מפועל‬me-foo-'AL Now let's look at the second group: action

result

.‫מישהו בישל אותו‬ Someone cooked it.

.‫האוכל מבושל‬ The food is cooked.

.‫מישהו תיקן אותו‬

.‫האוטו מ תו קן‬

Someone fixed it.

The car is fixed.

.‫מישהו פינק אותו‬

.‫זה ילד מפונק‬ This is a spoiled child.

Someone spoiled him.

T

:

Q: What do the verbs ‫בי של‬,‫ תיקן‬and ‫ פינק‬have in common? A: They all belong to beenyan ‫( פיעל‬pee'el). If an adjective sounds and looks like ‫מבושל‬ (,me-voo-SHAL), ‫( מתוקן‬mc-um-K. !A) and ‫( מפונק‬me-foo-NAK) (i.e., ‫ מפועל‬me-foo-AL), then the active verb in the past tense will usually be like ‫( בישל‬bee-SHEL), ‫( תיקן‬tee-KEN) and ‫פינק‬ (pee-NEK) - and vice versa:

166

III. Adjectives / 3. Adjectives Resulting from an Action Taken and Completed

result

action

.‫עכשיו החדר מסודר‬

>==

Now the room is tidy (in order).

.‫יוסף סידר את החדר‬

-‫>־‬

Yosef tidied up the room.

‫ מופעל‬moof- rAL Here's the third group. Notice that these adjectives begin with the sound moo: action

result

.‫מישהו הדפיס אותו‬ •

-

! ’

Someone typed it.

.‫המכתב כבר מודפס‬ T

!

The letter is already typed

.‫מישהו הכין אותו‬

-

Someone prepared it.

.‫המרק מוכן‬ The soup is ready (prepared).

.‫מישהו המליץ על הסרט‬

-

Someone recommended the movie.

.‫ראינו את הסרט המומלץ‬ We saw the recommended movie.

Q: What do the verbs ‫הז־פיס‬,‫ הכין‬and ‫ המליץ‬have in common? A: They all belong to beenyan ‫ ( הפעיל‬h e e f e e l ) . Adjectives that sound and look like ‫( מוךפס‬moodPAS) and ‫( מומלץ‬moom-LATS) (i.e., ‫ מופ^ל‬moof-'AL) are usually the result o f actions denoted by verbs whose form is like ‫( הךפיס‬heed-PEES) and ‫( המליץ‬heem-LEETS).‫( מוכן‬moo-CHAN') and its active verb ‫( הכין‬he-CHEEN) also belong to this group, but are slightly different because they contain only two of their three root letters (the ‫ ו׳‬in their root ‫נ‬-‫ו‬-‫ כ‬has dropped out). As with the other two groups, here, too, we can usually predict the adjective form on the basis of the verb, for example: result

.‫המשפט מובן‬ The sentence is understood.

action

>=

.‫ מבין) את המשפט‬:‫התלמיד הבין ( או‬ The student understood (or: understands) the sentence.

Did you know? ‫ פעול‬,‫ מפועל‬and ‫ מופעל‬are also used as "regular" adjectives 11‫ ־‬is important• to note that each of the forms ‫פעול‬, ‫ מפועל‬and ‫ מופעל‬may also be used as regular adjectives that are not the direct result of an action. Here are examples of both regular adjectives and adjectives of completed action that have the same form:

167

III. Adjectives / 3. Adjectives Resulting from an Action Taken and Completed

regular

adjectives o f

adjectives

completed action

‫פעול‬ (simple)

‫פשוט‬

‫שטוף‬

(cleaned, rinsed)

(sure)

‫בטוח‬

‫ערוך‬

(dangerous)

‫מסוכן‬

‫מחומם‬

(heated)

(early)

‫מוקדם‬

‫מוסכם‬

(agreed upon)

(set, arranged)

The connections between these three adjective patterns and the beenyaneem are not always automatic, and there are exceptions to be learned, but it is important and very useful to learn these connections.

Let's review ♦ Each of the three forms used for "adjectives of completed action" is usually connected to a specific active beenyan : -

‫ פעול‬forms such as ‫ בדוק‬and ‫שבור‬are connected to the verbs ‫ בדק‬and ‫ שבר‬of beenyan ‫( פעל‬pa'al).

-

‫ מפועל‬forms such as ‫ מסודר‬and ‫ מפונק‬are connected to the verbs ‫ סידר‬and ‫פינק‬ of beenyan ‫( פיעל‬pee'el).

-

‫ מופעל‬forms such as ‫ מובן‬and ‫ מומלץ‬are connected to the verbs ‫ הבין‬and ‫המליץ‬ of beenyan ‫( הפעיל‬heefeel).

T

'T

T

T

— T

♦ These same forms are used also as "regular" adjectives, for example: ‫פשוט‬ (simple), ‫( מצוין‬excellent) and ‫( מוכשר‬talented).

‫‪III. Adjectives / 3. Adjectives Resulting from an Action Taken and Completed‬‬

‫‪?Want to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪.A . Fill in the c o rre ct form o f the v e rb that co rre sp o nd s to the u n d e rlin e d a d je c tiv e‬‬

‫___________________________________________________________________ א ו ת ת‪E x a m p le :‬‬

‫________________________________________________________________________ א ת החלון?‬

‫____________________________________________________________ א ו ת ה‬

‫______________________________________________________________________ א ו ת ת‬

‫__________________________________________________________________________ או תו ?‬ ‫‪ .5‬ני סינו ל פ תוח את החדרים ה נ עו לי ם ( ‪ .) locked‬מי _______________ א ת החדרים?‬

‫___________________________________________________________________ או ת ה ?‬ ‫‪ .7‬הקפה מו כ! ( ‪ .) prepared‬מי _______________ או תו ?‬ ‫‪ .8‬העובד ה מ פו ט ר ( ‪ ) fired‬מחפ ש עבודה‪ .‬מי _______________ או תו ?‬ ‫‪ .9‬א ת ם מו פ ת עי ם ( ‪ ?)surprised‬מה _______________ א ת כ ם ?‬ ‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬ ‫ו‪ .‬שבר‬

‫‪ . 2‬פתח‬

‫‪ . 3‬ניתק‬

‫‪ .4‬הדפיס‬

‫‪ . 5‬נעל‬

‫‪ . 6‬ביטל‬

‫‪ . 8‬פיטר‬

‫‪ .7‬הכין‬

‫‪ .9‬הפתיע ‪ /‬מפתיע‬

‫‪.B. Fill in the c o rre c t form o f the a d je c tiv e that co rre sp o nd s to the u n d e rlin e d v e rb‬‬ ‫‪o to‬‬

‫‪E xa‬‬

‫‪ . 1‬יוסי ש בג ( ‪ ) broke‬את הכוס‪ ,‬ואני זרקתי את הכוס ה ______________ ל פ ח‪.‬‬ ‫‪ . 2‬ההורים שלך פינקו ( ‪ ) spoiled‬אותך יותר מדיי‪ ,‬ולכן אתה ילד _______________ !‬ ‫‪ . 3‬מי שהו סגב (‪ ) closed‬את הדלת‪ ,‬ועכ שיו היא ________________‬ ‫‪ .4‬דני הדביק (‪ ) glued, stuck‬את הבול על המעטפה‪ .‬הבול _______________ ב מ ק ו ם הלא נכון‪.‬‬ ‫‪ .5‬אנ חנו לא מבינים ( ‪ ) understand‬את ה שאלה הרא שונה‪ .‬גם השאלה השנייה לא _______________ ‪.‬‬ ‫‪ .6‬דנה ערכה (‪ ) set‬את ה שולחן‪ .‬ה שול חן _______________ ב צ ו ר ה אלגנ טי ת‪.‬‬ ‫‪ .7‬אימא בישלה ( ‪ ) cooked‬ירקות‪ ,‬אבל מיכל לא אוהבת ירקו ת ________________‬ ‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬ ‫‪ . 1‬שבורה‬

‫‪169‬‬

‫‪ .2‬מפונק‬

‫‪ .3‬סגורה‬

‫‪ .4‬מודבק‬

‫‪ .5‬מובנת‬

‫‪ .6‬ערון־‬

‫‪ .7‬מבושלים‬

IV. Smeechoot: Noun-Noun Phrases ‫סמיכות‬ •

•

Preview • What, is smeechoot? ‫ ״‬The semantic connection between nouns in smeechoot ‫ ״‬Changes in the first noun(s) in a smeechoot phrase * Making smeechoot phrases definite (specific) ‫ ״‬Smeechoot phrases with more than two nouns

*Making smeechoot phrases plural • Adding an adjective to a smeechoot phrase ‫ ״‬Smeechoot phrases vs. noun-adjective phrases

In the previous unit we examined phrases in which a noun was followed by an adjective that described it ( ‫ ספר מעניין‬an interesting book). In this chapter we will examine a different kind of phrase in which information is added to a noun (called a smeechoot phrase)1

• What is smeechoot? Here's a short account of Mrs. Levy's visit to the mall before her daughter's wedding: ‫ אחר כך היא הלכה ל חנו ת נעליים כדי לחפש נעליים‬.‫גברת לוי הלכה ל חנו ת בגדים כדי לקנות שמלה‬ .‫ שבדיוק התאים לשמלה שלה‬,‫ שם היא מצאה כובע יפה‬.‫ בסוף היא הלכה ל חנו ת כובעים‬.‫מתאימות‬

*>

Mrs. Levy went to a clothing store to buy a dress. Afterwards she went to a shoe store to look for matching shoes. In the end she went to a hat store. There she found a pretty hat that matched her dress exactly.

Mrs. Levy entered three different stores. In each case a word is added to the noun ‫( חנו ת‬store) in order to tell us what kind of store she went to.

1

In grammar books these are often called construct phrases.

170

IV. Smeechoot: Noun-Noun Phrases

a clothing store a shoe store a hat store

‫בגך ים ח נ ות‬ ‫נמל י יםחנו ת‬ ‫כ(־בעים ח נ ות‬

Q: What kind o f word is the added word? Is it a noun, an adjective or a verb? A: Both in English and in Hebrew a noun is added to the word ‫חנות‬. This added noun describes (or modifies) the noun ‫חנות‬. These "noun-noun" phrases are called

‫( ס מי כו ת‬smee-CHOOT)

in Hebrew.2

Let's concentrate now on one of the smeechoot phrases mentioned above: ‫ חנות בגך ים‬. Q: In this noun-noun phrase, which is the base noun - the one being described? A: The first noun - ‫ חנות‬- is the base noun. The second noun describes (or modifies) it in some way. All o f the following nouns tell us something about the ‫ ח נ ות‬: 2

‫ו‬

‫בגד ים‬ ‫נעל י ים‬ ‫כ ובע ים‬

‫ס נ ות‬

Note that in English the base noun store comes last rather than first: 1 5 s*‫ ־‬a clothing a shoe

2 store

a hat

Let's look at some more examples: ‫סלט ירקות‬ vegetable salad T*

2

“

T

I----------1

I----------1

I----------1

‫סלט פירות‬ fruit salad

‫סלט ח ס ה‬ lettuce salad

‫סלט טונה‬ tuna salad

‫־‬

T

T

‫ ־־‬T

T

‫־‬

T

There are also other types of smeechoot phrases, such as "number + noun" phrases ( ‫ = שלושת הבנים‬the three sons) and "adjective + noun" phrases (‫ = ארון* רגליים‬long legged). In this chapter we will deal only with the most common type of sm eechoot noun-noun phrases.

171

IV. Smeechoot: Noun-Noun Phrases

As you may have noticed, sometimes the second noun (the describing noun) in these smeechoot phrases is singular (as in ‫ חסה‬,‫ ) טונה‬and sometimes it is plural ( ‫ ירקות‬,‫) פירות‬. This is not necessarily the case in the English equivalent. Thus, you cannot necessarily translate nounnoun phrases directly from English to Hebrew. You have to learn that fruit salad is ‫סלט פירווו‬ and vegetable salad is ‫ סל ט ירקות‬. Likewise, we saw above that a shoe store is ‫ חנות נעליים‬and a hat store is ‫חנות בובעים‬ • T

‫־‬:

Up until now, we have only mentioned smeechoot phrases that contain two nouns. Not infrequently, however, a smeechoot phrase may contain m ore than two nouns, as in: a root vegetable salad

‫ס ל ט ירקות שורש‬

We will deal with such smeechoot phrases below. In the meantime, we will discuss only twoword smeechoot phrases.

Be careful!

English and Hebrew may use different kinds of constructions to express the same thing. For example, in Hebrew we usually use a noun-noun phrase - ‫דגל ישראל‬ - when we refer to the Israeli flag. English uses the adjective Israeli, and not the noun Israel, to describe the noun flag. Similarly, while in English we say either a wooden table or a wood table, in Hebrew we use only a noun-noun phrase ‫ שולחן עץ‬.

Did you know? Are words like lemon nouns o r adjectives? In English, many words are labeled in the dictionary as being both a noun and an adjective, depending on their usage. For example, lemon is labeled as a noun and an adjective (in the sentence "I bought a lemon" it is a noun, whereas in "The lemon tree is pretty," it is an adjective), in contrast, in Hebrew, the word ‫ לימון‬is labeled only as a noun because it has only two forms (‫ לימונים‬/ ‫)לימון‬, rather than the four forms that every Hebrew adjective has (e.g., ‫ גדולות‬,‫ גדולים‬,‫ גדולה‬,‫)גדול‬. Even when ‫ לימון‬describes a noun, as in ‫עץ לימון‬ (a lemon tree), it is still regarded as a noun. See below, pp. 193-195, for more on this subject.

172

IV. Smeechoot: Noun-Noun Phrases

• The semantic connection between nouns in smeechoot The second noun in a smeechoot phrase may relate to the first (base) noun in a variety o f ways. Let's look at some o f the more common ones. Q: How does the second noun in the following phrases relate to the base noun? I ---- 1

i ---- 1

I -----1

I ---- 1

‫חדר שינה‬

‫חדר אוכל‬

‫חדר עבודה‬

‫שולחן פתיבה‬

‫שולחן אוכל‬

i ---- 1

bedroom (lit.: sleeping room)

dining room (lit.: food room)

work room, study

desk (lit.: writing table)

dining table (lit.: food table)

‫>י־‬

A: In all of these phrases, the second noun tells what the base noun is used for. Now look at the following phrases: i ---- 1

i ---- 1

‫שמלת משי‬

---- 1 i

‫שמלת צמר‬

I ---- 1

‫שמלת כותנה‬

I ---- 1

‫שולחן פלסטיק‬

‫שולחן עץ‬

silk dress

wool dress

cotton dress

plastic table

wooden table

Q: How does the second noun in them relate to the base noun? A: Here the second noun tells what the base noun is made of. Sometimes smeechoot phrases are used to indicate possession. Here are some examples: I------ 1 ‫בית השכנים‬

1------ 1 ‫ארמון המלך‬

the neighbors' house

the king's palace

-‫>י‬

In Modem Hebrew, however, we usually prefer to use the word ‫ של‬- and not smeechoot - to indicate possession. Thus, while certain fixed possessive phrases like the above are used in everyday speech, in today's Hebrew we do not freely create and use possessive smeechoot phrases. For example, we say ‫( הספר של השכן‬the neighbor's book) or ‫( המדוברת של הילדה‬the girl's notebook) rather than making these into smeechoot phrases.3 There are no fixed rules for when we do or do not use smeechoot for expressing possession. The more you are exposed to Hebrew, the more of a feel you will get for correct usage.

3

In more formal Hebrew we may say or write ‫ ספרו של השכן‬or ‫ מחברתה של הילדה‬.

173

IV. S m eechoot : Noun-Noun Phrases

Many smeechoot phrases correspond to the English o f but do not indicate actual possession: ‫ךבךי המנהל‬ the words of the principal. the principal's words

‫ראש ממשלה‬ Prime Minister (lit.: head of government)

‫חבר כנסת‬ ■>£ Knesset member member of the Knesset (Israel's parliament)

Other common uses of smeechoot in Modern Hebrew include naming families and stating years, as in: 1------ 1 1------ 1 1948 ‫שנת‬ ‫משפחת סימפסו־ן‬ ‫>*־‬ the year 1948 the Simpson family

Creating new concepts with smeechoot Sometimes the object or concept indicated by smeechoot phrases really is the combination of the two elements combined in the phrase. This is the case in such phrases as ‫( סלט פרות‬fruit salad) and ‫( בת השכנים‬the neighbors' daughter). In other cases, however, the words o f a smeechoot combine to form a totally new concept that transcends the meaning of the two words in the phrase. This is the case with a phrase such as ‫ בית ספר‬. Literally, this means a house o f a book, but we use it to mean a school. In fact, ‫ בית ספר‬is used for any kind of school, even those with neither a building (a "house") nor books. The fact that ‫ בית ספר‬is translated by one w ord in other languages such as English emphasizes the fact that it represents a concept different from the sum total of its elements. Here are some other examples: 1 i synagogue (lit.: house of gathering) ‫בית כנסת‬ potato (lit.: apple of the earth, ‫תפוח אדמה‬ like the Frenchpomme de terre) praying mantis (lit.: camel of Shlomo) ‫גמל שלמה‬

Did you know? Two adjacent nouns do not always form a smeechoot phrase Usually, when two or more nouns stand next to each other, they form a smeechoot phrase. However, this is not always the case. For exam ple, when a noun-noun phrase contains a title and a name, such as ‫ המלך דויד‬/ ‫( דויד המלך‬King David) or ‫( המורה רינה‬the teacher Rina), it is not smeechoot.4

4

The second noun in these phrases is called a ‫( תמורה‬appositive).

174

IV. Smeechoot: Noun-Noun Phrases

Let's review ♦ "Noun-noun" phrases such as ‫( חנות כובעים‬a hat store) and ‫( חבר קיבוץ‬a kibbutz member) are called ‫ סמיכות‬in Hebrew. ♦ The first noun is the base noun of the smeechoot phrase. The second noun describes (or modifies) the base noun in some way. For example, the second noun may tell what the base noun is used for (‫ ) שולחן אוכל‬or what it is made of (‫) שולחן עץ‬. Alternatively, it may indicate possession (‫)או״מון המלך‬, or it may correspond to other meanings of the English o f (‫) חבר כנסת‬. ♦ Sometimes the words of a smeechoot combine to form a totally new concept, as in: ‫( בית ספר‬school).

Why is it important to identify smeechoot? You may have noticed that Hebrew teachers and grammar books place a lot of emphasis on smeechoot. Why do phrases like ‫בית ספר‬, ‫ תחנת אוטובוס‬and ‫ עוגת גבינה‬get so much attention? The answer to this question does not lie in the meaning of these phrases. Rather, it has to do with their grammatical behavior - with the behavior of the nouns that form the phrase and with the behavior of the phrase as a whole. Let's now have a look at some of the special features o f smeechoot.

• Changes in the first noun(s) in a smeechoot phrase If you look back at some of the examples above, you will see that the first noun (or nouns) in a smeechoot phrase sometimes looks or sounds different from the form o f the same word when it is not in smeechoot (for example: ‫) בית =^> בית ספר‬. However, not all nouns change when they are in the first position(s) in a smeechoot phrase (for example, the word ‫ גן‬does not change in the phrase ‫) גן ילדים‬. Nouns that are in the last position in a smeechoot phrase d o n 't change

Changes that always occur in the first noun(s) It is not always easy to know if a noun form will change when it loses its independence and becomes part of a smeechoot phrase. There are, however, certain changes that always take place:

175

IV. Sm eechoot Noun-Noun Phrases

1. The feminine ending ‫( ;ה‬-ah) becomes ‫ ת‬: (-at) Here is a list of nouns and their smeechoot forms.

chocolate cake gas station vanilla ice cream

in smeechoot

regularform

‫עוגת שוקולד‬ ‫תחנת דלק‬ ‫גלידת וניל‬ ‫רעידת אדמה‬

‫עוגה‬ ‫תחנה‬

‫ •־‬T

earthquake

T T ‫!־־‬

‫י י ־ ־‬.! :

‫־‬

‫־‬

T

‫■ י‬

‫רעידה‬

!

T

‫י‬

!

Q: What is the difference between the form o f the above nouns when they stand alone and when they are the first word in a smeechoot? A: When these nouns stand alone, they all end in ‫;ה‬, whereas when they are the first word in a smeechoot, they end in ‫ ת‬:: ‫רעידת אדמה‬ T T ‫־‬:

‫־‬

‫־‬

!

‫גלידת וניל‬ ‫־‬T

‫־‬

‫! ־‬

‫תחנת דלק‬ ‫׳‬

V t

! ‫־‬

‫עוגת שוקולד‬ T

B e c a r e fu l! We are not speaking here o f words that end in ‫ה‬: (-eh) such as ‫ מורה‬and ‫ ! שדה‬These words retain their ‫ ה׳‬in smeechoot V T

‫־‬£

A week before Tali's wedding, she invited friends to a party. She went to a bakery and saw three cakes there: an apple cake, a carrot cake and a chocolate cake. The apple cake looked good, but it was very expensive. The carrot cake didn't look good, so Tali didn't buy it. The chocolate cake looked good and wasn't expensive. Tali bought it and went home. The night of the party her friends ate the whole cake and didn't leave even a crumb.

The following indefinite smeechoot phrases appear in the passage above: !------- 1 ‫עוגת שוקולד‬

!-----1 ‫עוגת גזר‬

!------- 1 ‫עוגת תפוחים‬

a chocolate cake

a carrot cake

an apple cake

Q: How are these phrases made definite (specific) in the passage above (i.e., th e apple cake...)? A: Rather than adding -‫ ה‬to the beginning o f the whole phrase, as we do in English, we add ­‫ ה‬to the last (here, the second) word o f the phrase: I

1

‫עוגת השוקולד‬

I

1

‫עוגת הגזר‬

I

‫ו‬

‫עוגת התפוחים‬

183

IV. Sm eechoot Noun-Noun Phrases

This -‫ ה‬makes the entire smeechoot phrase definite. Remember: A definite smeechoot never begins with the definite article -‫( ה‬the). If you want to know if a smeechoot phrase is definite, always look at the last word o f the smeechoot. If it is definite, the whole phrase - which is considered one unit - is definite.

Smeechoot phrases without '‫ ה‬that are definite A smeechoot phrase may be definite even if there is no ‫ ה׳‬on the last word. The following

phrases are definite in Hebrew: ‫קבר דויד‬

‫מגדל אייפל‬

‫אוניברסיטת חיפה‬

David’s tomb

the Eiffel Tower

Haifa University

‫יום הולדתה‬

‫כף ידו‬

‫בת אחותי‬

her birthday

his palm (lit.: the palm of his hand)

my niece (lit.: the daughter of my sister)

.‫ו‬ .2

We do not add a definite article to the second word in these phrases since the second word is already definite. In the first set of phrases, the second word is a name - either o f a place or a person. Names (proper nouns) are considered definite, so we don’t have to add -‫ ה‬to make them definite. The same is true o f the second group o f phrases, which have a possessive ending (see the chapter "Nouns With Possessive Endings," pp. 60-77). The ending on ‫ הולדתה‬,‫ ידו‬,‫ אחותי‬makes these nouns definite, thus a -‫( ה‬the) is never added onto the front o f them. Since the last noun in all of the above phrases is definite, all o f the phrases are definite.

Be careful!

Since definite smeechoot phrases never have -‫ ה‬attached to the front, when the prepositions - ‫ כ‬,-‫ ל‬,-‫ ב‬precede definite smeechoot phrases, they (the prepositions) will never contain -‫ ה‬: He went to the hospital.

le-veit ha-ka-FE

She is sitting in the cafe.

be-veit ha-ka-FE

.‫הוא הלך לבית החולים‬ .‫היא יושבת בבית הקפה‬

Similarly, when the preposition ‫ את‬appears before a definite smeechoot phrase, there is no -‫ ה‬after this ‫ א ת‬: 1 1 They see the roof of the building. .‫הם רואים את גג הבניין‬ She knows (is familiar with) the port of Haifa. .‫היא מכירה את נמל חיפה‬ We like (love) your niece (the daughter of your sister). .‫אנחנו אוהבים את בת אחותך‬

184

IV. Smeechoot: Noun-Noun Phrases

• Smeechoot phrases with more than two nouns Until now we have examined phrases with only two nouns. However, as mentioned above, a smeechoot phrase can be comprised of more than two nouns. Here is an example: the school principal's daughter

‫בית מנהל ב ת‬

‫הספר‬

This phrase is actually composed of a number o f smeechoot phrases: The word ‫ מנהל‬is added to the beginning of the phrase ‫ בית הספר‬to form ‫ מנ הל בית הספר‬, and the word ‫ בת‬is added to the beginning of this phrase to form ‫ ב ת מנהל בית הספר‬. 1------------ 1 !------- 1 ‫בית הספר‬

‫בת‬

‫מנהל‬

Each of the words added to the beginning of a smeechoot phrase will take its smeechoot form. It so happens that in the phrase ‫ ב ת מנהל בית הספר‬only the word ‫ בית‬has a smeechoot form different from its normal form (‫)ב ית‬. Here is an example o f a smeechoot in which you can clearly see the smeechoot forms o f all but the final word: the university presidents'words

‫האוניברסיטאות נשיאי ךבךי‬

(lit.: the words of the presidents of the universities)

Here the word ‫ נשיאים‬changed to ‫ נשיאי‬and the word ‫ ךבךים‬changed to ‫ךבךי‬: 1------- 1 ‫ךבו־י‬ ‫נשיאי האוניברסיטאות‬

Remember: It is only the very first word in a long smeechoot that is the base noun. That is, when we say ‫ דברי נשיאי האוניברסיטאות‬, we are speaking about ‫( דברים‬words). The job o f the nouns that follow the base noun is to describe (or modify) it. This means that if this long smeechoot is the subject of a sentence, for example, the verb will match the first word, as in: The school principal's daughter plays the guitar.

.‫הספר מנגנת בגיטרה ב ת מנהל בית‬

■

♦ In the following cases, a smeechoot phrase is considered definite w ithout having a -‫ ה‬at all: - When the last word in the smeechoot phrase is a nam e - either of a place or a person: ‫ קבר דויד‬,‫> ״ אוניברסיטת חיפה‬ - When the last word in the smeechoot phrase has a possessive ending: ‫ יום הולדתו‬,‫בת אחותי‬

186

-C

IV. Smeechoot: Noun-Noun Phrases

Want to see if you've understood? a . C ir c le the sm e e ch o o t p h ra s e s th a t a re d e fin ite . b . A d d - ‫ ה‬to m a k e th e r e m a in in g in d e fin ite sm e e ch o o t p h ra s e s d e fin ite .

ש מ א ת חדשות‬

singular

I---- 1 I---- 1 ‫ סלטי ירקות‬4= ‫סלט ירקות‬ ‫שמלת כלה => שמלות כלה‬ wedding dresses

‫דרך נוחה‬

convenient ways / roads

‫שולחן שחור => שולחנות שחורים‬ black tables

plural

vegetable salads

new dresses

‫=> ךךכים נוחות‬

Only the first word changes:

‫=> ךךכי לימוד‬

‫ךךןז לימוד‬

study methods

‫=> שולחנות עץ‬

‫שולחן עץ‬

wooden tables

197

‫‪IV. Sm eechoot Noun-Noun Phrases‬‬

‫?‪Want to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪A . C h a n g e fro m s in g u la r to p lu ra l.‬‬

‫‪plural‬‬

‫‪singular‬‬ ‫מכתב חשוב‬

‫‪E x a m p le s :‬‬

‫מכתב אהבה‬ ‫בית חולים‬ ‫בית חדש‬ ‫ספר מעניין‬ ‫ספר לימוד‬ ‫עוגה חמה‬ ‫עוגת יום הולדת‬ ‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬

‫‪ .1‬בתי חולים‬

‫‪ .2‬בתים חדשים ‪ .3‬ספרים מעניינים ‪ .4‬ספרי לימוד ‪ .5‬עוגות חמות ‪ .6‬עוגות יום הולדת‬

‫‪C h a n g e fro m p lu ra l to s in g u la r.‬‬

‫‪singular‬‬ ‫‪0/0N‬‬

‫‪1‬‬ ‫‪oadw‬‬

‫‪o J& n‬‬

‫‪plural‬‬ ‫> = חשובים מכתבים‬

‫‪I‬‬

‫‪E x a m p le s :‬‬

‫‪i‬‬ ‫>=‬

‫‪I‬‬

‫מכתבי אהבה‬ ‫=£.

?‫א ת מכ ירה א ת ה ס פ ר הזה‬

•*


Do you need this?

Are you using his?

- They can appear after a noun as part of a noun phrase: . ‫ה מ ח ב רת הזאת קט נה‬

.‫הספר הזה מעניין‬

. ‫המחב ר ות האלה קט נ ות‬

. ‫הספר ים האלה מעניינ ים‬

In these examples, they match their noun in the same way that a regular adjective does. However, unlike a regular noun-adjective phrase (e.g., ‫הספר‬ ‫)המע נ י י ן‬, if - ‫ ה‬is dropped from the phrase (e.g., ‫) ה ס פ ר הזה => ספ ר זה‬, the m eaning does not change, but the style is more formal. ♦ The pointing words ‫ ההן‬,‫ ההם‬,‫ ההיא‬,‫) ההוא‬that / those) are used after a definite noun that has -‫ ה‬on the front :

210

. ‫ה מ ח ב רת ההיא קט נה‬

.‫הספר ההוא מעניין‬

. ‫המחב ר ות ההן קט נ ות‬

.‫כבר קראת י א ת הספר ים ההם‬

VI. Pronouns and Pointing Words

Want to see if you've understood? A.

W r it e o n e o f th e fo llo w in g fo rm s - ‫ הז ה‬/‫ז ה‬, ‫ הז א ת‬/‫ ז א ת‬o r ‫ ה אל ה‬/‫ אל ה‬- in the b la n k .

‫ ה שולחנות‬.4

.‫בית גדול‬

.1

.‫שאלה טובה‬

_________ 5

.‫ילדות נחמדות‬

.2

.‫________ ש ל מיכל‬

‫ ה מפ ת חו ת‬.6

.‫חדשים‬

‫ המרק‬.3

. ‫_____ ט ע י ם‬

A n s w e rs :

‫ האלה‬.6

‫ זאת‬.5

‫ האלה‬.4 ‫ הזה‬.3

‫ אלה‬.2

‫ זה‬.1

T ra n sla te .

1. This is an interesting question. 2. This question is interesting.__ 3. These are old newspapers.__ 4. These books are o ld ._______ 5. This table is new .___________ 6. Those are my books. _ 7. Those shoes are pretty. 8. We (m.pl.) know that man. A n s w e rs :

.‫ שאלה זו מעניינת‬or .‫ השאלה הזאת מעניינת‬.2 .‫ זו שאלה מעניינת‬or .‫זאת שאלה מעניינת‬ .‫ ספרים אלו ישנים‬or .‫ הספרים האלה ישנים‬.4 .‫ אלו עיתונים ישנים‬or .‫אלה עיתונים ישנים‬ .‫ אלו הספרים שלי‬or .‫ אלה הספרים שלי‬.6 .‫ שולחן זה חדש‬or .‫השולחן הזה חדש‬ .‫ נעליים אלו יפות‬/ .‫ הנעליים האלה יפות‬or .‫הנעליים ההן יפות‬ .‫ אנחנו מכירים את האיש הזה‬or .‫אנחנו מכירים את האיש ההוא‬

.1 .3 .5 .7 .8

• Each other (...‫ אחד את הש נ י‬, ‫) זה את זה‬ Read the following sentences: .‫ דויד ויונתן לא ראו זה את זה הרבה זמן‬.‫ו‬ .David and Yonatan hadn't seen each other in a long time Yossi's brothers are angry at each other. .‫ הם לא מדברים זה עם זה כבר חודשי ים‬.‫ אמיר ויובל רבו‬. 3 Amir and Yuval had a fight. They haven't spoken with each other for two months. David and Ruthie sat next to each ot her on the bus.

.4. ‫ד ו יד ור ות י ישב ו זה ל יד זה בא וט וב וס‬

211

VI. Pronouns and Pointing Words

Q: What expressions are used in the above Hebrew sentences to say each other? A: ‫זה את זה‬, ‫זה על זה‬, ‫ זה עם זה‬and ‫ זה ליד זה‬. Q: What do all these expressions have in common? A: In each of them, the word ‫ זה‬appears twice with a preposition in between. The preposition used depends on the verb that precedes the expression (,‫לראות את‬, ‫לכעוס על‬, ‫לדבר עם‬ 9.( ‫לשבת ליד‬ Let's take a closer look at how these work. Read the following two sentences: Amir and Yuval are angry at their sister. Amir and Yuval are angry at each other.

.‫אמיר ויובל כועסים על אחותם‬ .‫אמיר ויובל כועסים זה על זה‬

•־‬

I stood at the bus stop and spoke with David. He too was waiting for the bus. Both of us wanted to go from Jerusalem to a kibbutz next to Tel Aviv.

The highlighted words ‫ ליד‬,‫ עם‬,-‫ מ‬,‫ ב־< ל־‬are prepositions. In the following chapters we will look at: 1. Prepositions and Their Meanings 2. How Do Prepositions Behave W hen No Ending Is A ttached?: W riting and Pronunciation 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

Q Prepositions and Their Meanings Preview ‫ ״‬Do prepositions have meaning? • Uses o f prepositions in Hebrew and English: Are they the same?

• A helpful way to learn verbs and their prepositions

• Do prepositions have meaning? Some prepositions have fixed meanings, and some don't.

Prepositions with fixed meanings Consider the preposition ‫בגלל‬. No matter where it appears, it will always mean because of.

215

VII- Propositions /

1. Prepositions and Their Meanings

Here are some more prepositions with fixed meanings: behind next to because

‫רי‬1‫מאח‬ ‫על יד‬ ‫בגלל‬

* to watch to take care of to be angry with, to worry about to be mad at 1

In Hebrew such a preposition is called ‫ מילת ?חס מוצךכת‬.

217

VII- Propositions /

1. Prepositions and Their Meanings

Do such verbs always use their prepositions? Some verbs, like ‫ להשתמש ב־‬and - ‫ לטפל ב‬, always use their prepositions. Others may appear w ithout a preposition, as in: We are angry. .‫אנחנו כועסים‬ However, when we note w ith whom or at w h at we are angry, we m u st use the preposition: We are angry withMoshe.

.‫אנחנו כועסים על משה‬

• Uses o f prepositions in Hebrew and English: Are they the same? In quite a few cases, the uses o f prepositions in Hebrew and English are the same. In such cases, learning the preposition that goes with a given verb requires no special effort. Here are examples o f such "freebies": 1. Verbs that require the "sam e” preposition in both languages: to to to to

believe in turn to listen to dream about

- ‫להאמין ב‬ - ‫לפנות ל‬ - ‫להקשיב ל‬ ‫לחלום על‬

When you learn these and other verbs like them, you need only make a mental note that their prepositions are the "same" as in English. 2. Verbs that require no preposition before their object,2 as in: I see a train.

.‫אני רואה רכבת‬

For English speakers, a verb like ‫ לראות‬is a "freebie." However, this is so only when the object (here, ‫ רכבת‬a tram) is indefinite (= n o t specific). Wlien the object is definite (specific), we add ‫ את‬, as in: 1 see the train. 3.‫אני רואה א ת הרכבת‬ For this reason, it is worth learning the verb ‫ לראות‬and other verbs like it as : ( ‫ לרא ות (את‬.

2 3

For an explanation of what an object is, see the chapter ‫״‬The Direct Object and the Use of ‫את‬,‫ ״‬pp. 687-698. For more on ‫את‬, see the chapter "The Direct Object and the Use of ‫את‬,‫ ״‬pp. 698-702.

218

VII. Propositions /

1. Prepositions and Their Meanings

There are, o f course, many Hebrew verbs that are not "freebies." The following verbs, for example, require special attention because their corresponding English verb takes either no preposition (1 and 2) or takes a different one (3-6): The boy is watching a movie.

.1. ‫הילד צופה ב סרט‬

He is usmg a v c r .

.2. ‫בווידאו הוא מ ש ת מ ש‬

We worry about our children. The child is dependent on his mother.

.3. ‫לילדים שלנו אנחנו דואגים‬ .‫ הילד תלוי באימא שלו‬A

Dalit is looking for a new apartment.

.5. ‫דירה ח דשה דלית מ ח פ ש ת‬

Miri is looking for her keys.

.6. ‫מירי מ ח פ ש ת‬

‫א ת ה מ פ ת ח ו ת שלה‬

B e c a r e fu l! A certain verb in Hebrew may have several translations: to fear,

‫לפחד מ־‬

**to be afraid of to enjoy,

‫ליהנות מ־‬

**to derive enjoyment from **to request (something), to ask for (something)

‫לבקש את‬

It is often easier to remember the translation that is closer to the Hebrew (noted above with **), if there is one. For example, if you learn that ‫ לבקש את‬is to request, you may be less likely to use -‫( ל‬by mistake) after ‫לבקש‬. In a case like this, you would need to make a mental note that to ask f o r is the same as to request: ‫ לבקש א ת‬.

• A helpful way to learn verbs and their prepositions Aside from noting when the English and Hebrew prepositions are different and concentrating on learning the differences, we can make learning verbs and their required prepositions easier by grouping together all o f the verbs requiring the same preposition. In addition, if we list together all o f the verbs that require the same preposition (for example, - ‫) מ‬, we may even be able to find some common meaning that will help us remember that these verbs belong to the same group. Here's an example: the following words indicate fear and take - ‫ מ‬. In each case, whatever triggered the fear will come after -‫ מ‬:

219

VII- Propositions /

1. Prepositions and Their Meanings

to fear, be afraid of to fear, be anxious about

‫לפחד‬

to be frightened of (suddenly)

‫ לפחוד מ־‬/ ‫מ־‬

‫לח שו ש מ־‬ ‫להיבהל מ־‬

Other verbs of emotion can be added to this group. Here, too, whatever triggered the emotion will come after -‫ מ‬: to be excited by ‫־‬

ke-'AN-glee-ya

le-'AN-glee-ya

be-'AN-glee-ya

According to traditional rules of grammar, the pronunciation o f these prepositions changes in certain cases (see "Did you know?" below). Most speakers today, especially when speaking informally, do not follow these rules, but rather simply maintain the beh, leh, keh pronunciation.

Did you know? In formal Hebrew the pronunciation of ‫ כ־‬,-‫ ל‬,‫ ב־‬changes in the following cases: la . Before a shva (□) W hen - ‫ כ‬,-‫ ב־< ל‬come before a consonant with a shva, the pronunciation changes from eh to ee:2 ‫כטבריה‬

‫לטבריה‬

‫בטבריה‬

‫ב ו’ה‬¥

kee-TVER-ya

iee-TVER-ya

bee-TVER-ya

TVER-ya

^

1b. Before a ‫ י׳‬with a shva (‫)י‬ If the word begins with ‫״י״‬, the pronunciation of - ‫ כ‬,-‫ ל‬,‫ ב־‬changes to ee and, in addition, the ‫ י׳‬loses its shva: ‫כירושלים‬

‫לירושלים‬

‫בירושלים‬

‫ירושלים‬

kee-roo-sh a-LA-yeem

lee-roo-sha-LA-yeem

bee-roo-sha-LA-yeem

ye-roo-sha-LA-yeem

Before a half-vowel (□ □ □) The half-vowels take the place of shva after guttural consonants (‫ עי‬/‫ ח‬/‫ ה‬/‫) א‬. When the prepositions - ‫ כ‬,-‫ ל‬,‫ ב־‬are attached to the beginning of the word, their vowel matches the sound of the half-vowel. (Note: The following words are not definite.)

2 3

‫כחלום‬

‫לחלום‬

‫בחלום‬

‫חלום‬

ka-cha-LOM

la-cha-LOM

ba-cha-LOM

cha-LOM

3‫כאמת‬

‫לאמת‬

‫באמת‬

‫אמת‬

ke-'e-MET

le-'e-MET

be-'e-MET

'e-MET

:A

-
־‬

The pronunciation - ‫( מ‬mee) changes to - ‫( מ‬meh) before ‫ ר׳‬,'‫ ע‬/ ‫ ח‬/‫ ה‬/ ‫( א‬including before the definite article - ‫ ה‬the), for example:4 me- ar-gen-TEE-na ,‫מארגנטינה‬ me-HO-land ,‫מהולנד‬ me-chei-FA ,‫מחיפה‬ me-'ee-RAK ,‫מעיראק‬ me-ROOS-ya ,‫מרוסיה‬ me-ha-BA-veet .‫מהבית‬ me-ha-mees-RAD .‫מהמשרד‬ One of the few cases in which this change does not occur is before the word ‫( חוץ‬outside), for example: .‫ סטודנטים רבים באים לישראל מחוץ לארץ כדי ללמוד עברית‬-C mee-CHOOTS Many students come to Israel from abroad in order 10 study Hebrew. In texts that are written with vowel signs, a strong dagesh is - as a rule - written after the preposition -‫ מ‬when it is pronounced mee (-‫)מ‬. This dagesh traditionally denotes a "doubling" of the consonant - a phenomenon that occurred at one time, but does not occur in today's pronunciation. In the letters '‫ ר‬,'‫ ע‬,'‫ ח‬,'‫ ה‬,'‫א‬, a dagesh almost never appears because, apparently, the consonants denoted by these letters were rarely doubled. Traditional grammar books often explain that, as a result - and to "compensate" for the fact that no doubling of '‫ ר‬,'‫ ע‬,'‫ ח‬,'‫ ה‬,'‫א‬ took place and no dagesh was written in them - the vowel of -‫( מ‬mee) changed to what was then called a "longer" vowel -‫( מ‬meh). In traditional grammar books, this is often called compensators.’ lengthening (‫) תשלום דגש‬. See more on this subject on p. 637 ("Did you know?").

224

VII. Prepositions / 2. How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?

• The effect o f ‫ ב־‬,‫ ל־‬,‫ ב־‬and ‫ מ־‬on the pronunciation

o f the following word - ‫ פ‬, -‫ ל‬, ‫ב־‬ There may be a change in a word to which - ‫ כ‬,-‫ ל‬,‫ ב־‬are attached only when the word begins with ‫ פ׳‬or ‫ ב׳‬or ‫כ׳‬, as in: ‫( פתח תקוה‬Petach Tikva), ‫( בית לסם‬Bethlehem), ‫( כךמיאל‬Carmiel). Most speakers o f Hebrew continue to pronounce words like these with a hard pronunciation p, b, k - even after they add the prepositions to the front o f them, for example:

informal:

‫ככרמיאל לבית תקווה בפתח‬ ke-kar-mee-'EL

le-bet-LE-chem

be-pe-tach-TEEK-va

According to formal rules o f pronunciation, we would have a soft s o u n d / (‫)פ‬, v (‫)ב‬, ch (‫ )כ‬after the prepositions - ‫ כ‬-‫ ל‬,-‫ ב‬.

formal:

‫לבית תקווה בפתח‬ ke-char-mee-EL

le-vet-LE-chem

be-fe-tach-teek-VA5

Note: This ruledoes not apply toforeign place names. Therefore, a name such as ‫( פריז‬Pans) keeps its hard p even when ,‫ ־ב־י ל־‬3 areadded to the front : ‫בפריז‬ (be-pa-REEZ).

When the preposition -‫ מ‬comes before ‫ פ׳‬/‫ כ‬,'‫ב‬, they keep their hard pronunciation - p, b, k (both in formal and informal Hebrew), as in:6 mee-pe-tach-TEEK-va mee-bet-LE-chem mee-kar-mee-EL

.‫הוא בא מפתח תקווה‬ ‫מבית לחם‬ ‫מכרמיאל‬

5 This is the proper pronunciation of this name. Most Israelis say TEEK-va. 6 As m entioned in footnote 4 above, this is a strong dagesh. For an explanation, see the chapter ‫ ׳׳‬The Pronunciation of '‫ פ‬/‫ כ‬/‫ ב‬and the Dagesh," pp. 634-636.

225

‫רמיאל‬

VII. Prepositions / 2. How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?

• What happens to prepositions before the definite article - ‫( ה‬the)? - ‫ פ‬,-‫ ל‬,-‫ג‬ When the one-letter prepositions - ‫ כ‬,‫ל־‬, -‫ ב‬come before - ‫( ה‬the), they not only attach themselves to the next word, but also fuse with the - ‫ ה‬. Thus: be+ ha le + ha ke + ha

=> ba => la => ka

+ ‫בבית ב‬ + ‫לבית ל‬ + ‫כבית פ‬

>= ‫הבית‬ >= ‫הבית‬ >= ‫הבית‬

For example: She went to the kibbutz. .‫היא נסעה לקיבוץ‬

Unlike the other one-letter prepositions, ‫ מ־‬does not fuse with -‫ה‬. However, as noted above, the vowel after -‫ מ‬always changes from ee (‫ )מ‬to eh (‫ )מ‬before -‫ ה‬:

mee + ha

=> meh + ha

- ‫מה‬

>=

‫ ה־‬+ ‫מ‬

For example: He went out of (lit: from) the house. .‫הוא יצא מהב^ת‬

‫ מן‬,‫ על‬,‫ אל‬, ‫ עם‬and others All other prepositions remain unchanged when they precede -‫ה‬, for example: He sat on the chair.

.‫הוא ישב על הכיסא‬

*Some prepositions are (sometimes) interchangeable ‫ מ־‬/ ‫מן‬ ‫ מן‬and -‫ מ‬are actually two forms o f the same preposition (-‫ מ‬is a shortened form of ‫(מן‬. ‫ מן‬is used much less than -‫ מ‬in Modem Hebrew. One reason for this is that the long form can only be used under particular circumstances: i.e., when the word that follows it begins with the definite article -‫( ה‬the), as in: He went out of (lit: from) the house. .‫הוא יצא מן הבית‬

The use of the short form is not limited in this way.

226

VII. Prepositions / 2. How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?

Generally speaking, the long form - ‫ הוא בא מן הבית‬- sounds more formal than the short form ‫ הוא בא מהבית‬. There are certain fixed expressions in Hebrew that require one form and cannot take the other. For example, only the long form is used in the following: exceptional Two are better than one.

‫יוצא מן הכלל‬ .‫ט וב ים השניים מן ה א ח ד‬

‫ ל־‬/ ‫אל‬ The prepositions -‫ ל‬and ‫ אל‬without an ending are only sometimes interchangeable. ‫ אל‬without an ending is more formal than -‫ל‬, and its meaning is much more limited: ‫ אל‬almost always means to and indicates direction, whereas -‫ ל‬means not only to (in more than the directional sense), but also for. Thus, when ‫ אל‬appears without an ending, it may always be replaced by the less formal -‫ל‬, as in: He returned to the city.

.‫הוא חזר לעיר‬

/

(less format)

.‫הוא חזר אל העיר‬ (more formal)

However, if we wish to make our style more formal by replacing -‫ ל‬with ‫אל‬, we may do so only after certain verbs (and some other parts of speech) and almost only when -‫ ל‬means to in a directional sense. Words after which ‫ אל‬and -‫ ל‬are interchangeable are listed in Appendix IV under ‫ אל‬/‫ ל־‬.

Is there any way o f predicting which verbs will be in the ‫ אל‬/‫ ל־‬list? There are some guidelines that can help you remember which verbs appear in the ‫ אל‬/‫ ל־‬list. For example, many of them are verbs of motion and direction, as in: to go to to get to, to arrive at

*‫ללכת־‬ ‫ אל להגיע‬/ ‫ל־‬

to return to

‫ אל לח ז ור‬/ - ‫ל‬

to turn to (someone) ‫ ת‬1‫ אל לפנ‬/ ‫ל־‬ (with a question / request)

Others are verbs that involve turning to someone via telephone: to call, to phone

, ‫אל‬/ - ‫ א ל ל הת קש ר ל‬/ -‫ לטלפ ן ל‬, ‫ אל‬/ - ‫לצלצל ל‬

When you look at the rest o f the ‫ אל‬/‫ ל־‬list in the appendix, you can try to come up with several other categories that will help you remember them all.

227

‫ אל‬/ - ‫< ל‬

VII. Prepositions / 2. How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?

Adding endings:...‫ אליך‬,” ‫ אל‬/ ...‫לי< לך‬ Learning the verbs in the ‫אל‬/‫ ל־‬list is particularly important for the following reason: When these verbs take a preposition with an ending (e.g., .‫ אליה״‬,‫ אליי‬to me, to you...), we almost always use ‫( אל‬and not -‫ )ל‬as the base onto which the endings are added.7 Thus, when there is no ending on the preposition, we can say either o f the following (the version with -‫ ל‬is less formal and more commonly used): Rami turned to the principal.

.-‫י‬

‫ רמ י פ נה למ נהל‬/ . ‫ אני רואה אותו‬.‫אני רואה את המלצר‬. I see him. I see the waiter. Here are all the forms of ‫ את‬with endings. For the sake of comparison, we have listed the forms of ‫ ל־‬next to them. ‫את‬ me you (m.s.) you (f.s.) him her us

-‫ל‬ ‫אותי‬ ‫אותה‬ ‫תןז‬1‫א‬ ‫אותו‬ ‫אותה‬ ‫אותנו‬ ‫אתכם‬ ‫אתכן‬ ‫אותם‬ ‫אותן‬

‫לי‬ ‫לה‬ ‫לד‬ ‫א‬

-a-CHEM

‫לה‬ ‫לנו‬ ‫לכם‬

-a-CHEN -a-HEM

‫להם‬

-a-HEN

‫להן‬

T

T

T

-CHEM

you Qn.pL) you (f.pl.) them Qn.)

-CHEN -AM

them (f.)

-AN

T

T

V T

‫לכו‬ 7 T

Q: In which forms does the base not change to -‫?אות‬ A: Only in the you plural forms: ‫ אתכן‬,‫ אתכם‬. However, many Hebrew speakers use the ‫ ת־‬1‫א‬ base ( ‫ אותכן‬,‫ )אוונכם‬for these forms as well, especially in informal Hebrew.4

4

234

The forms ‫ אותכם‬and ‫ אותכן‬are not recognized as ‫״‬correct" by the Hebrew Language Academy.

‫‪VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions‬‬

‫?ל‪ differ from those of -‬את ‪Q: Where do the endings of‬‬ ‫‪ ). Here the short endings -AM and -AN‬אותם‪ ,‬אותן( ‪A: The major difference is in the them forms‬‬ ‫‪ ). There is also a slight difference in the you plural‬בשבילם‪ ,‬בשבילן ‪ (as in‬אות‪are added to -‬‬ ‫‪ and the endings. (This is similar to‬את ‪ ), where there is no ah between‬אתכם‪ ,‬אתכן( ‪forms‬‬ ‫)‪ la-CHEM/ la-CHEN.‬לכם ‪ /‬לכן ‪ and different from‬בשבילכם ‪ /‬בשבילכן‬

‫?‪Want to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪W rite the m issing p re p o s itio n w ith its e n d in g a n d re a d the sentences a lo u d .‬‬

‫א‪.‬‬

‫דוי ד ורינ ה ה ם ח ב רי ם טו בי ם‪ :‬היא או ה ב ת _______________________ ו ה ו א או ה ב ________________________‬

‫‪( . 1‬את) ‪2‬‬

‫ב‪.‬‬

‫‪( . him‬את) ‪her‬‬

‫‪ -‬חבו־׳ה‪ ,‬לא ר אינו _______________________ ה ר ב ה ז מן‪ .‬איפ ה הייתם?‬

‫‪( .3‬את) (‪you (m .pl .‬‬ ‫‪ -‬נ ס ענו ל צ ר פ ת ל טיו ל‪ ,‬לכן ל א ר אי ת ם _______________________ ‪.‬‬

‫‪( .4‬את) ‪us‬‬ ‫‪:‬את ‪( a n d‬ב שביל) ‪ (, lb‬ל‪Be c a re fu l! In th e fo llo w in g w e m ix G ro u p s la )-‬‬

‫ג‪.‬‬

‫‪ -‬א ת ם מ כי רי ם או תנו?‬

‫‪ -‬כן‪ ,‬אנ חנו מ כי רי ם _______________________ ו ג ם א ת ה הו רי ם ________________________‬

‫‪( . 5‬את) (‪6.‬‬ ‫‪ -‬ו א ת ם מ כי רי ם ג ם א ת ה ח ב רי ם שלנו?‬

‫‪( .you (m .pl‬של) (‪your (m .pl .‬‬

‫‪ -‬כן‪ ,‬אנ חנו מ כי רי ם _______________ ו ג ם א ת ה הו רי ם ________________‬

‫‪( .7‬את) ‪8‬‬

‫ד‪.‬‬

‫‪( . them‬של) ‪their‬‬

‫מ ש ה ו אני קי ב לנו ש תי ח בי לו ת ב דו א ר‪ .‬ל ק ח נו _______________________ א ת מ ו ל מ בי ת הדו אר‪.‬‬

‫‪( .9‬את) (‪them (f.p l .‬‬ ‫היו _____________________ ס פ ר י ם ‪ .‬ה פ קיד א מ ר _____________________ ‪ :‬י ש פה ש תי ח בי לו ת ______________________‬

‫‪( .in them‬ל‪( .to us12 )-‬בשביל) ‪for you‬‬ ‫כ ש ה דוור הביא _______________________ ל ב י ת _______________________ ‪ ,‬ל א היי ת ם ש ם‪.‬‬

‫‪( .them (f.p l‬של) (‪your (m .pl .‬‬

‫ה‪.‬‬

‫או רי ת‪ ,‬ה ח בר ה שלי‪ ,‬רו תי‪ ,‬או מ ר ת ש הי א מ כיר ה ___________________ ו א ת ה שו ת פו ת ה קו ד מו ת ____________________‬

‫‪( . 15‬את) (‪16.‬‬

‫‪( . you (f.s‬של) ‪your‬‬

‫היא או מ ר ת ש ________________________________ ה ש ו ת פ ו ת עז בו א ת הדירה‪.‬‬

‫‪( .17‬בגלל) (‪because of you (f.s .‬‬ ‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬

‫‪ .I‬אותו ‪ .2‬אותה ‪ . 3‬אתכם ‪ .4‬אותנו ‪ .5‬אתכם ‪ .6‬שלכם ‪ .7‬אותם ‪ .8‬שלהם‬ ‫‪ .I I‬לנו ‪ .12‬בשבילכם ‪ .13‬אותן ‪ .14‬שלכם ‪ . 15‬אותר ‪ . 16‬שלןז ‪ .17‬בגללן־‬

‫‪235‬‬

‫‪ .9‬אותן‬

‫‪ .10‬בהן‬

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

2. ‫( עם‬with)5 Look at the following: 6.‫דיברתי איתר‬

>=

I spoke with him.

.‫הוא רקד איתה‬

,‫דיברתי עם יונתן‬

^

I spoke with Yonatan.

4=

He danced with her.

.‫יונתן רקד עם שרה‬ Yonatan danced with Sarah.

Q: What change takes place in the preposition when we want to say: with me, with you, with him, etc.? A: When endings are added, the base is not ‫עם‬, but rather - ‫) את‬-‫) אית‬. This change takes place in everyday speech and in most writing.; The endings are exactly the same as those added to .‫אות־‬ ‫עם‬ with me with you (m.s.) with you (f.s.) with him with her

T

with us

T

with you (rn.pl)

-CHEM

with you (f.pl.)

-CHEN

with them (m.)

-AM -AN

with them (f.)

‫איתי‬ ‫איתה‬ ‫איתןז‬ ‫איתו‬ ‫איתה‬ ‫איתנו‬ ‫איתכם‬ ‫איתכן‬ ‫איתם‬ ‫איתן‬ T

In literary style only, endings may be added to the preposition ‫ ע ם‬: 8.(‫ד יברת י ע ימ ו (עמ ו‬ I spoke with him.

5 6 7

8

>=

. ‫ד יברת י עם משה‬

‫=

(mee-ME-noo) We got a letter from him.

.‫קיבלנו מהם מכתב‬ (me-HEM) We got a letter from them.

.‫קיבלנו מכתב מדויד‬ (mee) We got a letter from David.

>=

.‫קיבלנו מכתב מדניאל ונדב‬ (mee) We got a letter from Daniel and Nadav.

Q: To what base are the endings added? A: Sometimes the base is ‫ ׳ ממ־‬and sometimes it is ‫מ־‬. Let's have a closer look at all the different variations:

12 Note the English: It is a shame that we are not as strong as they (are). - Literally: not strong like them. 13 Often, as in this sentence, when the preposition takes an ending, it comes immediately after the verb.

239:

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

C single ‫מ־‬

B single -‫מ‬

A double ‫ממ־‬

from me

me-ME-nee

from you (m.s.) from you (f.s.) from him

meem-CHA me-MECH me-ME-noo

from her

me-ME-na me-'ee-TA-noo

from us

‫ממני‬ ‫ממה‬ ‫ממך‬ ‫ממנו‬ ‫ממנה‬

‫מאיתנו‬ T

‫י‬

‫״‬

14)‫(ממנו‬ from you Qn.pl)

mee-KEM

from you (f.pl) from them Qn.)

mee-KEN me-HEM

from them (/.')

me-HEN

‫מכם‬ ‫מכן‬ ‫מהם‬ ‫מהן‬

Column A Q: What is the base in Column A? A: A double ‫) מ׳‬-‫) ממ‬. Let's take a closer look. Q: Which of the endings on the -‫ ממ‬begin with a ‫?נ׳‬ A: Three endings: from me

mee-ME-nee

from him

mee-ME-noo

from her

mee-ME-na

‫ממני‬ ‫ממנו‬ ‫ממנה‬ T V ‫־‬

Note that the stress in these forms is on M E (pronounced meh). The other two forms in this column have no ‫ נ׳‬and their endings are just like the endings on ‫ בשבילך) בשביל‬,‫)בשבילך‬: from you (m.s.)

meem-CHA

‫ממך‬

from you (f.s.)

mee-MECH

‫ממך‬

14 The form ‫ ממנו‬also exists. See explanation of "Column B" below.

240

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

Want to see if you've understood? W r it e the m is s in g fo rm o f - ‫ מ‬w ith its e n d in g a n d re a d the se n te n ce s a lo u d .

.‫ מרים כל כך נחמדה! קיבלתי _______________ מכתב בשבוע שעבר‬.‫א‬ from her )- ‫ ( מ‬. 1

‫אולי בשבוע הבא אקבל מכתב גם‬ from you

(f.s.(

)-‫ ( מ‬. 2

.________________ ‫ אבל הוא נמוך יותר‬, ________________ ‫ נדב גבוה יותר‬.‫ב‬ than me )‫ (מ־‬. than you (m.s

‫ בבקשהז‬,‫איפה הכלב שלך? הבת שלי פוחדת ________________ א ת ה יכול להוציא אותו החוצה‬

.‫ג‬

of him )-‫ ( מ‬.5 A n s w e rs :

‫ ממנו‬. 5

‫ ממני‬. 4

‫ ממךז‬. 3

‫ ממך‬.2

‫ממנה‬

.1

Column C Now let's skip over to Column C. Q: What is the base of ‫ מהן‬,‫ מהם‬,‫ מכן‬,‫?מכם‬ A: Here the endings are added to the single letter -‫ מ‬. Q: Where is the stress placed in these words? A: It is always on the end. Note that the endings ‫כ ם‬- and ‫כן‬- begin with the hard sound k (-KEM, -KENT).15 Before the endings ‫־הן‬, ‫ ־הם‬, the pronunciation of the -‫ מ‬is me (pronounced meh).16

Column B Here's a little riddle: If from me is ‫( ממני‬mee-ME-nee), what would you expect from us to be? Perhaps you guessed ‫( ממנו‬mee-ME-noo)? This form indeed exists. However, since it also means from him , we use a different form in Modem Hebrew to say from u s: ‫( מ אי תנו‬me-'ee-TA-noo). 15 This happens because the ‫ ן‬- of the preposition ‫ מן‬has "dropped out" (assimilated). On the presence of a strong dagesh in the letter after a ;‫" נ‬drops out," see the chapter "The Pronunciation of '‫ פ‬/‫ כ‬,'‫ ב‬and the Dagesh," pp. 635-636. 16 This is always the case when -‫ מ‬is followed by a guttural consonant (here: ‫)הי‬. For more details, see the preceding chapter "How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?", p. 224, note 4.

241

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

Q: Can you see the two words from which this form is built? A: It is built from -‫ מ‬added to the word meaning with us : ‫ אירננו‬. Before ‫ א׳‬,‫ מ־‬is pronounced -‫מ‬ (meh), t hus : ‫מא ית נ ו‬.

Want to see if you've understood? W r it e the m is s in g fo rm o f - ‫ מ‬w ith its e n d in g a n d re a d th e se n te n ce s a lo u d .

. ‫__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ מ י ד‬

from them )-‫ ( מ‬.1

. 1 6 :0 0 - ‫ל‬

1 4 :0 0

‫בין‬

‫רעש‬

‫ל ע שו ת‬

‫לא‬

‫פ ע מי ם‬

‫כמה‬

‫ב י ק ש נ ו _____________________________________________________ כ ב ר‬

,‫י ל די ם‬

.‫ב‬

,‫או רי‬

.‫ג‬

you (rn.pl.( )-‫ ( מ‬. 2

.‫ו שי ר ה‬

‫מ רינ ה‬

‫ש ק לי ם‬

4 0 ‫ש ק ל י ם_________________________________________________________ ו ־‬

20

‫קי ב ל תי‬

from you (m.s .( )-‫ ( מ‬.3 .‫ב דו א ר‬

‫א ת מו ל‬

‫ה כ ס ף____________________________________________________________ ה ג י ע‬

from them

.‫ה ת עו פ ה‬

‫נ פ ר ד ו_____________________________________________________ ב ש ד ה‬

‫ה הו רי ם‬

(f.pl.( )‫(מ־־‬

,‫ל א ר ץ‬

‫ל חו ץ‬

.4

‫כ שנ ס ענו‬

.‫ד‬

from us )-‫ ( מ‬.5 A n s w e rs :

‫ מאיתנו‬.5

‫ מהם‬.4

3‫ ממ‬.3

‫ מנם‬.2

‫ מהם‬.1

5. ‫( ל־‬to) As we mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, after certain verbs the preposition -‫ ל‬changes to ‫ אל‬when endings are added. For example, when -‫ ל‬is followed by a noun, we say: 1 called Dalia yesterday.

.‫התקשרת י לדליה אתמ ול‬

However, when we say I called her, substituting a pronoun (her) for the noun (Dalia), we must use ‫ אל‬as the base form to which the ending is added: I called her yesterday.

.‫התקשרת י אליה אתמ ול‬

The verbs after which this switch from -‫ ל‬to ‫ אל‬occurs when endings are added are listed in Appendix IV under 1.‫ א ל‬/-‫ ; ל‬For the forms of ‫ אל‬with endings, see below, p. 1025. 17 See the previous chapter "How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?", pp. 227-228 for more on the switching of -‫ ל‬and ‫ אל‬when no endings are added.

2421

‫‪VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions‬‬

‫‪Let's review‬‬ ‫‪♦ This chart summarizes the prepositions in Group I.‬‬

‫‪Ia‬‬ ‫ל‪ , -‬ב‪ , -‬ש ל‬

‫עם‬

‫‪special cases‬‬

‫‪lb‬‬ ‫את‬

‫בשב יל ‪ ,‬אצל ‪. . .‬‬

‫לי‬

‫א ית י‬

‫לד‬ ‫לד‬

‫א יתך‬ ‫א יתך‬ ‫אית ו‬ ‫א יתה‬ ‫איתגו‬

‫א ותך‬ ‫אותיו‬ ‫אותה‬ ‫אותנ ו‬

‫‪T‬ל ‪V‬ה ם‬

‫א ית כם‬ ‫א יתכ ן‬ ‫איתם‬

‫אתכם‬ ‫אתכ ן‬ ‫אותם‬

‫בשבילכן‬ ‫בשבילם‬

‫להן‬

‫א ית ן‬

‫א ות ן‬

‫בשבילן‬

‫לו‬ ‫לה‬ ‫לנו‬ ‫לכם‬ ‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪V T‬‬

‫לכז‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫כמו‬

‫א ות י‬ ‫א ותך‬

‫בשבילי‬ ‫בשבילה‬ ‫בשבילך‬ ‫בשבילו‬ ‫בשבילה‬ ‫בשבילנו‬ ‫בשב ילכם‬

‫כמיד‬ ‫כמוך‬ ‫כמוהו•‬ ‫כמוה‬ ‫כמונו‬ ‫כמ וכם‬ ‫כמוכן‬ ‫כמ והם‬

‫מהם‬

‫כמוהן‬

‫מה ן‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫*‬

‫*‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫‪:‬‬

‫*‬

‫*‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫כמוני‬

‫מן‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫ממני‬ ‫ממה‬ ‫ממ ד‬ ‫ממנו•‬ ‫ממ נה‬ ‫מא יתנ ו‬ ‫מכם‬ ‫*‬

‫‪T V‬‬

‫״‬

‫•‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫מכן‬

‫?‪W ant to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪In the f o llo w in g e x e rc is e , y o u c a n p ra c tic e a ll o f th e p re p o s itio n s le a rn e d in this s e c tio n .‬‬ ‫‪W r it e the m is s in g p re p o s itio n w ith its e n d in g a n d re a d the se n te n ce s a lo u d .‬‬

‫א‪ .‬ענת‪ ,‬סיפרנו _________________שאתמול פגשנו את דורית ומיכל? פגשנו _________________ברחוב‪,‬‬ ‫‪( .you (f.s‬את) (‪them (f.p l .‬‬

‫ו‪( .‬ל‪2.( )-‬‬

‫והלכנו ___________________ למסעדה‪ .‬הן אמרו שהן לא ראו ___________ ______המו ן זמן וביקשו‬ ‫‪( .with them (f.p l‬את) (‪you (f.s .‬‬

‫_________________ את מספר הטלפון _________________ ‪ ,‬אז נתנו _________________‬ ‫‪( .us‬של) (‪( .your (f.s 7.‬ל־) (‪them (f.p l .‬‬

‫)את( )‪it (m.s.‬‬

‫ב‪ .‬יוסי ורמי‪ ,‬איפה המטריות שביקשנו _________________ להביא ‪.‬‬ ‫‪( .you (m .pl‬ל‪us )-‬‬

‫‪ ( .9‬מ‪10.( )-‬‬

‫ג‪ .‬יש ____________________מכונית‪ ,‬או שגם אתם באתם ברגל ‪.‬‬ ‫‪( . 11‬ל‪12. ( )-‬‬ ‫( ‪)= you have‬‬

‫‪243‬‬

‫‪( . lit.: to you (m .pl‬כמו) ‪like us‬‬

‫‪VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions‬‬

‫ד‪ .‬מירי‪ ,‬שלום!‬ ‫בונים __________________ בניי ן חדש‪ ,‬והרעש מאוד מפריע ___________________ א ו ל י אנחנו יכולים‬ ‫‪( .next to us‬ל‪us )-‬‬ ‫להיות _______________________ כ מ ה ימים? אני מחכה לתשובה _____________________‬ ‫‪( .at your (f.s.) place‬מן) (‪from you (f.s.‬‬

‫‪( .15‬אצל) ‪16‬‬

‫ה‪ .‬דויד פוחד מכלבים‪ .‬אמרתי __________________ ‪ :‬״אל תפחד __________________‪ ,‬תשחק‬ ‫‪( .to him‬מ־) ‪of them‬‬

‫‪( .17‬ל‪18 )-‬‬

‫_____________________________________ ה ם לא יעשו __________________ ש ו ם דבר״‪.‬‬ ‫‪( .with them‬כמו) ‪( .like me21‬ל‪to you (m.s .( )-‬‬ ‫ו‪ - .‬יונתן‪ ,‬מה אתה מוכן לעשות בשביל הילדים‬ ‫(‪( .willing‬של) (‪your (m.s .‬‬

‫ביל) (‪24.‬‬

‫ אני מוכן לעשות ____________________ הכ ול ‪ .‬אני אתן __________________ א ת כל מה שהם רוצים‪.‬‬‫‪( .for them (m‬ל‪them )-‬‬ ‫גם אם הם יבקשו __________________ א ת הירח‪ ,‬אני אנסה להוריד להם ___________________‬ ‫)‪( .moon‬את) ( ‪it (m.s .‬‬ ‫(‪me‬‬ ‫‪( .25‬מ‪26 )-‬‬

‫‪Answers:‬‬ ‫א‪ .1 .‬לך ‪ 2‬אותן ‪ 3‬איתן ‪ .4‬אותןז ‪ .5‬מאיתנו ‪ .6‬שלןז ‪ .7‬להן ‪ .8‬אותו‬ ‫ב‪ .9 .‬מפם ‪ .10‬לנו ג‪ .11 .‬לכם ‪ .12‬כמונו ד‪ .13 .‬לידנו ‪ .14‬לנו ‪ .15‬אצלןז ‪ .16‬ממר‬ ‫ח‪ .1 7 .‬לו ‪ .18‬מהם ‪. 19‬איתם ‪ .20‬כמוני ‪ .21‬לן; ו‪ .22 .‬שלן; ‪ .23‬בשבילם ‪ .24‬להם‬ ‫‪ .26‬אותו‬

‫‪ .25‬ממני‬

‫י׳ ‪• Adding endings with an additional‬‬ ‫‪.‬י׳ ‪ Group"), which has endings without a‬ל־ ‪In the section above, we looked at Group I ("The‬‬ ‫‪ before the‬י׳ ‪ Group") - the group that requires a‬על ‪Now we will concentrate on Group II ("The‬‬ ‫‪ending.‬‬

‫‪Group II‬‬ ‫‪Here are examples of three prepositions in this group with their endings:‬‬ ‫?גל‬ ‫‪¥‬ליי‬ ‫‪¥‬ליג‬ ‫?גלייה‬ ‫עליו‬ ‫עליה‬ ‫‪T T‬‬

‫‪7 T‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪-AI‬‬ ‫‪-E-cha‬‬ ‫‪-A-yeech‬‬ ‫‪-AV‬‬ ‫‪-E-ha‬‬

‫אל‬

‫לפני‬

‫אליי‬ ‫אליה‬

‫לפניי‬

‫אלייד‬ ‫אליו‬ ‫אליה‬ ‫״ ‪T‬‬

‫״ ‪V‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫לפניה‬

‫‪me‬‬ ‫)‪you (m.s.‬‬

‫לפנ?יה‬

‫)‪you (f.s.‬‬

‫לפניו‬ ‫לפניה‬

‫‪him‬‬ ‫‪her‬‬

‫! ‪ T‬־‬

‫‪T T :‬‬

‫‪V T :‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫‪244‬‬

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

‫לפני‬ us

‫לפנינו‬ ‫לפניכם‬ ‫לפניכן‬ ‫לפניהם‬ ‫לפניהן‬ ‫ •י‬T :

you (m.pl.) you (f.pl.) them (m.) them (f.)

‫על‬

‫אל‬ ‫אלינר‬ 18‫אליכם‬ ‫אליכן‬ ‫אליהם‬ ‫אליהן‬

-ei-CHEN -ei-HEM

‫בילינו‬ ‫עליכם‬ ‫עליכן‬ ‫עליהם‬

-ei-HEN

‫ע לי הן‬

-EI-noo -ei-CHEM

Notice that in the first form in each column - ‫ לפניי‬,‫ אליי‬,‫>גליי‬- the syllable containing -AI is stressed, as in: ‫ל י י‬-)? (■a-LAI). This is the second syllable o f the word. Q: In which of the other forms o f ‫ על‬is the stress not on the second syllable of the word? A: In the four forms at the bottom of the chart. In these forms - and in all of the parallel forms in the other columns - the stress is on ‫הן‬- ,‫הם‬- ,‫כן‬- ,‫ ־כם‬. For this reason, the vowels at the beginning of these words sometimes change. We do not hear this vowel change in the forms of ‫על‬, but we do hear it in ‫ לפניהן‬,‫ לפניהם‬,‫ לפניכן‬,‫( לפניכם‬leef-nei-CHEM...)}9 We also hear the change in the forms o f ‫ אל‬listed in the chart: ‫״‬.‫׳) אליכם‬a-lei-CHEM...). These are the grammatically correct forms. However, many speakers of Hebrew do not say ‫אליכם‬, but rather keep the same first vowel as in the rest of the forms and say ...‫ אליכן‬,‫ ׳) אליכם‬e-lei-CHEM), so as to differentiate between ‫( אליכם‬to you) and ‫( עליכם‬on you, about you). The following prepositions also belong to this group: after without behind above under

...‫ אחריה‬,‫אחריי‬ ...‫ בלחייה‬,‫בלדריי‬ .‫ ךיה״‬1‫ מאח‬,‫מאחוריי‬ .‫ מ?ליה״‬,‫מ^ליי‬ .‫ מתחתיה״‬,‫מתחתיי‬

‫אחרי‬ ‫ בלעדי‬/ ‫בלי‬ ‫רי‬1‫מאח‬ ‫מ?גל‬ ‫מתחת‬

Want to see if you've understood? W rite the missing preposition with its ending and read the sentences aloud.

.‫ התקשרנו __________________ כ ל הבוקר ולא ענית ם לנו‬,‫ אבישי ואבנר‬.‫א‬ you (m.pl.( )‫ (אל‬.1

18 The formal pronunciation is with an ah after the '‫א‬, but most Hebrew speakers pronounce an eh sound instead, just as in the top part of the char t : ‫ אל יה ן‬, ‫ אל יהם‬,‫ אליכן‬, ‫אל יכם‬. 19 Actually, the preposition ‫ לפני‬originates from the form ‫( לפנים‬le-fa-NEEM). When the stress moves to the end (as in the lower part of the chart), the base changes to ‫ לפני‬Qeef-).

245

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

‫ אנ חנו הלכנו ________________________ ו א ת ם‬.‫ הילדים הלכו באמצע‬,‫כ ש טיילנו בהר מירון‬ in front of them )‫(לפני‬ .2

.‫ב‬

. _________________________‫הלכתם‬ behind them )‫ (מאחורי‬.3

.‫ כ שבאנו______________________ ל א היית בבית‬,‫נועה‬ to you (f.s .( )‫ (אל‬A

.‫ג‬

.‫ עדיין לא סיפרתי ______________________ ל א ף אחד‬.‫ יש לי חבר חדש‬.‫ד‬ about him )‫ (על‬.5

________________ ‫ אחי הגדול עלה לארץ ______________________ א נ י והוריי הגענו זמן קצר‬.‫ה‬ after him )‫ (אחרי‬.before me 7 )‫ (לפני‬.6

.‫ לכן אני לא אוהבת ל שבת ________________________ ב כי ת ה‬,‫מירי גבוהה יו תר ממני‬ behind her )‫ (מאחורי‬. 8

.‫ו‬

!‫ בסדר? אני כבר חוזר‬,‫ אני _________________________ ב תו ר‬,‫ אדוני‬,‫סליחה‬ after you (m.s .( )‫ (אחדי‬.9

.‫ז‬

.‫ ש מ ענו __________________________ ה ר ב ה דברים טובי ם‬,‫ בנות‬.‫ח‬ about you (f.p i .( )‫ (על‬. 10 A n s w e rs :

‫ אמריה‬.9

‫ מאחוריה‬.8

‫ אחריו‬.7

‫ לפניי‬.6

‫ עליו‬.5

‫ אלייך‬.4

‫ מאחוריהם‬. 3

‫ לפניהם‬.2

‫אליכם‬

.1

‫• עליכן‬10

Special cases in Group II (the ‫ על‬Group) 1. ‫( אל‬to - usually expressing direction) In Chapter 2 on prepositions, we mentioned that in formal Hebrew ‫ אל‬may be used instead of -‫ ל‬after certain verbs.20 For example: .‫ הוא בא אל המקום‬/ .‫הוא בא למקום‬ The use of ‫ אל‬with endings is much more common than the use of ‫ אל‬without endings. The reason for this is that all of the verbs listed as taking ‫ אל‬/-‫ ל‬will almost always use the forms ...‫ אליך‬,‫( אליי‬and not ...‫ לך‬,‫ )לי‬when endings are added. This is true in both formal and informal Hebrew. .‫התקשרתי אליה‬ >= .‫התקשרתי לשרה‬ I called her.

I called Sarah.

20 See above ‫״‬How Do Prepositions Behave When No Ending Is Attached?" p. 227. Verbs that can take ‫ אל‬are listed in Appendix IV, p. 1025.

246

‫‪VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions‬‬

‫הילדה קשורה לאמא שלה‪.‬‬

‫היא קשורה אליה‪.‬‬

‫=>‬

‫‪She is attached to her.‬‬

‫‪The girl is attached to her mother.‬‬

‫‪ ),‬נסענו לירושלים ‪ (for example:‬ל‪B e c a r e fu l! When the name of a place comes after -‬‬ ‫‪.‬לשם ‪, but rather‬אל ‪we don't use a form o f‬‬ ‫!‬

‫=>‬

‫נסענו לירושלים‪.‬‬ ‫‪We went to Jerusalem.‬‬

‫‪7‬‬

‫‪T‬‬

‫נסענו לשם‪.‬‬ ‫‪We went there.‬‬

‫‪?Want to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪ .‬א ל ‪A . W r it e the c o rre c t fo rm o f‬‬

‫_‬

‫א ת מול נ ס ענו לסב תא‪ .‬נסענו ב ש עו ת הבוקר‪.‬‬

‫(לנסוע ל‪ /-‬א ל)‬

‫אנ חנו בדרך כלל מ ת ק שרי ם ל הורי ם שלנו ל פ חו ת פעם בשבוע‪ ,‬אבל החוד ש עדיין לא‬ ‫התק שרנו _________________ ( ל ה ת ק ש ר ל־‪ /‬א ל)‬

‫‪.3‬‬

‫בנות‪ ,‬א ת! יו ד עו ת למה ההורים שלכן התק שרו כל יו ם כ שהם היו ב חו״לז כי הם התגעגעו‬ ‫מ א ו ד ורצו לדבר איתכן‪( .‬להתגעגע ל־‪ /‬א ל)‬ ‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬

‫‪ .1‬אליה‬

‫‪ . 2‬אליהם‬

‫‪ . 3‬אליכן‬

‫‪ a s re q u ire d b y th e v e rb ( o r a d je c tiv e (.‬אל ‪ o r‬ל‪B. W r it e the m is s in g fo rm o f -‬‬

‫‪ . 1‬לא א מר ת ם ל שכני ם שתהיה אצלכ ם מסיבה היום? מדו ע לא א מר ת ם ________________ ז ( ל ו מ ר ל‪)-‬‬

‫‪.2‬‬

‫פנינו ל מנ הל ת כדי לבקש לעבור לכיתה אחרת‪ .‬היא אמרה שפנינו ________________ מ א ו ח ר מדיי‪ ,‬ושכבר‬ ‫לע בור לכיתה א חר ת‪(.‬לפנות ל־‪ /‬א ל)‬

‫_‬

‫התקרבנו אל ה שלט כדי לראו ת מה כתוב בו‪ .‬רק כ שע מדנו מ אוד‬

‫קרוב ‪ ,‬ראינו שלא‬

‫היה כתוב בו כלו ם‪( .‬קרוב ל‪ /-‬א ל)‬

‫מ חר ב חולצו ת לבנות‪ ,‬אבל שכחו להודיע _____________________________________________________________ ש מ ת חי לי ם‬ ‫מאוחר‪( .‬להודיע ל‪)-‬‬

‫‪247‬‬

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

‫ האמת היא שכל רעש קט ן מפר יע‬. ‫ הרעש של הטרקט ור מפר יע ל יצחק ללמ וד למבח ן‬.5 )-‫(להפר יע ל‬ _______________ ‫ כי שכחת י שאמרת‬, ‫ את כ ועסת עליי? לא באת י________________אתמ ול‬,‫ רותי‬.6 )-‫ לומר ל‬,‫אל‬/‫ אני מצטערת ! (לבוא ל־‬. ‫לבוא‬ A n s w e rs :

‫ לי‬,‫אלייך‬.6 ‫ לו‬.5 ‫ להם‬.4 ‫ אליו‬.3 ‫ אליה‬.2 ‫ להם‬.1

2 . ‫בלי‬, (without) The preposition ‫ בלי‬cannot take endings. How, then, do we say without him, w ithout her, etc.? Since the word ‫ בלעדי‬is sometimes used in formal language instead o f ‫בלי‬, it serves in both formal and informal Hebrew as the base onto which endings are added. Note that there is always a ‫ י׳‬before the endings. .>= T

.‫אנחנו לא הולכים בלעדיה אנחנו לא הולכים לסרט בלי רינה‬

*‫ ״‬T • ‫י‬

* !

We are not going without her.

We are not going to the movie without Rina.

Want to see if you've understood? W r it e the m is s in g fo rm .

‫ ובסוף יצאנו לט י ול‬, ‫ בט י ול הכ יתת י לגליל חיכינו שעה לשני תלמידים‬.1 without them (m.)

((‫בלי‬

‫ל״‬

‫ ״למה יצאתם לט י ול‬: ‫אחר כך הם צלצל ו אלינו בפלאפ ון וצעקו‬ without us

(‫)בלי‬

»)

‫ ״אל תעזבי אותי! אני לא יכול לח י ות‬:‫ שלמה אמר לגלי‬.2 without you

(f.s.) (‫)בלי‬

. ‫לא היינו מצל יח ים להגיע למק ום הראש ון‬

, ‫ יוני ואלעד‬.3 without you (m.pl.)

(‫)בלי‬

A n s w e rs :

‫ בלעדיכם‬.3 ‫ בלעדייך‬.2 ‫ בלעדינו‬,‫ בלעדיהם‬.1

248

VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions

3 . ‫ידי‬

(by)

Read the following: 21.‫המכתב נשלח על ידיו‬

>=

The letter was sent by him.

.‫המכתב נשלח על ידי משה‬ The letter was sent by Moshe.

When the doer of the action is known (‫ משה‬in this sentence), Hebrew usually prefers using an active verb, as in ‫ משה שלח את המכתב‬, rather than a passive verb followed by ‫ על ידי‬. However, since passive sentences with ‫( על ידי‬followed by the doer of the action) do exist in current Hebrew, we have presented the above sentences here. The forms of ‫ על ידי‬belong to Group II.

A split personality: the declension o f ‫( בין‬between‫ י‬among) In the following two sentences, the preposition ‫ בין‬is used: .-‫־‬

‫ט אין הבדל ב ינ יהם‬

The twins are very similar. There is almost no difference between them.

.‫ הקשר בינינו חשוב לי מאוד‬.‫אני מדברת עם אחותי כל יום‬ I speak with my sister every day. My relationship with her (lit.: the connection between us) is very important to me.

Here are the forms o f :‫בין‬ ‫בין‬ -EE -CHA -ECH -0 -A -El-noo -ei-CHEM -ei-CHEN -ei-HEM -ei-HEN

‫ביני‬ ‫בינה‬ ‫בעול‬ ‫בינו‬ ‫בינה‬ T

‫״‬

‫בינינר‬ ‫ביניכם‬ ‫ביניכן‬ 22‫ביניהם‬ ‫ביניהן‬

21 According to the Hebrew Language Academy, when a passive verb is used, it is preferable not to mention by whom the action was performed. In cases where the doer is mentioned, it is preferable to use ‫ בידי‬rather than ‫ על ידי‬when the action was performed by a person. In today's Hebrew, when ‫ על ידי‬is used and is declined, speakers often use ‫ על יד‬as the base of the declined forms (e. g. ‫ על ידו‬instead of ‫) על ידיו‬. In such cases, the context tells us whether to translate ‫ על ידו‬as next to him or by him (as in: "It was sent by him"). 22 The forms ‫ בינם‬and ‫ בינן‬also exist and are sometimes used. See ‫״‬Did you know?" below for an explanation.

249

VII. Prepositions /

3. A dding Endings to Prepositions

Q: Does it belong to Group I (without an additional '‫ )י‬or to Group II (with a ‫?)י׳‬ A: The first half of the declension of ‫ בין‬is exactly like that of ‫( בשביל‬Group lb). There is no ‫י׳‬ before the ending. The second half o f this declension is like that o f ‫על‬: in all these forms there is a ‫ י׳‬between the preposition and the ending. ,..-‫ ל‬...‫ בין‬/ ...‫ ובין‬...‫ בין‬/ . . . ‫ לבין‬...‫בין‬

Unlike the English between, the preposition ‫ בין‬often appears twice in the same sentence, as in the following: I am sitting between Yoram and Naomi.

.‫אני יושב בין יורם לבין נעמי‬

or: .‫אני יושב בין יורם ובין נעמי‬ Here are examples with pronouns after ‫בין‬: I am sitting between him and her.

•‫אני יושב בינו לביני׳‬

or: .‫אני יושב בינו ובינה‬ T

**

The first two sentences (with a noun at the end) can also be expressed using the shorter ".‫״ל״‬. ‫"ב ין‬. as in: 23.‫ אני יושב בין יורם לנעמי‬-*>

This sounds less formal than the first two alternatives.

Di d y o u k n o w?

When do we use ‫ ב י נם‬and ‫ בינן‬instead of ‫ ב י נ יהם‬and ‫?ביניה ן‬ Wh e n ‫ בין‬appear s onl y once and we wi sh to say between them, t he f or ms ‫ביניהם‬ and ‫ ביניהן‬ar e used, as in t he second sent ence here: .‫היא יושבת ביניהם‬ She is sitting between them.

>=

.‫נועה יושבת בין דני לבין יוסי‬ N o a is sitting between D anny and Yossi.

However , when the t wo-part structure ‫״‬..‫ לבין‬... ‫ "בין‬or "...‫ ובין‬...‫ "בין‬is used, we t end t o use ‫ בינם‬or ‫ בינן‬i nst ead of ‫ ביניהם‬or ‫ביניהן‬, as in t he f ol l owi ng sent ence: .‫יוסי ודינה הם חבר ים טובים שלנו למר ות ש יש הרבה הבדלים בינינו לבינם‬ Yossi and Dina are g o o d friends of ours even though there are m any differences between

*

us and them.

23 The combination ‫״‬.‫״‬-‫ ו‬...‫ "בין‬is used by many speakers when a noun - and not a pronoun - follow s -1, as in: ‫( אני יושבת בין יונתן ודניאל‬I am sitting between Yonatan and Daniel). The other combinations mentioned above are often viewed as preferable, especially in writing.

250

‫‪VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions‬‬

‫?‪Want to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪ w ith its e n d in g s .‬בין ‪W r it e the c o rre c t fo rm o f‬‬

‫‪ .1‬אני אשב פה‪ ,‬יוסי ישב שם‪ ,‬ואתה תשב ‪.‬‬ ‫)בין(‬

‫‪between us‬‬

‫‪ .2‬יש הרבה הבדלים‬ ‫בין((‬

‫)בין(‬

‫‪between me‬‬

‫)‪you (m.s.‬‬

‫ל‬

‫‪ .3‬ב שיחה שהייתה ‪.‬‬ ‫(בין) ( ‪between you (m .p l .‬‬

‫דיברתם על כל הבעיות שלכם‪.‬‬ ‫(בין)‬

‫‪her‬‬

‫‪Answers:‬‬ ‫ו‪ ,‬בינינו ‪ .2‬ביני‪ ,‬בינך‪ ,3 ,‬ביניכם‪ ,‬בינה‬

‫‪Let’s review‬‬ ‫‪♦ This chart summarizes the prepositions in Group U.‬‬

‫על‪ ,‬אחרי‪ ,‬בלעדי‪...‬‬

‫אל‬

‫‪-A1‬‬ ‫‪-E-cha‬‬ ‫‪-A-yeech‬‬ ‫‪-AV‬‬ ‫‪-E-ha‬‬ ‫‪-El-noo‬‬

‫אליי‬

‫לפניי‬

‫אליך‬

‫לפניה‬ ‫לפנייך‬ ‫לפניו‬ ‫לפניה‬ ‫לפמנו‬

‫עליי‬ ‫על יך‬ ‫עלייך‬ ‫עליו‬ ‫על יה‬ ‫עלינו‬ ‫על יכם‬ ‫עליכן‬ ‫על יהם‬ ‫עליהן‬

‫‪251‬‬

‫‪-ei-CHEAI‬‬ ‫‪-ei-CHEN‬‬ ‫‪-ei-HEAI‬‬ ‫‪-ei-HEN‬‬

‫אלייך‬ ‫אליו‬ ‫אל יה‬ ‫אלינו‬ ‫אליכם‬ ‫אליכן‬ ‫אל יהם‬ ‫אליהן‬

‫לפני‬

‫לפניכם‬ ‫לפניכן‬ ‫לפניהם‬ ‫לפניהן‬

‫‪special case‬‬ ‫ביז‬ ‫ביני‬ ‫בינה‬ ‫בינך‬ ‫בינו‬ ‫בינה‬ ‫בינינו‬ ‫ביניכם‬ ‫ביניכן‬ ‫ביני־הם‬ ‫ביניהן‬

‫‪-EE‬‬ ‫‪-CHA‬‬ ‫‪-ECH‬‬ ‫‪-O‬‬ ‫‪-A‬‬

‫‪VII. Prepositions / 3. Adding Endings to Prepositions‬‬

‫?‪Want to see if you've understood this chapter‬‬ ‫‪In the fo llo w in g e x e rc is e , y o u c a n p ra c tic e a ll the p re p o s itio n s le a rn e d in th is c h a p te r.‬‬ ‫‪W r it e the m is s in g p re p o s itio n w ith its e n d in g .‬‬

‫א‪ .‬נוח ואבנר‪ ,‬לא ראינו _____________ הרב ה זמן‪ ,‬התגעגענו______________ ! אנחנו‬ ‫‪( . you ( m.pl‬אל) (‪you ( m.pl.‬‬

‫‪( . 1‬את) (‪2.‬‬

‫רוצים שתבואו __________________ כ די לצאת _____________ ל מ ס עד ה טובה‪.‬‬ ‫‪( .to us, to our place‬עם) ‪with us‬‬

‫‪( . 3‬אל) ‪4‬‬

‫ב‪ .‬אילנה‪ ,‬דיברנו________________ ובדיוק הגעת‪ .‬רצינו לצלצל ___________ א ו להיפגש‬ ‫‪( .about you (f.s‬אל) ( ‪you (f.s .‬‬

‫‪6.‬‬

‫_______________ ול ס פר ______________ ע ל דינה ועל החבר _______________‬ ‫‪ ( . with you (f.s‬ל‪( .you (f.s 9. ( )-‬של) ‪her‬‬

‫אומרים שעבר ________________ ח ת ו ל שחור (=‬

‫‪not on good terms.‬‬

‫‪ .)They are‬ידעת?‬

‫‪( . 10‬בין) ‪between them‬‬

‫ג‪ .‬כשביקרנו______________________ בשנה שעברה‪ ,‬ביקשתם ___________ ש ב פ ע ם‬ ‫‪ ( .at your (m.pl.) place‬מ־) ‪us‬‬

‫הבאה נביא _____________ ג ם את הילדים ______________ א ז הנה‪ ,‬הפעם הבאנו‬ ‫‪( . with us‬של) ‪our‬‬

‫‪( .13‬עם) ‪14‬‬

‫גם ________________ ‪.‬‬ ‫‪( .15‬את) (‪them (m .‬‬

‫ד‪ .‬חבר׳ה‪ ,‬אנחנו רוצים לצלם ________________ י ע ל‪ ,‬תעמדי פה‪ .‬רחל‪ ,‬את תעמדי‬ ‫‪( . 16‬את) (‪you (m .p l .‬‬

‫_________________ ‪ ,‬משה אתה תעמוד ________________ ‪ ,‬ויונתן אתה תעמוד‬ ‫‪( .behind her‬על יד) ‪next to her‬‬

‫‪( .19‬לפני) ‪in front of them‬‬

‫ה‪ .‬אני רוצה שנשמור את הסוד _______________ ל א נספר _____________ ל א ף אחד‪.‬‬ ‫‪( . between us‬את) ‪it‬‬

‫‪( .20‬בין) ‪21‬‬

‫ו‪ .‬גם אם אתה לא חושב _____________ ‪ ,‬אתה לא צריך לכעוס __________________‬ ‫‪( . like me‬על) ‪at me, with me‬‬

‫‪( .22‬כמו) ‪23‬‬

‫אם תבקש ________________ ‪ ,‬אני אסביר ________________ א ת דעתי‪.‬‬ ‫‪( . me‬ל‪to you )-‬‬

‫ז‪ .‬חבל ששמעון לא בא למסיבה‪ .‬לא היה כיף‬ ‫‪( .26‬בלי) ‪without him‬‬ ‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬

‫‪ . I‬אתכם ‪ .2‬אליכם ‪ . 3‬אלינו ‪ .4‬איתנו ‪ .5‬עלייך ‪ . 6‬אלייך ‪ .7‬איתך ‪ .8‬לך ‪ .9‬שלה ‪ . 10‬ביניהם‬ ‫‪ .I I‬אצלכם ‪ . 12‬מ אי תנו ‪ . 13‬אי תנו ‪ .14‬שלנו ‪ . 15‬אותם ‪ . 16‬אתכם ‪ . 17‬מאחוריה ‪ .18‬על ידה‬ ‫‪ . 19‬לפניהם‬

‫‪ .20‬בינינו‬

‫‪ .21‬אותו‬

‫‪ .22‬כמוני‬

‫‪ . 23‬עליי‬

‫‪ . 24‬ממני‬

‫‪ .25‬לך‬

‫‪ . 26‬בלעדיו‬

‫‪252‬‬

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers Numbers and quantifiers - like ‫) כל‬all) and ‫) חלק‬part) - will be discussed in the following :chapters N um bers .1 )...8:30 ‫ השעה‬,...‫ שנינו‬,...‫ א׳=ו‬,...‫ ראשון‬,...‫(אחד‬ All, P a rt of...: Quantifiers .2 )...‫ רובם‬,...‫ פולם‬,...‫ חלק מה־‬,‫(פל ה־‬

Q N um bers Preview • Numbers2fi'om 1 to 10 • Numbers 11 and up ‫ ״‬Ordinal numbers )...‫ שני‬,‫(ךאשון‬ ‫ ״‬Hebrew letters as numbers ‫ ״‬Numbers with endings: ...‫ של ושת נ ו‬,‫( שנינו‬both o f us, the three o f us)

• Telling the time

• Numbers from 1 to 10 Counting from 1 to 10 (masculine and feminine) Imagine a line of between one to ten girls waiting to buy tickets. If we ask how many girls are standing in the line, the answer may be any one of the following:

1 Technically, the words that refer to numbers are called numerals. We have chosen to use the less technical term number to refer to both the number and the word that refers to the number. 2 In English grammar books, the numbers presented in the first two sections of this chapter are called cardinal numerals or cardinal numbers ( ‫) מספרים מוינים‬.

253

10 ‫ץשר‬

‫תשע‬

E-ser

TE-sha

9

8

7

6

5

‫ארבעשמונהחמש‬

‫שבע‬ shmo-NE SHMO-ne

SHE-va

SHESH

cha-AlESH

'ar-BA 'AR-ba

3

2

‫שלוש‬

‫שתיים‬

1 ‫אחת‬

sha-LOSH SHTA-veem 'a-CHAT

Now imagine a similar line of boys and the possible answers to the same question:

10

9

‫עשרה‬

‫תשעה‬

‫שמונה‬ S

‫שבעה‬

'a-sa-RA

teesh-A

shmo-NA

sheev-A

T T “5

T 5 •

T

T S

‫שישה‬

‫ארבעה‬

‫שלושה‬

shee-SHA cha-mee-SHA 'ar-ba-A

shloSHA

*

T

‫חמישה‬ T

* ‫!־‬

T T

5“

T

5

‫שניים‬ *‫־‬

!

‫■־• השיעור מתחיל בשעה‬ .)‫ ו(אלף תשע מאות וארבע‬904 ‫הרצל נפטר בשנת‬

Not e that both words ‫ !שעה‬and ‫ בשנת‬appear before a number; however, onl y in the case of ‫ שנה‬do we use the smeechoot form ‫שנת‬.

Additional uses o f masculine (long) numbers The longer, masculine forms are used without a noun attached in the following cases: - Dates (days of the month):6 the ninth of Av (a Hebrew month) the fourth of July

‫תשעה באב‬ ‫ארבעה ביולי‬

- "Two / three... times as. ..:(...‫ פי שלושה) ״‬,‫פ י שניים‬ ‫־‬

■>£

‫המחיר שלהם בש וק‬

The price of apples in the supermarket is three times their price in the slink (open air market).

Let's review Thus far we have examined how numbers behave when they are not followed by a noun. The feminine and masculine numbers have different forms. ♦ The feminine numbers for 1 and 2 have a ‫ ת׳‬:

feminine :.‫ שתיים‬- / .‫ אחת‬masculine:.‫ שניים‬- /.‫ אחד‬-

6

7

For dates, many speakers do not follow the guidelines for proper usage and use ordinal numbers. For example, for the fourth of July (written 4.7 - with the day before the month), they s ay: ‫( הרב יע י לשביעי‬lit., the fourth of the seventh). See below for ordinal numbers. Many speakers use the shorter feminine number after ‫( פי‬here: ‫ )שלוש‬even though according to the rules of grammar a masculine number should be used, as in the example above.

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

1, Numbers

♦ The feminine numbers between 3 and 10 are generally shorter than the masculine numbers. It is the masculine numbers that end in ‫ה‬-: T

feminine : masculine:

.‫ ארבע‬- / .‫ שלוש‬.‫ ארבעה‬- / .‫ שלושה‬T

?‫ כמה סוכריות יש פה‬?‫ כמה תפוחים יש פה‬-

T

Various uses of these forms are discussed above.

Want to see if you've understood? W r it e the p r o p e r fo rm o f th e n u m b e r ( w ith o u t a d d in g the n o u n ), as in the fo llo w in g e x a m p le : E x a m p le :

p ‫ ״‬j&

?‫כמה אחים יש לרינה‬

I) ________________ ?‫כמה פרחים קניתם‬

.‫ו‬

) 3( _________________ ?‫ כמה ילדות יש בחדר‬.2 )2 (

_

s■‫כמה חברים נמצאיםבבית של יונתן עכשיו‬ ) 1( ,________________ ?‫ כמה שקלים יש לך‬.4

)1 0 ( ) 6 + 3 = 9(

________________ ‫ שוו ה‬/‫_______________ ו עו ד ________________ ה ם‬

.5

) 9(0 (

.‫ קו ________________ מגי ע לתחנה המרכזית בתל אביב‬.6

)5( .‫ יונתן היה בן ________________ כשמשפחתו נסעה ללונדון‬.7

(s) A n s w e rs :

‫ שמונה‬.7‫ חמש‬.6‫ תשע‬,‫ שלוש‬,‫ שש‬.5

258

‫ עשרה‬.4

‫ אחד‬.3

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b e rs

Adding a number to a noun Read the following passage: ,‫ שלוש אשכוליות‬,‫ נועה קנתה ארבע קלמנטינות‬.‫ביום שישי בבוקר נועה ואיילת הלכו לסופרמרקט‬ ‫ בערב‬.‫ שני אגסים ומלון אחד‬,‫ של ושה תפוזים‬,‫ איילת קנתה ארבעה תפוחים‬.‫שתי בננות ופומלה אחת‬ .‫הן הכינו ביחד סלט פירות‬ On Friday morning Noa and Aye let went to the supermarket. Noa bought four tangerines, three grapefruits, two bananas and one pomelo. Ayelet bought four apples, three oranges, two pears and one melon. In the evening they made a fruit salad together.

Q: Are any of the forms of the numbers in this passage different from those we saw above without an added noun? A: Yes. The forms of the words for tw o are different. As we saw above, its forms are ‫( שניים‬m.) and ‫( שתיים‬f.) when no noun follows them. But when a noun is added, the ‫ים‬- drops off, as in the sm eech o o t form o f words like 8,(‫) נעליים‬-‫ נעלי‬and the resulting forms are: ‫־־‬

feminine-. m a scu lin e :

‫אגסיםשני‬

In all other numbers the form remains the same. Q: Is the order of the noun and the number the same inall the examples above? A:

No!The words ‫ אחת‬and 1) ‫) אח ד‬appear after the noun. fe m in in e :

one pomelo

m a scu lin e :

one melon

‫פומלה אחת‬ ‫מלון א ח ד‬

In all other cases, the number appears before the noun (as in English), as in: ‫ ארבע קלמנטינות‬,‫ שלוש אשכוליות‬,‫שתי בננות‬ ‫ ארבעה תפוחים‬,‫ של ושה תפוזים‬,‫שני אגסים‬ Here is a list of numbers 1-10 with a noun added to them: ‫זכר‬

‫נקבה‬

masculine

feminine

‫תלמיד אחד‬ ‫שני תלמידים‬ ‫ ש ה תלמידים‬1‫של‬

8

‫ תלמידה ארות‬‫ שתי תלמידות‬‫ ש א ש תלמידות‬-

See the chapter ",Smeechoot,‫יי‬ ‫ י‬pp. 176-177.

'259

‫שתי בננות‬

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

1, Numbers

‫זכר‬

‫נקבה‬ feminine

masculine

‫ארבעה תלמידים‬ ‫חמישה תלמידים‬ ‫שישה תלמידים‬ ‫שבעה תלמידים‬ ‫שמונה תלמידים‬ ‫תשעה תלמידים‬ ‫עשרה תלמידים‬ T T

T

‫אךב ע תלמידות‬ ‫ח מ ש תלמידות‬ ‫שש תלמידות‬ ‫שבע תלמידות‬ ‫שמ ונה תלמידות‬ ‫ת ש ע תלמידות‬ ‫עשר תלמידות‬

S‫־‬

• ‫־‬:

T 5

T

*• T

‫־‬

5

T

:

T T ‫!־‬

-

4

-

5

‫־‬

6

-

7

-

8 9

‫־‬

10

-

Let's review In this section we have seen how numbers behave when they appear with nouns. ♦ The number 1 comes after the noun: ‫ילד אחד‬

, ‫ילדה א ח ת‬

-‫>־‬

,‫של וש בנות‬

->

♦ All other numbers come before the counted noun: ‫של ושה ספרים‬

♦ Forms of the number 2 lose their ‫ם‬- ending before the noun. Their final vowel changes, too: ‫שני בנים‬ ,‫שת י בנות‬

W ant to see if you've understood? A n s w e r the fo llo w in g q u e s tio n s in tw o w a y s : a . w ith o u t a n o u n E x a m p le :

. p ‫ &׳‬jlc

b. w ith a n o u n

?‫כ מ ה א נ ש י ם ג ר י ם פ ה‬

(5) / .

?‫ כמה סטודנטיות לומדות בקורס‬.1 ( 2)

/

_ ?‫כמה חדרים יש בדירה שלכם‬

2

(4)

/

______ ?‫ כמה עמודים כבר קראת‬.3 ( 1)

______ ?‫ כמה הצגות ראית השנה‬.4

/ ( 2) A n s w e rs :

‫ שתי הצגות‬/ ‫ שתיים‬.4 ‫ עמוד אחד‬/ ‫ אחד‬,3

260

‫ ארבעה חדרים‬/ ‫ ארבעה‬.2

‫ שתי סטודנטיות‬/ ‫ שתיים‬.1

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b e rs

Adding a number to a definite noun Read the following passage: ‫ הם הזמינו של ושה סלטים וארבעה‬,‫בשבוע שעבר דני יצא לאכול במסעדה יחד עם שלושה חברים‬ ‫ את ארבעת הסטיקים וגם‬,‫ אחרי עשרים דקות המלצר הביא לשולחן את ש ל ושת הסלטים‬.‫סטיקים‬

.‫חמוצים ופיתות‬ Last week Danny went out to eat at a restaurant with three friends. They ordered three salads and four steaks. Twenty minutes later the waiter brought to the table the three salads, the four steaks and also olives, pickles and pitot.

The words ‫ סלטים‬and ‫ סטיקים‬appear twice in this passage. Let's look more closely at the phrases in which they appear each time they are mentioned: 2nd mention the three salads the four steaks

‫ש א ש ת הסלטים‬ ‫ארבעת הסטיקים‬

1st mention

‫ש א ש ה סלטים‬ ‫אךב^ה סטיקים‬

three salads four steaks

As you can see, these phrases are made definite the second time they are mentioned.

Q: To which word is -‫ ה‬added to make them definite? A: Unlike the English equivalents in which the is added before the number to make the whole phrase definite (the three salads, the four steaks), Hebrew adds -‫ ה‬before the noun (,‫הסלטים‬ ‫)הסטיקים‬, which here is the last word in the phrase. When there is more than one noun, the -‫ ה‬is on the last one, as in: the four chocolate cakes -‫* ארבע עוגות הש וק ולד ״‬sC This is typical o f smeechoot phrases.9 Now look again at the two mentions of the phrases with numbers.

Q: Does the form of the numbers change when they are attached to definite nouns? A: Yes. The number ‫( ש א ש ה‬shlo-SHA) changes to ‫( ש א ש ת‬SHLO-shet); the number ‫אךב^ה‬ ‫ )׳‬ar-ba-'A) changes to ‫ ( או־־בעת‬,ar-BA-'at). When masculine numbers from 3 to 10 are added to a definite noun, the ‫ ה‬- at the end of the number changes to ‫ת ׳‬. This is similar to smeechoot forms (e.g., ‫ קבוצה‬becomes ‫) קבוצת הכדורגל‬, but there are some differences: In masculine numbers, the vowel before the ‫ ת׳‬is sometimes eh 7

9

T

See the chapter "Smeechoot,” pp. 183-184, 186.

261

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b ers

(‫ )שלושת‬and sometimes ah (‫)ארבעת‬, and sometimes the stress in these words moves back one syllable, as in SHLO-shet and 'ar-BA-'at. There are some additional changes in the vowels as well, as you can see in the following list:

the three pages the four books the five children the six days the seven weeks

definite

indefinite

‫ש א ש ת ה עמ ו ד ים‬ SHLO-shet ‫א ן ב ע ת הספ ר ים‬ 'ar-BA-'at

‫של ושה עמ וד ים‬

-

3

shlo-SHA ‫ארבעה ספר ים‬

-

4

‫־‬

5

‫ש ישה ימים‬ shee-SHA ‫שבג^ה שב וע ות‬ sheev-A

‫־‬

6

‫־‬

7

‫שמ ונה כ יסא ות‬ shmo-NA ‫ת ש ^ ה ח ודש ים‬

‫־‬

8

‫־‬

9

-

10

‫ח מ ש ת הילד ים‬ cha-ME-shet ‫ש ש ת ה ימ ים‬ SHE-shet ‫שבעת הש ב ו ע ות‬ sheev-'AT

the eight chairs

‫שמ ו נת ה כ י ס א ות‬ shmo-NAT

the nine months

‫ת ש ע ת ה ח ו דש י ם‬ teesh-AT

the ten tribes

‫עש רת ה ש ב ט י ם‬ 'a-SE-ret

T T

< =

T

־‬

263

‫‪!.N u m b ers‬‬

‫‪VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /‬‬

‫?‪Want to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪W r it e the c o rre c t fo rm o f th e n u m b e r.‬‬

‫ה תי ק י ם החד שי ם שלך יפים בעיניי‪.‬‬

‫ו‪.‬‬

‫(‪) 2‬‬ ‫‪.2‬‬

‫למיכל יש __________________ י ל די ם‪ .‬כל __________‬

‫(‪) 4‬‬

‫____ י ל ד י ה עדיין לו מ די ם בבית ספר‪ .‬הבן‬

‫(‪) 4‬‬

‫הגדול שלה לו מ ד בבית ספר תיכון ו ______________‬

‫הילדים ה ק טני ם לו מ די ם בבית ספר יסודי‪.‬‬

‫(‪) 3‬‬ ‫‪.3‬‬

‫__ ס פ ר י ם חד שי ם וקיבלתי __________________ ס פ ר י ם במתנה‪.‬‬

‫קניתי‬

‫( ‪)2‬‬

‫(‪) 3‬‬ ‫קראתי את כל ___‬

‫__________ ה ס פ רי ם תוך חוד ש‪.‬‬

‫(‪) 5‬‬ ‫ה ה ר צ או ת ש ש מע תי היום היו מ צוינו ת‪ .‬אחרי הצוהריים א ש מ ע עוד‬

‫‪.4‬‬

‫(‪) 2‬‬ ‫_________________ הרצאו ת‪.‬‬

‫(‪) 3‬‬ ‫‪.5‬‬

‫מל ח מ ת __________________ הי מ י ם הייתה ב ‪. 1967-‬‬

‫(‪)6‬‬ ‫‪.6‬‬

‫מירי הרגישה מצוין בכל__________________ חו ד ש י ההיריון שלה‪.‬‬

‫(‪)9‬‬ ‫‪.7‬‬

‫נ סענו לצרפת ל‪ _________________ .‬י מ י ם‪ .‬ב _________________ ה י מ י ם הר א שוני ם ירד ג ש ם כל הזמן‪,‬‬ ‫(ז)‬

‫(‪) 10‬‬

‫ורק ב _________________ ה י מ י ם ה א חרוני ם יצאה השמש‪.‬‬

‫(‪) 3‬‬ ‫‪.8‬‬

‫רונית הגיעה לפגישה ע ם גלי ב אי חור של __________________ ד קו ת‪.‬‬

‫) ‪(1 0‬‬

‫‪A n s w e rs :‬‬

‫‪ .1‬שני‬ ‫‪.7‬‬

‫‪ .2‬ארבעה ‪ /‬ארבעת ‪ /‬שלושת‬

‫עשרה ‪ 1‬שבעת ‪ /‬שלושת‬

‫‪ .3‬שלושה ‪ /‬שני ‪ /‬חמשת‬

‫‪ .4‬שתי ‪ /‬שלוש‬

‫‪ *5‬ששת‬

‫‪ .6‬תשעת‬

‫‪ .8‬עשר‬

‫‪264‬‬

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b e rs

• Numbers 11 and up Numbers 11-19 (masculine andfeminine) These are the Hebrew numbers from 11 to 19: masculine ‫זכר‬ ‫י‬a-CHAD ‫י‬a-sar SHNEM ,a-sar

feminine ‫נקבה‬ -

11

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ש "נ י ם‬ I

12

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ח ד‬- ‫א‬-

,a-CHAT ,es-re12 SHTEM ,es-re

shlo-SHA ,a-sar

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ש ה‬T ‫ !ש א‬-

13

'ar-ba-'A 'a-sar cha-mee-SHA 'a-sar

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ע ה‬T ‫ב‬T ‫ “א!ר‬-

14

-

15

SHLOSH ‫׳‬es-re ,ar-BA ,es-re cha-MESH ,es-re

shee-SHA 'a-sar

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ש ה‬T ‫ ש י‬-

16

SHESH ,es-re

sheev-'A 'a-sar shmo-NA 'a-sar

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ע ה‬T ‫ יש !ב‬-

17

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫נ ה‬T 1‫ !ש מ‬-

18

SHVA ‫׳‬es-re SHMO-ne ,es-re

teesh-'A 'a-sar

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ע ה‬T ‫ 'ת !ש‬-

19

TSHA ,es-re

‫ש ר‬T ‫ע‬T ‫ש ה‬T ‫־ח־מ י‬:

‫־ א רו ת ע ש ר ה‬

11

‫ ש תי ם ע ש ר ה‬-

12

‫ ש א ש ע שרה‬-

13

‫ אךבע ע שר ה‬-

14

‫ ח מ ש ע שרה‬-

15

‫ ש ש ע שרה‬-

16

‫ שבע ע שרה‬-

17

‫ נ ה ע ש ר ה‬1‫ ש מ‬-

18

‫ ת שע ע שרה‬-

19

First let's look at numbers 1 3 1 9 ‫־‬.

Numbers 13-19 Read the following sentence: .‫בקבוצה שלנו יש חמש עשרה בנות וחמישה עשר בנים‬ In our group there are fifteen girls and fifteen boys.

Q: What is the difference between the two numbers above? A: In the feminine number ( ‫) חמש עשרה‬, the first part o f the number (‫ )חמש‬is short - as in the feminine number 5 (‫ )חמש‬- but the second part is long (‫ )עשרה‬- compensating, as it were, for the short part. In the masculine number, the reverse is true: the first word is long (‫)חמ ישה‬, while the second is short (‫)עשר‬. This happens in all numbers from 11-19. Here are some more examples: 19

17

13

feminine numbers : (‫(בנות‬ ‫ תשע עשרה‬/ ‫ שבע עשרה‬/ ‫״‬

Last summer we went to London. On our third day there, we went to a show (lit.: in the theater). We sat in the third row, and we could see everything. It was wonderful!

Q: What is the English translation o f Hebrew words ‫ שלישי‬and 22?‫שלישית‬ A: Both o f these words are translated as third. While English has only one set o f ordinal numbers (first, second, third...), Hebrew has two sets, one masculine and one feminine. These forms are added to nouns in the same way that adjectives are: each comes after its noun and matches it (masc. masc.,fem. fem., definite definite), for example: feminine

masculine

‫השורה השלישית‬

‫היום השלישי‬

-‫>י‬

21 In Hebrew: ‫מספרים סוךךים‬. The proper grammatical term is ordinal numerals. 22 Until this section, blue has been used for masculine numbers and red for feminine. From this point on, we have used colors for other purposes.

277

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b ers

Let's look at the forms of the ordinal numbers from 1 to 10:

first second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth tenth

feminine

masculine

‫ראשונה‬ ‫שנייה‬ ‫שלישית‬ ‫ךביעית‬ ‫חמישית‬ ‫שישית‬ ‫שביעית‬ ‫שמינית‬ ‫תשיעית‬ ‫עשירית‬

‫ראשון‬ ‫שני‬ ‫שלישי‬ ‫רביעי‬ ‫חמישי‬ ‫שישי‬ ‫שביעי‬ ‫שמיני‬ ‫תשיעי‬

T

T‫! ־‬

‫עשירי‬

Q: Do all the masculine forms end in ‫?י׳‬ A: All but the first do. The word ‫ ראשון‬is different, both in its form and in the fact that it is not related to the cardinal number ‫אחד‬. Q: In which of the masculine forms are the last two vowel sounds "ee... 66' (‫?)□ י ם י‬ A: In all but the first two ( ‫ שני‬,‫)ראשון‬. The forms from ‫ שלישי‬to ‫ עשירי‬are similar to each other in this respect. In addition, their feminine forms are all created simply by adding ‫ ת‬- to the end: ‫שלישית‬, ‫ רביעית‬and so on. The numbers ‫ ראשון‬and ‫ שני‬are different. Their feminine forms end in ‫;ה‬, as do many feminine adjectives (e.g., ‫)גדולה‬. Note that when we write without vowels, the word ‫( שנייה‬shnee-YA) is spelled with "23."‫יי‬ Ordinal numbers above tenth take the same form as cardinal (counting) numbers and match their noun, for example:

23 The form ‫ שנית‬exists, but is used in today's Hebrew to mean either again, as in: The teacher went over the exercise again. .‫«• המורה חזר על התרגיל שנית‬ or second(ly) in enumeration, as in: ,‫ ושלישית‬,‫ רצינו ללכת להצגה באנגלית‬,‫ שנית‬.‫ רצינו לבקר חברים שגרים שם‬,‫ ראשית‬.‫> בחרנו לנסוע ללונדון משלוש סיבות‬ .‫אף פעם לא היינו שם ורצינו לראות את העיר‬ We chose to go to London for three reasons. Firstfly), we wanted to visit friends who live there. Second(ly), we wanted to see a show in English, and third(ly), we've never been there and we wanted to see the city.

278

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b e rs

‫המאה האחת עשרה‬ the eleventh century

‫השבוע האחד ^שר‬ the eleventh week

‫השורה העשןים ושש‬ the twenty-sixth row

‫החודש העשרים ושישה‬ the twenty-sixth month

Note that, unlike the English twenty-sixth, Hebrew ordinals above tenth do not end with an ordinal form.

Ordinals with and without ‫ה־‬ The addition o f ordinals to definite nouns, as in the examples above and in the following sentences, is very common:24 .‫זאת הפעם הראשונה שהחברים שלנו באו לביתנו החדש‬.‫ו‬ This is the first time that our friends came to our new house. .‫ הנרי השמיני היה מלך אנגליה במאה השש עשרה‬,2 Henry the Eighth was the King of England in the sixteenth century. .‫ יובל הוא בעלה השני של סלי‬.3 Yuval is Tali's second husband (lit.: the second husband of Tali). As we see above, ordinals that follow definite nouns are made definite with a -‫ ה‬on the front, just like regular adjectives. Ordinals may also follow indefinite nouns - and match them (indef indef ), as in the following: ,‫ כל ילדה שנייה חולמת להיות שחקנית‬,‫לפי המחקר‬ According to the study, eveiy second girl dreams about being an actress.

-‫>י‬

.‫למרצה יש תואר ראשון בביולוגיה ותואר שני בכימיה‬ The lecturer has a B.A. (lit.: a first degree) in biology and an M.A. (lit.: a second degree) in chemistry.

24 For more on definiteness, see the chapter "Definite and Indefinite Nouns," pp. 52-59.

279

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

1. Numbers

Did you know? The names of the days of the week - except for ‫( שבת‬Saturday) - end in ordinal numbers: ‫יום שישי‬

‫יום חמישי‬

‫יום רביעי‬

‫יום שלישי‬

‫יום שני‬

‫יום ראשון‬

F riday

Thursday

W edn esd ay

Tuesday

M onday

Sunday

These words are regarded as

names

(proper nouns),

iike

-

like to eat breakfast at a cafe.

The form ‫( ימי‬instead of ‫ )ימים‬shows that the ordinal number (‫ )שישי‬behaves here as if it were a noun (and not an adjective), as in: ‫( ימי הולדת‬birthdays).

Plural forms o f ordinal numbers The ordinal number ‫ ראשון‬often appears in the plural, as in: During the first days of the strike... in the first years of the twentieth century...

...‫ב ימ ים הראשונים ש ל השב יתה‬ ...‫בש נ ים הראשונות של המאה העשרים‬

The use o f the other numbers in the plural is rare: .‫אלו הנישואים השניים של משה והנישואים השלישיים של שושנה‬ This is Moshe's second marriage and Shoshana's third marriage.

Ordinal numbers larger than tenth do not have a plural form.

280

‫‪!.N u m b e rs‬‬

‫‪VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /‬‬

‫‪Ordinal numbers without a noun‬‬ ‫‪Read the following:‬‬ ‫אתמול במסיבה שמעתי שלוש בדיחות חדשות‪ ,‬הראשונה הייתה מצחיקה מאוד‪ ,‬השנייה הייתה‬ ‫טיפשית‪ ,‬ואת השלישית לא הבנתי‪.‬‬ ‫‪Yesterday at the party I heard three new jokes. The first (one) was really funny, the second (one) was‬‬ ‫‪stupid and the third (one) I didn't understand.‬‬

‫‪ appear w ithout a noun and, in effect, turn into nouns, just as‬השלישית ‪ and‬השנייה ‪,‬הראשונה ‪Here‬‬ ‫‪regular adjectives can, as in:‬‬ ‫יש לנו שני בנים‪ .‬הגדול הוא בן ‪ , 14‬והצעיר בן ‪.8‬‬

‫>*‬

‫‪We have two sons. The older one is 14 years old, and the younger one is 8.‬‬

‫?‪Want to see if you've understood‬‬ ‫‪W rite the correct form of the ordinal number.‬‬ ‫‪ . 1‬מיכל לו מד ת ל תו אר __________________ ב ס פ רו ת אנגלית‪.‬‬

‫( ‪)2‬‬ ‫‪ .2‬רונית נמצאת בחוד ש ה _________________ ל הי ריון‪.‬‬

‫(‪)9‬‬ ‫‪ . 3‬ב חנו ת הספרים בקניון יש השבוע הנחה על כל ספר __________________ ש ק ו ני ם‪.‬‬

‫(‪) 3‬‬ ‫‪ .4‬מירי ידעה שהיא ת ת ח תן ע ם גדי כבר אחרי הפגישה ה __________________‬

‫(‪) 3‬‬ ‫‪ .5‬הסופר הרוסי לב טולסטז־י חי במאה ה _________________ ‪.‬‬ ‫(‪) 19‬‬ ‫‪ .6‬בפעם ה _________________ ש ר אי תי את ה סרט הבנתי או תו טוב יותר‪.‬‬

‫( ‪)2‬‬ ‫‪ .7‬דני הוא האמריקאי ה _________________ ש ז כ ה במרתון‪.‬‬ ‫)‪(25‬‬

‫‪Answers:‬‬ ‫‪ .1‬שני‬

‫‪281‬‬

‫‪ .2‬תשיעי‬

‫‪ .3‬שלישי‬

‫‪ . 4‬שלישית‬

‫‪ .5‬תשע עשרה‬

‫‪ .6‬שנייה‬

‫‪ .7‬עשרים וחמישה‬

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b ers

• Hebrew letters as numbers Each Hebrew letter has a numerical value, and combinations o f letters are also used:25 11 == 1 + 10 = ‫י״א‬ 12 = ‫י״ב‬

2 = ‫ב׳‬

300 = ‫ש׳‬

30 = ‫ל׳‬ 40 = ‫מ׳‬ 50 = ‫נ׳‬

13 = ‫י״ג‬ 14 = ‫י״ד‬ 15 = 6 + 9 = ‫ט״ו‬

3 = ‫ג׳‬ 4 = ‫ד׳‬ 5 = ‫ה׳‬

60 = ‫ס׳‬

6 = ‫ו׳‬ 7 = ‫ז׳‬ 8 = ‫ח׳‬

90 = ‫צ׳‬

16 = 7 + 9 = ‫ט״ז‬ 17 = 7 + 10 = ‫י״ז‬ 18 = ‫י״ח‬ 19 = ‫י״ט‬

9 = ‫ט׳‬

100 = ‫ק׳‬

20 = ‫כ׳‬

10 = ‫י׳‬

400 = ‫ת׳‬ 9 + 60 + 300 + 400 = ‫ת ש ס״ ט‬

70 = ‫ע׳‬ 80 = ‫פ׳‬

V

21 = 1 + 20 = ‫כ ״ א‬ 22 = ‫כ״ב‬

II

... 125 = 5 + 20 + 100 = ‫קכ״ה‬ 200 = ‫ר׳‬

The numbers ‫ ט״ו‬and ‫ ט״ז‬highlighted above are special in that they do not begin with ‫ י׳‬like the other teens. This is done in order to avoid writing forms o f the divine name in the Bible (both yod-heh and yod-vav are forms of the divine name in the Bible).26 Letters are used instead of numbers in expressions such as the following: 21 ,‫בר א שית ז׳‬

27‫ט״ו ב שבט‬

‫תרגיל ג׳‬

Genesis 7:21

TuBishvat (15th of Shv at)

exercise 3

‫שנה א׳‬

‫רמה ב׳‬

first year level two (of univ ersity study)

‫כיתה ו׳‬

‫י ו מ א׳‬

sixth grade

Sunday

Years are often written using letters, for example: ‫תרפ״ט‬. The numerical value of these numbers is 400 + 200 + 80 + 9 = 689. To arrive at the Hebrew year, add 5000: 5689. To convert 689 to the Gregorian year, add 1240 (= 1929).28

25 This system of assigning a numerical value to each letter is called gematria (‫)ג ימטר יה‬. 26 See, for example, Psalms 115:18 and the first syllable of names like ‫ יואל‬and ‫יונתן‬. 27 Usually the names of the letters are pronounced, as in ‫ כיתה י״ב‬kee-TA yood-BET, but in rare cases the letters are pronounced as if they were a word, as in ‫( ט״ו בשבט‬TOO beesh-VAT) the 15111 day of the Hebrew month Shv at. 28 Subtract 1 from the result (1929) to arrive at the Gregorian year in which the Hebrew year began. Thus, ‫תרפ״ט‬ is 1928-1929.

282

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b e rs

• Numbers with endings: ... ‫ של ושת נ ו‬, ‫שנינו‬

(both o f us, the three o f us...) ‫שנינו‬,‫ שתינו‬and the like Read the following passage written by a young girl: ,‫ שתינו רזות ונמוכות‬.‫ אחותי ואני דומות זו לזו‬.‫ שתי בנות ושני בנים‬:‫אנחנו ארבעה ילדים במשפחה‬ ‫ שניהם‬,‫ גם שני האחים שלנו דומים זה לזה‬.‫לשתינו יש שער שחור ארוך ושתינו אוהבות לצחוק‬ ,‫בלונדינים ושניהם שקטים ורציניים‬

-‫>־‬

We are four children in our family: two girls and two boys. My sister and I resemble each other. Both of us are thin and short, we both have long, black hair and we both like to laugh. Our brothers also resemble each other. Both of them are blond and both of them are quiet and serious.

Q: To whom do the highlighted words ‫ שתינו‬and ‫ שניהם‬in the above passage refer? A: ‫ שתינו‬refers to ‫( אחותי ואני‬my sister and I), which could also be expressed with the pronoun ‫אנחנו‬. We can regard ‫ שתינו‬as a combination o f ‫ שתי‬and .‫אנחנו‬ ‫ שניהם‬refers to ‫ שני האחים שלי‬, which could also be expressed with the pronoun ‫הם‬. Here, too, we can regard ‫ שניהם‬as a combination of ‫ שני‬and ‫הם‬. Let's look again at the first form: ‫שתינו‬, whose base form is ‫שתי‬. Q: Why do we use the feminine number ‫?שתי‬ A: Because both ‫ אחותי‬and ‫ אני‬refer to females. If the reference had been to two males or to a female and a male, the form ‫ שנינו‬would have been used. The ending ‫נו‬- (like ‫ )אנחנו‬is both masculine and feminine. Now let's look at the other form in the passage above: ‫שניהם‬, whose base form is ‫שני‬.

Q: Is only‫ ׳‬this part of the word masculine? A: No, both the base form ‫ שני‬and the ending ‫הם‬- are masculine. We use the masculine forms to refer to two males (as is the case here) or to a male and a female. In the form used to refer to two females, both elements are feminine: ‫ הן => שתיהן‬+ ‫>*■ שתי‬

283

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers /

!.N u m b ers

The same principles that apply to the forms ‫ שתיהן‬/ ‫( שניהם‬both of them), apply also when we turn to two people (‫ אתם‬or ‫ )אתן‬and address them. Here are examples o f their use:

masculine:

?‫ שניכם מברזיל‬,1‫ מךסל וךיקךד‬Marcel and Ricardo, are both of you from Brazil?

feminine■.

?‫ שתיכן מדברות צרפתית‬,‫ מרים ובךיז׳יט‬Miriam and Brigitte, do both of you speak French?

*‫י־ חלק מהם‬ In more formal Hebrew, we can add endings to the word ‫ חלק‬and say : 10 Some of them stayed to help..‫חללןם נשארו לעזור‬

The most commonly used forms of ‫ חלק‬with an ending are : ‫חלקן‬

,‫וזללןם‬

,‫חלקכן‬

,‫חלקכם‬

,‫חלקנו‬

,‫חללןה‬

,1‫חלק‬

Here's another example : .‫ מכיר) את דעותיי״‬:or ( ‫ ״חלקכם בוודאי מכירים‬:‫ראש הממשלה אמר לאנשים בקהל‬ )‫(=חלק מכם‬ The Prime Minister said to the people in the audience: "Some of you are certainly familiar with my views."

Chapter summary ♦ All Hebrew quantifiers that denote all or part o f a whole are followed by a definite noun. Some never take ‫ מן‬/‫ מ־‬before the definite noun and some require that ‫ מן‬/-‫ מ‬be used: with ‫ מן‬/ -‫ מ‬in Hebrew

no ‫ מן‬/-‫ מ‬in Hebrew

­ ‫חלק מה‬ ­ ‫ שלישמה‬/ ‫ רבע‬/ ‫חצי‬ ­ ‫ מה‬...20% / 50% ­ ‫ מה‬...‫ שלושה‬/ ‫שניים‬

10 In formal Hebrew, additional words may also take endings, for example : .‫ חציים גרים בירושלים וחציים גרים מחוץ לירושלים‬.‫> לא כל התלמידים בכיתה גרים בירושלים‬

Not all the students in the class live in Jerusalem. Half of them live in Jerusalem and half of them live outside of Jerusalem.

297

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers / 2. A ll, Part o f...: Quantifiers

♦ When a predicate matches a subject containing a quantifier, it usually matches the noun that comes after the quantifier (sent. 1). In some cases, it matches the quantifier itself (sent. 2): Some of the people tiiink that

»;./>/. m.pl. ‫ חלק מהאנשים חושבים ש‬.‫ו‬

Some of the people think that...

m.s

m.s. ...2. ‫חלק מהאנשים חושב ש‬

-
״‬

T

When these serve as the subject, a matching predicate usually matches the endings.

W ant to see if you've understood? A . W rite ‫ מ־‬w h e re it is n eeded a n d X w h e re it is not needed. W h e n the b la n k is long, w rite the q u a n tifie r w ith the a p p ro p ria te e n d in g .

. ‫איפה כל ____התלמידים? איפה‬

.‫ו‬

)‫(כל‬

_‫ ו‬,18 ‫חלק ____האנשים שלא אוהבים את השם שלהם מחליטים להחליף אותו בגיל‬

.2

)‫(חלק‬

.‫ממשיכים לחיות עם שם שהם לא אוהבים‬

.‫________________________הספרים שרחל קונה הם של סופרים ישראלים‬ .‫ את שאר ___התמונות נתלה מחר‬.‫ כבר תלינו חלק ____התמונות שהיו לנו בדירה הקודמת‬.4 .‫ ו __________בכינו‬,‫ סוף הסרט היה עצוב מאוד‬.‫הלכתי לקולנוע עם שתי חברות‬ )‫(כל‬

.‫הסטודנטים נכשלו בבחינה ___________ רוצים להיבחן שוב‬.

30%

)‫(רוב‬ A nsw ers:

‫ רובם‬,‫ מ‬.6

298

‫ כולנו‬.X 5 ,‫ מ‬.X 4 .3

‫ חלקם‬,‫ מ‬.2

‫ כולם‬,X .‫ו‬

.5

VIII. Numbers and Quantifiers / 2. All, Part o f...: Quantifiers

B. Translate. 1. M ost Israelis like to tra v e l. 2. Some (‫ )חלק‬o f the students in our class d id n 't do the homework, but most of them finished everything.

3. All children like to p la y . 4. The tourists told the waiter: "Most of us know Hebrew, but some (‫ )חלק‬of us know only French."

Answers: .‫ רוב הישראלים אוהבים לטייל‬.‫ו‬ .‫ ג מ רו( א ת) הכול‬/‫ אבל רובם סיי מו‬,‫ חלק מהתלמידים בכיתה שלנו לא ע שו את שיעורי הבית‬.2 .‫ כל הילדים אוהבים לשחק‬.3 ‫ אבל חלק מ אי תנו יודעים (יודע) רק צרפתית״‬,‫ ״רובנו יודעים עברית‬:‫ התיירים א מרו למלצר‬.4

299

IX. Adverbials Introduction Compare the Hebrew sentences in Columns A and B: B Yossi stood at the bus stop. He waited there.

A

.‫יוסי עמד בתחנת האוטובוס‬ .‫הוא חיכה שם‬

.‫ו‬

.‫האוטובוס הגיע מיד‬

.2

The bus arrived immediately.

Yossi stood. He waited.

.‫ יוסי עמד‬.‫ו‬ .‫הוא חיכה‬ .‫ האוטובוס הגיע‬. 2

The bus arrived. .‫האוטובוס נסע אחרי דקה‬

.‫האוטובוס נסע‬ The bus departed.

The bus departed a minute later. Yossi sat alone. He read quietly.

.‫יוסי ישב לבד‬ .‫הוא קרא בשקט‬

.Yossi sat

.‫ יוסי ישב‬. 3 .‫הוא קרא‬

Q: What is the difference between the two columns? A: In Column A, we have sentences with only a subject and a verb, whereas in Column B, information is added to the verb. Q: What kind of information is added in Column B in each o f the groups of sentences (1 ,2 and 3)? A: In Group 1, we are told where Yossi stood and waited. In Group 2, we are told when the bus arrived and departed. In Group 3, we are told how Yossi sat and read. Notice that the additions in Column B include single wordscalled adverbs1 (‫ לבד‬,‫ מיד‬,‫ ) שם‬and prepositional phrases ( ‫ בשקט‬,‫ אחרי דקה‬,‫) בתחנת האוטובוס‬. We have only given you a taste here o f these additions, which are called adverbials (‫)ת יאוו־ ים‬. In this unit, we will deal with the following adverbials:

1 In Hebrew these are called ‫על‬1‫תוארי פ‬.

300

IX. Adverbials /

1. W h e re Expressions

1. Where Expressions 2. When Expressions 3. How Long Expressions and How Often Expressions ( ‫ פל בוקר‬,‫ פל הבוקר‬,‫ שבוע‬,‫) לשבוע‬ 4. How Expressions (.‫ במהירות״‬,‫)מהר‬ Further treatment of adverbials can be found in Part Five "Telling When, Why and the Like in Sentences of Three Types" (chapters on Time Sentences, Reason Sentences, etc.), pp. 903-1003.

Q Where Expressions (...‫ הביתה‬,‫ למשרד‬,‫) פאן‬ Preview • Adverbials o f place and direction • The directional ending

‫ה' המגמה‬

• Adverbials o f place and direction Read the following passage : ‫ כל יום ראשון הוא יוצא מירושלים‬.‫ אבל יובל עובד חלק מ ה ש בו ע בחיפה‬,‫ יובל ורחל גרים פה בירושלים‬-C ‫ הוא נכנס לבית קפה וקורא ש ם‬,7:30 ‫ א ם הוא מגיע ל שם לפני‬.‫ בבוקר כדי להגיע בזמן למשרד‬5:00 -‫ב‬ ‫ הוא חוזר לביתו ביום‬.‫ יובל עובד ב חיפה שלו שה ימים וישן ש ם אצל א חו תו‬.8:00 ‫א ת עיתון הבוקר עד‬ .‫שלישי בערב‬ Yuval and Rachel live here in Jerusalem, but Yuval works part of the week in Haifa. Every Sunday he leaves Jerusalem at 5:00 a.m. in order to get to Ms office 011 time. If he gets there before 7:30, he goes into a cafe and reads the morning paperthere until 8:00. Yuval works three days in Haifa and sleeps there at his sister's house He returns home (lit.: to his home) on Tuesday evening.

The words and phrases highlighted in the passage above are adverbials o f place and direction2 Adverbials o f place answer the question ?‫( איפה‬Where?), while adverbials o f direction answer the questions ?‫ מ אי פ ה‬/ ?‫( מאין‬From where?) and ?‫( לאן‬Where? = (to) where).' 2

3

Many grammar books include adverbials o f direction under the rubric of ach’erbials ofplace. We have chosen to differentiate between them in our discussion: We use ach’erbials o f place for those with a static quality, while adverbials o f direction indicate the direction of movement. On question words referring to place, see the chapter "Asking Questions," pp. 821-824.

301

IX. Adverbials /

1. W here Expressions

Try this:

List the adverbials highlighted in the passage above in the appropriate column: adverbials o f direction (?‫)מאין? לאן‬

adverbials o f place (?‫)א יפה‬

H ere's the solution :

adverbials o f direction (?‫)מאין? לאן‬

adverbials o f place (?‫)א יפה‬

‫מירושלים‬

‫פה‬

‫למשרד‬

‫בירושלים‬

‫לשם‬ ‫לבית קפה‬

‫בחיפה‬

‫לביתו‬

‫שם‬ ‫בחיפה‬ ‫שם‬ ‫אצל א חו תו‬

Q: In which of the two columns above is there a preposition in each expression? A: The adverbials of direction (in the left-hand column) all have a preposition in Hebrew - either -‫ מ‬or -‫ל‬. In contrast, adverbials of place (in the right-hand column) can appear either with a preposition (such as - ‫ב‬, ‫ אצל‬and the like) added to a noun (...‫ אח ות ו‬, ‫ ) יר ושל ים‬or without a preposition (in the case o f one-word adverbs): ‫ שם‬and ‫ פ ה‬. Adverbials of place are used with "static" (non-motion) verbs, such as ‫( גר‬live), ‫( עובד‬work), ‫קורא‬ ‫( ישן‬sleep), as we see in the passage above. They can also appear in non-verb sentences such as: .‫ יוסי בבית‬.‫( אני פה‬I am here. Yossi is at home,). (read) and

Let's concentrate now on the adverbials of direction in the above passage (...‫ למשרד‬, ‫)מ יר ושל ים‬.

302

IX. Adverbials /

1. W here Expressions

Q: Which verbs come before these adverbials? A: Verbs of motion, all o f which require - ‫( מ‬or ‫ ) מן‬and/or -‫( ל‬or ‫ ) א ל‬when the direction of the

motion is indicated:4 (he) leaves Jerusalem to get to the office (he) gets there (he) goes into a cafe (he) returns home

‫מירושלים‬ ‫למשרד‬ ‫לשם‬ ‫לבית קפה‬ ‫לביתו‬

‫יוצא‬ ‫להגיע‬ ‫מגיע‬ ‫נכנס‬ ‫חוזר‬

B e c a r e fu l! As you can see in the sentences above, the corresponding English verbs of motion do not always require the use of the preposition to (e.g., he gets / arrives there, he returns home).

The verbal nouns o f verbs that require ‫ מן‬/ - ‫ מ‬and ‫ אל‬/ - ‫ ל‬take the same prepositions as their verbs when adverbials of direction follow them: .‫בחג הפסח אנחנו קוראים בהגדה על היציאה ממצרים‬ On Passover we read in the haggadah about the Exodus from Egypt. The trip to Eilat was tiring.

.‫הנסיעה לאילת הייתה מעייפת‬

• The directional ending ‫ה׳ המ גמה‬ Read the following passage: ‫ ושם פנינו ימינה במקום‬,‫ בדרך הביתה עברנו ליד כרמיאל‬.‫לפני חודשיים טיילנו ארבעה ימים בצפון‬ .‫ רק כעבור עשר דקות הבנו שטעינו‬.‫שמאלה‬ Two months ago we traveled around the north for four days. On the way home, we took the road next to Carmiel, where we turned right instead of left. Only after ten minutes did we realize that we had made a mistake.

Unlike the sentences in the previous section, here the two verbs o f motion (‫ חזרנו‬and ‫ )פנינו‬are not followed in the Hebrew by the preposition -‫ ל‬, but rather by the words ‫הביתה‬, ‫ ימינה‬and ‫ ש מ א ל ה‬, which are adverbials of direction.

4

For another option, see the discussion on the directional ending ‫ה‬- below. It should also be noted that the preposition -‫ מ‬can be used also in non-verb sentences, as in: ‫( בוריס מרוסיה‬Boris is from Russia).

303

IX. Adverbials /

1. W here Expressions

Q: What do these adverbials have in common? A: They all end in an unstressed ‫;ה‬: ‫ הביתה‬Qia-BAI-ta), ‫( ימינה‬ya-MEE-na‫(׳‬, ‫( שמאלה‬SMO-la). This is often called the directional heh5 ( ‫ ) ה׳ המגמה‬and usually has the same meaning as ‫ אל‬/ - ‫( ל‬to) or ‫( לכיוון‬in the direction of): (to) home 6(...‫ שלו‬,‫ שלך‬,‫הב יתה = אל הבית (שלי‬ (to the) right ‫ימינה = לכיוון ימין‬ (to the) left ‫שמאלה = לכיוון שמאל‬ The directional ending ‫ ;ה‬may be added only to a limited number of words. Here are some more examples: Move to the side, please, so that we, too, can see.

.‫ כדי שגם אנחנו‬,‫ בבקשה‬,‫ זוז הצדה‬.‫נוכל לראות ו‬

The immigrants arrived in (= got to) Israel in 2000.

.2000

■

Already inBiblical Hebrew ‫ שמה‬is used to mean not only ‫לשם‬, but also 33) ‫ שם‬times!). Fortwo other examples in which the directional ending has lost its directional meaning, see the discussion of ‫ למעלה‬and ‫ למסה‬below.

305

IX. Adverbials /

1. W here Expressions

‫ למסה‬/ ‫( למץלה‬up / down) Read the following two sentences: We went up / upstairs. We went down / downstairs.

.‫״*״־‬ ‫עלינו למעלה‬C .‫ירדנו למסה‬ T ‫־‬

!

Q: In what way are the words ‫ למעלה‬and ‫ למסה‬different from the other words with a directional ending that we have seen so far? A: These words have both a -‫ ל‬o f direction in front of them and a directional ending: ‫למטה‬

‫למעלה‬

This is not the only way in which these words are peculiar. Look at the following sentences: We sat upstairs. We played downstairs.

.‫־‬

‫־‬ A number of flights leave Israel for Turkey every day (daily). Michal takes the dog for a walk every morning.

.‫מיכל לוקחת את הכלב לטיול מדי בוקר‬

The expression ‫ מדי פעם‬is also commonly used, as in:

.‫כולנו טועים מדי פעם־‬

We all make mistakes (every) once in a while.

Double words: ‫לילה לילה י יום יום‬ Here is still another way to say that something happens consistently: Noa goes to the university every day (daily). She works at the restaurant every night (nightly).

.‫נועה נוסעת לאוניברסיטה יום יום‬

•‫C

♦ For expressing frequency (!every ..., once in a...):

-

We can use ‫ כל‬followed by a noun that is not definite: ‫ כל יום‬,‫כל בוקר‬ or : ‫ בכל יום‬,‫בכל בוקר‬

every morning, every day

- We can use ‫ מדי‬followed by a noun: every morning, every week

‫ מדי שבוע‬,‫מ די בוקר‬

*>

‫ בוקר בוקר‬,‫יום יום‬

->

- We can double the time unit, as in: every day / daily, every morning

- We can use variations o f - ‫ פ ע ם ב‬: .‫> הם אוכלים בשר פ ע ם בשבוע‬ They eat meat once a week. They meet three times a month. .‫הם נפגשים שלו ש פ ע מי ם בחודש‬

W ant to see if you've understood? C hoose the co rre c t H e b re w tra n s la tio n .

‫הם נפגשים‬

They meet weekly.

.‫ו‬

)‫ שבוע שבוע‬/ ‫(כל השבוע‬ W e travel to Turkey every year.

_________ ‫אנחנו נוסעים לטורקיה‬

.2

)‫ כל שנה‬/ ‫(כל השנה‬

. ‫בישלתי‬

.3

________ ‫הם נוסעים לאילת‬

.4

I cooked all morning.

)‫ כל בוקר‬/ ‫(כל הבוקר‬ They g o to Eilat once a year.

)‫ כל השנה‬/ ‫(פעם בשנה‬ I thought about you all summer.

_______________ ‫חשבתי עלייך‬

.5

)‫ כל הקיץ‬/ ‫(קיץ קיץ‬ She watches the news on television every night.

____ ‫היא צופה בחדשות בטלוויזיה‬

.6

)‫ ערב ערב‬f ‫(כל הערב‬

337

‫‪IX. Adverbials / 3. How Long Expressions and How Often Expressions‬‬

‫‪.7‬‬

‫הספורטאי מ ת א מן ___________________‬ ‫(פעמיים ביום ‪ /‬כל היום)‬

‫‪.8‬‬

‫הוא הסתכל בשעון שלו‬

‫‪.9‬‬

‫לא ישנתי‬

‫‪The athlete trains twice a day.‬‬

‫‪He looked at his watch every hour.‬‬

‫(כל שעה ‪ /‬כל השעה)‬ ‫‪I d id n 't sleep the whole night.‬‬

‫(כל לילה ‪ /‬כל הלילה)‬ ‫‪ . 10‬יוני נוסע לעבודה באוטובוס ___‬ ‫(מדי בוקר ‪ /‬כל הבוקר)‬

‫‪Yoni goes to w ork by bus‬‬ ‫‪every morning.‬‬

‫‪Answers:‬‬

‫‪ .1‬שבוע שבוע ‪ .2‬כל שנה ‪ .3‬כל הבוקר ‪ .4‬פעם בשנה ‪ .5‬כל הקיץ ‪ .6‬ערב ערב ‪ .7‬פעמיים ביום‬ ‫‪ .8‬כל שעה ‪ .9‬כל הלילה ‪ .10‬מדי בוקר‬

‫‪338‬‬

Q How Expressions P re vie w ‫ ״‬Single-word how expressions )‫ ק שה‬,‫(מהר‬ • Phrases expressing how )‫ בלי לחכות‬,‫ בצורה ישירה‬,‫(במהירות‬ ‫ ״‬Double words )...‫ ילד ילד‬,‫( אח ד אחד‬ ‫ ״‬How ? In what state?

Introduction .Read the following passage about Ron, a sixteen-year-old who decided to drop out o f school Ron had already made his decision, but he wasn't sure how he should break the news to his parents . ‫ או אולי פ שו ט להודיע ל ה ם‬,‫ ה א ם לספר ל ה ם ל א ט לאט‬.‫רון לא ידע איך לספר להוריו על ה ח ל ט תו‬ ‫ לבסוף‬.‫ הוא לא ידע א ם הם יגיבו ב כ ע ס או בהבנה‬.‫ בלי ל חכו ת לתגובה‬- ‫מהר ולצאת מיד מ ה ח ד ר‬ .‫הוא ה ח לי ט לספר ל ה ם בצורה ישירה ב תקוו ה ש ה ם יגיבו בדרך הגיונית‬

-C

Ron didn't know how to tell his parents about his decision. Should he tell them slowly and gradually or should he simply tell them quickly and then leave the room immediately, without waiting for their reaction. He wasn't sure if they would react angrily or with understanding. In the end he decided to tell them straight-out (in a direct, straightforward way), in the hope that they would react in a reasonable way.

All the highlighted words in this passage describe how the actions are done. They answer the question ?‫( איך‬How?), or in more formal Hebrew: ?‫כיצד‬. As you can see, many of these how expressions in English end in -ly, but this is not the only form that they take in English. In Hebrew, too, how expressions are constructed in a variety of ways.

339

IX. Adverbials / 4 . How Expressions

• Single-word how expressions Adverbs Some how expressions are single words (adverbs)‫}׳‬ ‫היסב‬

‫פתאום‬

‫מהי‬

well

suddenly

quickly

Some of the Hebrew expressions are perceived by us as single words, but they are actually made up of two parts: ‫לפתע‬ suddenly

‫לגמרי‬ totally, completely

‫לבד‬ alone

‫לאט‬ slowly

‫מיד‬ immediately

-‫>י‬

Here are some examples of how they are used: They speak well. He always sits alone. Suddenly he started crying.

.‫הם מדברים היטב‬ .‫הוא תמיד יושב לבד‬

.‫פתאום הוא התחיל לבכות‬

Adjectives used as how expressions Here are some more how expressions that are single words: He is working hard. They draw nicely. They are sleeping soundly. She is progressing wonderfully.

.‫הוא עובד קשה‬ .‫הם מציירים יפה‬ .‫הם ישנים עמוק‬ .‫היא מתקדמת נפלא‬

Q: What is common to the words ‫קשה‬, ‫יפה‬, ‫ עמוק‬and ‫?נפלא‬ A: They are all adjectives, but here they describe not a noun, but a verb. Like the adverbs ‫מהר‬ (quickly) and ‫( פתאום‬suddenly), they tell how: how he works, how they draw, how they sleep, how she is progressing. Q: Do these adjective how expressions match the verb? (For example: if the verb is plural, are they plural?)

A: No, when adjectives are used as how expressions they are always used in the masculine singular (‫ )הוא‬form even with verbs that are not masculine singular. 1

340

These are called adverbs o f manner.

IX. Adverbials / 4 . How‫ ׳‬Expressions

Here are some more examples: You (rn.pl) sing well. They write beautifully (excellently).

.‫א ת ם שרים סוב‬ .‫הן כותבות מצוין‬

W a n t to s e e if y o u 'v e u n d e r s to o d ?

Choose the correct form. ___________________ ‫ ו א ת ם שרים כל כך‬, __________________ ‫ה שירים האלה מ מ ש‬ )‫ מקסימים‬/ ‫(מקסים‬ )‫ מקסימים‬/ ‫(מקסים‬

.1

___________________ ‫ ואת נוהגת‬, __________________ ‫המכונית הזאת‬ )‫ נהדרת‬/ ‫(נהדר‬

.2

.‫התרגילים ___________________ ה ת ל מי די ם עובדים __________________ כ די לפתור או ת ם‬ )‫ קשים‬/ ‫(קשה‬ )‫ קשים‬/ ‫(קשה‬

.3

___________________ ‫תדברי ___________________ ח ש ו ב לדבר עברית‬ )‫ נכונה‬/ ‫(נכון‬

.4

Answers: ‫ נכונה‬,‫ נכון‬.4

‫ קשה‬,‫ קשים‬. 3

‫ נהדר‬,‫ נהדרת‬.2

‫ מקסים‬,‫ מקסימים‬.1

• Phrases expressing how The preposition ‫ב־‬followed by a noun In the passage above, we saw that Ron didn't know whether his parents would react ‫( בכעס‬angrily) or ‫( בהבנה‬with understanding). Q: What do the expressions ‫ בכעס‬and ‫ בהבנה‬have in common? A: They are both made up of -‫ ב‬followed by a noun: 2.‫כעס‬+‫ ב‬,‫הבנה‬+‫ ב‬Usually they are translated with the English -ly ending. Sometimes the English parallel contains with : with understanding (‫)בהב נה‬, with pleasure (‫)ברצ ו ן‬.

2

The pronunciation of -‫ ב‬is often affected by the first vowel of the word that follows it. Thus, according to the rules of grammar, the vowel of ‫ ב־‬changes in expressions like ‫ בהבנה‬and ‫( ברצינות‬seriously). In a word like ‫בהבנה‬, today's Hebrew speakers often pronounce the initial -‫ ב‬as beh, without regard for the rules of grammar.

341

IX. Adverbials / 4 . How Expressions

Here are some more how expressions with the same structure: .‫< < הוא עשה זאת ב ש מ ח ה‬ ?‫למה את מדברת בשלןט‬ ♦‫לא עשיתי את זה בכוונה‬

He did it gladly. why are you talking quietly? 1 didn't do it on purpose.

Many nouns that are added to -‫ ב‬to create how expressions have the abstract ending ‫ות‬-: .‫היא דיברה בהתרג שות‬ .‫הם עובדים ברצינות רבה‬

She spoke excitedly. They are working very seriously.

Though, in theory, a great many nouns can be added to - ‫ ב‬to make a how expression, in practice only certain nouns are used. Knowing which ones are used is a matter of exposure: once you encounter one of these expressions in use, you can begin to use it yourself.

‫בצורה‬, ‫בדרך‬, ‫ בא ופ ן‬followed by an adjective There are still other ways to say how. In the passage at the beginning o f this chapter, we read the following: Ron decided to tell them straight-out .‫רון החליט לספר להם בצורה ישירה‬ (in a direct, straightforward way).

‫( בצורה‬lit.: in a ... form) is always followed by an adjective. Here it is followed by ‫( ישירה‬direct), creating a how expression that means in a direct manner. Q: Why is the feminine form ‫ ישירה‬used? A: Because the word ‫צורה‬, which it describes, is feminine. Here are some more examples:

f o f He spoke in a clear manner (clearly). Think logically! You presented this in an interesting way.

.‫הוא דיבר בצורה ברורה‬

->

f o f !‫תחשוב בצורה הגיונית‬ f o f .‫הצגתם את זה בצורה מעניינת‬

Instead o f ‫ בצורה‬sometimes the words ‫( בךךןז‬lit.: in a ... way) and ‫ פן‬1‫( בא‬lit.: in a ... manner) are used, also followed by an adjective, as in: The interviewer asked difficult questions pleasantly. The newscaster spoke clearly (lit.: in a clear manner).

342

.‫ המראיינת שאלה ש א לו ת ק שו ת בדרך נעימה‬.‫ו‬ .2. ‫הקריינית דיברה באופן ברור‬

IX. Adverbials / 4 . How‫ ׳‬Expressions

Notice that ‫דרך‬, like ‫צורה‬, is feminine, so the adjective after it is feminine, too (in sentence 1: ‫)בדרך נעימה‬. In contrast, ‫ אופן‬is masculine, therefore the adjective that follows it is in the masculine form (in sentence 2: ‫) באופן ברור‬.

Be careful!

You can't use just any adjective with any one of these (‫ באופן‬,‫ בדרך‬,‫)בצורה‬. Again it is a matter of what sounds right to the native speaker - there are no rules here.

‫ בלי‬followed by an infinitive In the passage at the beginning of this chapter, we read that Ron was thinking of leaving the room ‫( בלי ל חכות לתגובה של ההורים‬without waiting for his parent's response). ‫ בלי‬means without. Q: What comes after ‫ בלי‬in this example? A: The infinitive ‫ ל ח כו ת‬. Note the English translation is without waiting, whereas the Hebrew is, literally, without to wait. It is very common to find an infinitive after ‫בלי‬. Here are some more examples: We did this without thinking. You succeeded on the exam without studying.

.‫**■ עשינו את זה בלי לח שוב‬C .‫הצלחת במבחן בלי ללמוד‬

Let's review ♦ Hebrew has a limited number o f single-word how expressions that are adverbs, as in: He speaks well. .‫הוא מדבר היטב‬ ♦ Sometimes the masculine singular form of an adjective is used as a how expression, as in: We worked hard. .‫עבדנו ק שה‬ ♦ Often the preposition ‫ ב־‬is combined with a noun to form a how expression: You did it willingly.

.5*•‫ עשית זאת ברצון־‬C

♦ Many how expressions are formed with the words ‫ באופן‬,‫ בדרך‬,‫ בצורה‬followed by an adjective, as in:

343

IX. Adverbials /

4. H o w Expressions

♦

.‫הוא הגיע לפה באופן מיוחד‬

.‫הוא מדבר בדרך מיוחדת‬

.‫הוא מתלבש בצורה מיוחדת‬

He came here specially.

He speaks in a special way.

He dresses in a special way.

Another kind of how expression is formed by using ‫ בלי‬followed by an infinitive: She answered without thinking. .‫היא ענתה בלי לחשוב‬

W ant to see if you've understood? T ra n s la te the f o l l o w i n g sen tence s using h o w e x p r e s s io n s as in d ic a t e d . A.

B.

C.

344

Use o n e o f the f o l l o w i n g a d v e r b s : ‫ הי ט ב‬,‫ לב ד‬,‫ מיד‬, ‫ ל א ט‬, ‫ מ ה ר‬.

1.

They write well.

2.

We asked that they (m.pl.) leave immediately.

Use o n e o f the f o l l o w i n g a d je c tiv e s : ‫ ט ו ב‬,‫ יפ ה‬, ‫ א י ט י‬, ‫ מ ה י ר‬.

3.

She speaks nicely.

4.

They write well.

Use ‫ ב־‬f o l l o w e d b y a n o u n , as in: ‫ בהבנה‬, ‫ ב כ ע ס‬.

5.

She learns languages easily.

6.

I will do it (lit.: this) willingly.

7.

She went (traveled) there quickly.

8.

Stop (m.pl.) speaking cynically!

IX. Adverbials / 4 . How‫ ׳‬Expressions

D.

Use ‫ בדרך‬f o l l o w e d b y a n a d je c t i v e , as in: ‫ ב ד ר ך מ י ו ח ד ת‬. 9.

You

(m.pl.)

solved the problem elegantly.

10. M iri celebrated her birthday in an original way.

E.

Use ‫ ב או פן‬f o l l o w e d b y a n a d je c t i v e , as in: ‫ ב א ו פ ן מ י ו ח ד‬.

11. We asked that they

12.

F.

leave immediately.

It is possible to solve the matter discreetly (adj.

‫) ד י ס ק ר ט י‬.

Use ‫ ב צ ו ר ה‬f o l l o w e d b y a n a d j e c t i v e , as in: ‫ ב צ ו ר ה ברורה‬. 13.

G.

(m.pl.)

The child doesn't know how to speak in a different way.

Use ‫ בלי‬f o l l o w e d b y a n in fin itiv e , as in: ‫ ב לי ל ח כ ו ת‬. 14.

One can't (lit.: It is impossible to) succeed without trying.

15.

It's hard to build the plane without reading the instructions

( ‫)ה ו רא ות‬.

A nsw ers:

.‫ הם כותבים טוב‬.4

.‫ היא מדברת יפה‬. 3

.‫ ביקשנו שהם יעזבו מיד‬. 2

.‫ הם כותבים היטב‬.1

.‫היא נסעה לשם במהירות‬.7 .‫ אני אעשה את זה ברצון‬. 6 .‫ היא לומדת שפות בקלות‬.5 .‫ פתרתם את הבעיה בדרך אלגנטית‬.9 .‫ תפסיק לדבר בציניות‬.8 .‫ ביקשנו שהם יעזבו באופן מיידי‬. 11 .‫ מירי חגגה את יום הולדתה בדרך מקורית‬.10 .‫ הילד אינו יודע לדבר בצורה אחרת‬. 13 .‫ אפשר לפתור את הבעיה באופן דיסקרטי‬. 12 .‫ קשה לבנות את המטוס בלי לקרוא את ההוראות‬. 15 .‫ אי אפשר להצליח בלי לנסות‬. 14

345

IX. Adverbials / 4. How Expressions

• Double words Here is another way of forming how expressions: .‫הילדים נכנסו אחד אחד‬ .‫תקראו את הסיפור קטע קטע‬

The children entered one by one. Read the story one passage at a time.

Q: What is common to both these how expressions? A: In both of them a word is repeated. This kind of construction is commonly used with numbers, groups and time units: ...‫ זוגות זוגות‬/ ‫ שלושה שלושה‬/ ‫הם נכ נס ו שניים שניים‬

-C

They entered two‫־‬by‫־‬two (in twos) / three‫־‬by-three (in threes) / in pairs... ...‫ שבוע שבוע‬/ ‫ה יא באה אל י נ ו יום יום‬

She comes to our house every day (daily) / every week (weekly)...

When numbers are used, they match the noun in gender:

masculine:

.‫ שניים שניים‬/ ‫הב נ ים נכ נס ו אחד אחד‬

-*
מדבר‬ ‫דיברודיברה=»דיבר‬

First and second person form s (‫ אתן‬,‫ אתם‬,‫ אנחנו‬,‫ את‬,‫ אתה‬,‫) אני‬ In the first and second persons, we add endings that begin with a consonant (-tee, -ta, -t, -noo, -tern, -ten): dee-BER :‫הוא‬ ‫דיבר‬ dee-B,4R-tee dee-B,4R-ta dee-B,4RT dee-B,4R-noo dee-Bu4R-teml() dee-BAR-ten

‫דיבןתי‬ ‫דיברת‬ ‫דיבךיג‬ ‫דיבתו‬ ‫דיבךתם‬ ‫דיבךיגן‬ T

!‫־‬

:‫אני‬ :‫אתה‬ :‫את‬ :‫אנחנו‬ :‫אתם‬ :‫אתן‬

10 We have indicated the pronunciation used by most Hebrew speakers today. In traditional pronunciation, the stress is on the last syllable of the ‫ אתם‬and ‫ אתן‬forms: dee-bar-TEM, dee-bar-TEN.

383

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem /

1. Beenyan Pee'el

Q: What happens to the eh vowel o f the base form ‫ ךיבר‬in the syllable before these endings? A: There is always an AH sound in the syllable before these endings.

Want to see if you've understood? Write the correct form of the underlined verb.

__________ ‫ את __________ אני __________ אנחנו‬.‫ סיפרתם לחברים על הטיול‬.1 __________ ‫דני __________ מיכל‬ __________ ‫ אתם __________ המורות‬.‫ המורה לימדה שיר של יהודה עמיחי‬.2 __________ ‫אתה __________ א תן __________ ה ם‬ Answers: ‫ לימדו‬,‫ לימז־תן‬,‫ לימדת‬,‫ לימדו‬,‫ לימדתם‬.2

‫ סיפרה‬,‫ סיפר‬,‫ סיפרנו‬,‫ סיפרתי‬,‫• סיפרת‬1

• Infinitive (‫)לדבר‬ Here are some pee'el infinitives: ‫לנגן‬

‫לספר‬

‫לדבר‬

to play (an instrument)

to tell

to speak

-‫>־‬

The ‫ ל־‬o f pee'el infinitives has an eh sound: le-da-BER, le-sa-PER, le-na-GEN. Notice that in beenyan pee'el (but n o t in most of the other beenyaneem ), the whole vowel pattern is the same as the present tense base form: present. me-da-BER ‫

When ‫ י׳‬is the first or second root letter, it is always written as a doubleyod (5‫(יי‬.‫ ו‬However, we never write more than two ‫ י׳‬in a row.

B e c a r e fu l! Students often find it difficult to identify verb forms like ‫ טייל‬and ‫צייר‬ as pee'el verbs (they are pronounced tee-YEL and tsee-YER, just like ‫ דיבר‬dee-BER). It should be noted that there are also non-verb forms spelled with the same letters, but pronounced differently. Some examples are: the noun ‫ צייר) צייר‬tsa-YAR painter) and words like ‫ קיים) קיים‬exists), which is not a verb in Hebrew.

15 Note that the verbal noun of verbs whose middle root letter is '‫ לצייר) י‬,‫ )לטייל‬is written with only one '‫( י‬that of the root): ‫ציור‬ ‫טיול‬ ■>

tsee-YOOR

tee-YOOL

drawing trip These forms are different from the model form ‫( דיבור‬speaking) in that here no additional '‫ י‬is written between the first and second root letters.

388

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem /

1. Beenyan Pee'el

• Roots with four letters ( ‫מר ובע ים (תרגם‬ Some pee'el verbs have four root letters. Here are the infinitives o f some o f them: ‫לבלבל‬

‫ל א מן‬

‫לצלצל‬

‫לתןגם‬

to confuse

to organize

to ring, phone

to translate

The pattern of these infinitives is very much like that of ‫לדבר‬, only with an extra root letter: > ‫בר‬- ‫ד‬-‫ל‬ ‫ ג ם‬- ‫ תך‬- ‫ל‬ The present and future forms o f verbs with fo u r root letters are also similar to those o f regular pee'el verbs. Compare: future

present

‫ בר‬- ‫י ־ ך‬ ‫ גם‬- ‫ תך‬- ‫י‬

‫ בר‬- ‫ ך‬- ‫מ‬ ‫ גם‬- ‫ תך‬- ‫מ‬

->

There is no strong dagesh in verbs with four root letters; however, when the third root letter is ‫ פ׳‬,'‫ כ‬,'‫) מבלבל) ב‬, it has a hard pronunciation (b, k, p) and is written with a dagesh in texts with vowel signs.16 In the past tense, when there are four letters in the root, we do n o t write a ‫ י׳‬after the first root letter (according to official spelling rules) when we write without vowel signs.17 Thus, we write: ‫( דיבר‬dee-BER) but ‫( תרגם‬teer-GEM ). Compare:

regular three-letter root:

four-letter root:

‫דיבר ה‬

,‫דיבר‬

,‫דיב ר ת‬

,‫דיב ר תי‬

deeb-RA

dee-BER

dee-BAR-ta

dee-BAR-tee

‫ת רג מ ה‬

,‫ת רג ם‬

,‫ת רג מ ת‬

,‫ת רג מ תי‬

teer-ge-MA

teer-GEM

teer-GAM-ta

teer-GAM-tee

16 This is a weak dagesh, which comes after a closed syllable. For an explanation, see the chapter "The Pronunciation o f '‫ פ‬,'‫ כ‬,'‫ ב‬and the Dagesh, " pp. 624-629. 17 According to the Hebrew Language Academy, we do not add a ‫ י׳‬in the middle of a closed syllable whose end is marked by a shva (‫)□□ ־‬. See the chapter "Hebrew Spelling," pp. 657-660.

389

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem /

1 . Beenyan Pee'el

?Want to see if you've understood .P ro n o u n ce th e fo llo w in g p a st tense v e rb s , a n d c h a n g e them to th e p re se n t a n d fu tu re R e m e m b e r to p ro n o u n c e e e in the firs t s y lla b le o f the p a s t ten se, eve n th o u g h th e re is n o '‫ י‬th e re .

__________ ‫ עכשיו רינה ___________ מ ח ר רינה‬.‫ אתמול רינה צלצלה לאימא שלה‬.‫ו‬ .‫לאימא שלה‬ )‫ מחר (את‬.__________ ‫ עכשיו את‬.‫ בשבוע שעבר (את) ארגנת מסיבה נהדרת‬.2 .‫__________ מסיבה‬ A n s w e rs :

‫ תארגני‬,‫ מאו־גנת‬, ’eer-G A N T , 2

fu ll spelling without vowel signs: standard spelling with vowel signs:

‫ תצלצל‬,‫ מצלצלת‬, tseel-tse-LA .‫ו‬

infinitive

future

present

past

‫לדבר‬ ‫לדבר‬

‫ידבר‬ ‫ידבר‬

‫מדבר‬ ‫מךבר‬

‫דיבר‬ ‫דבר‬

le-da-BER

ye-da-BER

me-da-BER

dee-BER

- When ' ‫ פ‬,'‫ כ‬,'‫ ב‬are the middle root letter, they are always pronounced b, k, p. - Other changes in pronunciation and spelling involving the letters ' ‫ פ‬,'‫ כ‬,'‫ ב‬and also ‫ י׳‬are discussed in detail in the chapter above. ♦ Some pee'el verbs have four root letters. Here is an example o f their base forms and infinitive:

fu ll spelling without vowel signs: standard spelling with vowel signs:

infinitive

future

present

‫לתרגם‬

‫יתרגם‬

‫מתרגם‬

le-tar-GEM

390

ye-tar-GEhl

me-tar-GEM

past

‫תרגם‬ ‫לתרגםיתךגםמתו־גםתו־גם‬ teer-GEM

‫‪1. Beenyan Pee'el‬‬

‫‪III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem /‬‬

‫?‪Want to see if you've understood the chapter‬‬ ‫‪Write the correct form of the underlined verb (past, present, future or infinitive).‬‬ ‫ו‪.‬‬

‫דינה‪ ,‬איפה ה מ שקפיים שליו אני מ ח פ ש ת או ת ם כבר חצי שעה!‬

‫עוד מ ע ט‬

‫)‪(future‬‬ ‫או ת ם גם במכונית‪.‬‬

‫‪.2‬‬

‫או תו מיד‪ ,‬בבקשה‪ .‬את צריכה‬

‫אימא לרו תי‪ :‬עוד לא סידרת את החדר שלך?‬

‫)‪(future‬‬ ‫את החדר גם בלי שאבק ש‪.‬‬

‫‪.3‬‬

‫אלייך א ת מול וביקשה ש תצלצלי אליה היום‪ .‬בזמן ה א חרון היא‬

‫מיכל‬

‫אלייך כל יום‪ ,‬נכון?‬

‫)‪(present‬‬ ‫‪.4‬‬

‫אנ חנו או הבי ם ל טיי ל בירו שלי ם‪ .‬ב שבוע שעבר __________‬

‫בעיר העתיקה‪ ,‬וב שבוע הבא‬

‫______________ ב ה ר הצופים‪.‬‬

‫‪Answers:‬‬ ‫ו‪ .‬אחפש‬

‫‪391‬‬

‫‪ .2‬תסדרי‪ ,‬לסדר‬

‫‪ .3‬צלצלה‪ ,‬מצלצלת‬

‫‪ . 4‬טיילנו‪ ,‬נטייל‬

2 Beenyan Pa'al ‫פעל‬ Preview tensePresent•

)‫גר‬1‫(ס‬

• Past tense

)‫(סגר‬

‫ ״‬Infinitive

)‫(לסגור‬

• Future tense

)‫ ילמד‬,‫(יסגור‬

‫ ״‬of

The pronunciation ‫ פ׳‬,'‫ כ‬,'‫ב‬

The verb ‫ לסגור‬/ ‫( סגר‬to close) will serve as our model of a regular verb in beenyan p a 'a l1

• Present tense (‫)ס וג י‬ Here are the present tense forms of the verb ‫סגר‬: ‫סוגר‬ ‫סוגרת‬ ‫סוגרים‬ ‫סוגרות‬

so-GER so-GE-ret sog-REEAI sog-ROT

:(m.s.)

■■(f.s■) :(rn.pl.) :{f.pl.)

‫ הוא‬,‫ אתה‬,‫אני‬ ‫ היא‬,‫ את‬,‫אני‬ ‫ הם‬,‫ אתם‬,‫אנחנו‬ ‫ הן‬,‫ אתן‬,‫אנחנו‬

Compare these forms to the present tense forms in beenyan pee'el ( ‫״‬.‫ מדברת‬,‫) מדבר‬. Q: Do the verbs in beenyan p a ’a l have a prefix before the root letters? A: No. There is no prefix in present tense pa'al verbs. Q: What characteristic is common to all these forms? A: They all have "i0/7) ‫ )״‬after the first root letter: ‫סוגרות‬

1

,‫סוגךים‬

,‫סוגרת‬

,‫סוגר‬

-
■־ סוגרים‬ sog-ROT

sog-REEM

?Want to see if you've understood .Write the correct form of the underlined verb

_______ m ( . ( ‫_________________________________________________________________________________ א נ ח נ ו‬ _______________ ‫ הם‬. _______________ ‫ הוא‬. _______________ ‫ את‬.‫אנ חנו לו מ דו ת מהר‬

.2

_______________ ‫למ ה הם לא סוגרים את הדלת? הוא _______________ ה ן _______________ א ת‬

.3

Answers: ‫ סוגרת‬,‫ סוגרות‬,‫ סוגר‬.3 ‫ אמךים‬,‫ אמד‬,‫ אמדת‬.2 ‫ כותבים‬,‫ כותבת‬.1

A special present tense pattern: pa’el (4(‫פעל‬ There are some verbs in pa'al that have a different pattern in the present tense. Here is the ‫הוא‬ form of the most common o f these verbs: ‫לןטן‬

‫ישן‬

‫גלל‬

(he/it) is getting smaller

is sleeping

is growing (up), getting bigger

This change to shva is called vowel reduction. See the chapter "Reduction of Vowels and the Shva," pp. 640-641, 648-650. In traditional pronunciation this shva is pronounced eh (so-ge-REEM). In today’s pronunciation this is so only in rare cases, e.g., when the last two letters of the root are identical, as in: ‫( הומים‬cho-ge-GEEM). 3 It is not necessary for you to write vowel signs in your answers. We have added vowel signs to the answers in the chapters on verbs only in order to make clear how the forms are pronounced. 4 Biblical Hebrew grammars often refer to these as stative verbs, i.e., as verbs that denote a state or a change of state. Note that not all verbs that denote a state (for example: ‫ יושב‬sitting and ‫ שוכב‬lying down) take this form. For more on ‫ פעל‬see Jouon-Muraoka, 1996, p. 127, section 41b. For more on statives, see the chapter "Verbs that Are Neither Active Nor Passive," pp. 606-608.

2

393

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem / 2. Beenyan Pa'al

Q: What vowel do the verbs ‫ גדל‬and ‫ ישן‬have in their first syllable instead o f the "i" (oh) o f ‫?סוגר‬ A: They have the vowel □ (ah): n?i?

1‫גדל‬

ka-TEN

ya-SHEN

‫ש‬:

סוג‬/‫גר => ( * סו־ג־ רי ם‬-‫ סז׳‬- in which the reduction to shva takes place in the syllable immediately before the ending.

5

The separation of these words into two different categories - verbs and adjectives - is often blurred. Thus, ‫( שמח‬happy) may be considered an adjective or a verb that describes a state of being.

394

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem / 2. Beenyan Pa'al

Notice that the feminine singular form of the pa'el pattern (‫ )גדלה‬does n o t end in ‫ ת‬- as do the regular pa'al verbs (for example: ‫)סוגרת‬. Rather, its ending is ‫( ; ה‬-AH'). ‫ישנה‬

‫גדלה‬

ye-she-NA

gde-L4

T ‫״‬

!

T ‫! ״‬

Want to see if you've understood? W r it e the c o rre c t fo rm o f th e u n d e rlin e d v e rb .

___________ ‫ כמה זמן אתה!ש! כל לילהז את___________ א תן ___________ ה ם‬.1 __________ ‫ גם המשכורות שלכם‬.‫ המשכורת שלך גדלה כל שנה‬.2 A n s w e rs :

‫ גדלות‬.2 ‫ ישנים‬,‫ ישנות‬,‫ ישנה‬.‫ו‬

• Past tense ( ‫) ס ג י‬ Here are the past tense forms o f the verb ‫סגר‬: plural sa-GAR-noo sa-GAR-tem / sgar-TEM sa-GAR-ten / sgar-TEN sag-ROO

singular

‫סגרנו‬ 6‫ סגךתם‬/ ‫סגן ת ם‬ ‫ סגךתן‬/ ‫סגךתן‬

:‫אנחנו‬ :‫אתם‬ :‫אתן‬

sa-GAR-tee

‫סגרו‬

‫ הן‬,‫הם‬

:‫ ־־‬T

! T

‫סגרתי‬ ‫סגרת‬ ‫סגרת‬

:‫אני‬ :‫אתה‬ :‫את‬

sa-GAR

‫סגר‬ ‫ ־‬T

sag-RA

‫סגרה‬

‫הוא‬ ‫היא‬

sa-GAR-ta sa-GART

‫י‬

:‫ ־‬T

T

:‫ ־‬T

!

:‫ ־‬T

TS T

->

Beenyan pa'al has no prefix in the past tense, nor does it have any added letters indicating its first vowel, as does ‫ דיבר‬in beenyan pee'el.

6

The pronunciation used by most Hebrew speakers today is ‫ סגךתן‬,‫ ( סגךתם‬sa-GAR-tem, sa-GAR-ten). It should be noted that according to the rules o f grammar, the stress is on the ending of the ‫ אתם‬and ‫ אתן‬forms, and this causes the first vowel to "reduce" (it is written as a shva): ‫ סגךתן‬,‫( סגךתם‬pronounced sgar-TEM, sgar-TEN or, traditionally, se-gar-TEM, se-gar-TEN). See the chapter "Reduction of Vowels and the Shva," pp. 640-647.

395

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem / 2. Beenyan Pa'al

Q: What is the first vowel in all the pa'al past tense forms? A: The first vowel is ah, as in the base form ‫( סגר‬sa-GAR), for example: ‫סגרת‬

,‫סגרת‬

,‫סגרתי‬

sa-GART

sa-GAR-ta

sa-GAR-tee

!

!‫ ־‬T

T

!‫ ־‬T

-‫>י‬

The second vowel in the past tense base form (‫ )הוא‬is also ah: ‫( סגר‬sa-GLR). In forms that have a vowel ending - ‫ היא‬and ‫ הן‬/‫( ה ם‬at the bottom part of the chart) - we see the same phenomenon that we saw in pee'el: the stress moves to the ending and the vowel before it "reduces" (and is usually not pronounced): ’ beenyan pee'el: ‫ךיברו‬ ,‫ךיבךה‬ deeb-ROO

deeb-RA

‫סגרו‬

,‫סגרה‬

sag-ROO

sag-RA

beenyan pa'al:

5 T

'

r : T

In forms whose endings begin with a consonant (‫ ת‬- or ‫נ‬-) (in the upper part of the chart), the vowel □ (AH) always appears in the syllable before the ending - just as is the case in pee'el.

beenyan pee'el: beenyan pa'al:

‫דיבות‬

,‫דיברת‬ :-

,‫ךיבןתי‬

dee-BART

dee-BAR-ta

dee-BAR-tee

‫סגרת‬

,‫סגרת‬

,‫סגרתי‬

sa-GART

sa-GAR-ta

sa-GAR-tee

!

!‫ ־‬T

/ T

T

!‫ ־־‬T

‫־‬

!” T

Want to see if you've understood? W r it e the c o rre c t fo rm o f th e u n d e rlin e d v e rb .

‫ אנחנו‬. __________ ‫ את‬.‫ שכחתי את השם של המזכירה החדשה‬.1 ___________ ‫אורי‬ _______ ‫ אני ___________ א ת ם‬.‫ כתבנו אי מייל לחברים שלנו‬.2 . __________ ‫אילנה‬

7

In rare cases, such as when the last two root letters are the same, the shva is always pronounced, for example: ‫( היא חגגה‬cha-ge-GA she celebrated).

396

I. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem / 2. Beenyan Pa'al

‫ רן‬-

‫ מיכל ורן‬.‫מיכל למדה סיני ת בשנה שעברה‬

.3

_______________ ‫אתה‬

Answers: ‫ למז־ת‬,‫ למד‬,‫ למדו‬.3

‫ כתבה‬,‫ פתבתם‬,‫ כתבתי‬.2

‫ שכת‬,‫ שכחנו‬,‫ שכחת‬.‫ו‬

•Infinitive (‫)לסג ור‬ Here are some pa'al infinitives: ‫לרקייד‬

‫לסגור‬

to dance

to close

lees-GOR

‫גור‬-‫לס‬ ‫ ד‬1‫ק‬-‫לך‬

These infinitives have two syllables: leer-KOD

In these pa'al forms, the vowel o f the -‫ ל‬is ee: -‫( ל‬lee). When we add -‫ ל‬to the front o f these verbs, their first root letter joins the first syllable to form: ‫( לס־‬lees-), -‫( לר‬leer-). Notice that even though the vowel here is ee, we do not insert a '‫ י‬in the middle o f the syllable.8 Q: What vowel appears in the second syllable of these infinitives? A: The vowel oh, written with a ‫ו׳‬. There is one "official" exception: the infinitive o f the verb ‫ שכב‬is ‫( לשכב‬to lie down).9

Want to see if you've understood? Write the infinitive of the underlined verb. ‫יוסף רעד במסיבה כי הוא אוהב‬ .‫חצ אי ת‬

‫ אבל היום אני רוצה‬,‫כל יו ם אני לו ב ש ת מכנסיי ם‬

.1 ‫ב‬

This is because lees- and leer- are closed syllables (= they end in a consonant). For details on when we add a '‫ י‬and when we don't, see the chapter ‫״‬Hebrew Spelling,‫ ״‬pp. 657-660. The infinitive o f one other verb - ‫ רכב‬/ ‫( רוכב‬to ride) - is often pronounced like ‫לשכב‬, i.e., without a '‫ו‬: ‫לרכב‬ (leer-KAV) rather than ‫( לרכוב‬the grammatically correct form).

397

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem / 2. Beenyan Pa'al

.‫ נמא ס לי ___________________________________________________________ ב מי ט ה‬.‫במיטה כבר שלו ש ה י מי ם‬ .‫למה א ת ם סוגרים את הדלת? אין סיבה _______________ א ו ת ה עכ שיו‬

.4

A n s w e rs :

‫ לסגור‬.4

‫ לשכב‬.3

‫ ללבוש‬. 2

‫ו• לרקוד‬

• Future tense ( ‫ ילמד‬, ‫) יסגיר‬ Most regular verbs in beenyan pa'al have the following future tense base form: ‫ירקוד‬

‫יסגור‬

he will dance

he will close

)‫(הוא‬

As we saw above in beenyan pee'el, it is easy to arrive at this form if you know the infinitive: future

infinitive

‫יסגור‬

י תלבש‬ Now look at all the future tense forms in the chart above.

Q: Which prefix contains a vowel different from the others? A: -‫ את‬in the ‫ אני‬form: 6.‫ אתלבש‬All other future forms in heetpa'el begin with the sound ee: ..., ‫יתלבש‬

‫נתלבש‬

,‫תתלבש‬

neet-la-BESH

teet-la-BESH

yeet-la-BESH

-
=

‫בר‬-‫ד‬-‫י‬

‫י־ז־ב־ח‬

‫רו‬-‫ד־ב‬-‫ת‬

ye-dah-ROO

te-dab-ROO

te-dab-REE

‫ שו‬-‫לב‬-‫ית‬

,‫תת־לב־־שו‬

,‫שי‬-‫תת־לב‬

yeet-lab-SHOO

teet-lab-SHOO

teet-lab-SHEE

‫ךי‬-‫ךב‬-‫ת‬ ye-da-BER

>=

‫ב ש‬-‫ית־ל‬ yeet-la-BESH

Want to see if you've understood? W rite the m issing form o f the u n d e rlin e d ve rb .

_____________ ‫ אימא שלו‬.‫ אני חו שבת שרון יתרגש מאוד ב חתונה של אחותו‬. 1 _____________ ‫אנחנו _____________ א ת ם‬ _____________ ‫ וגם טל ו שמעון‬, ____________ ‫ גם מיכל‬.‫ אני ב טו ח ה שתתקבל לאוניברסיטה‬,‫ רן‬.2 A n sw ers:

‫ יתקבלו‬,‫ תתקבל‬.2 ‫ תתרגשו‬,‫ נתמש‬,‫ תתרגש‬.1

• Roots that begin with ‫ ז׳‬,'‫ צ‬/ ‫ ם‬,'‫ ש‬/ ‫ש‬ If you pronounce the consonants indicated by the letters ‫ ז׳‬,'‫ צ‬/‫ ס‬,'‫ ש‬/‫ ש‬- sh, s, ts, z 7 - you can hear that they all are close to a hissing sound. As we will see below, when these consonants follow the ‫ ת׳‬o f the heetpa'el prefixes - ‫מת‬, ‫הת־‬, -‫ ית‬and the like, certain changes in the verb forms take place.

% '‫ ש‬and ,‫{ ס‬the sounds sh and s) Read the following past tense ‫ הוא‬forms: ‫הסתכל‬

‫השתכר‬

‫השתמש‬

hees-ta-KEL

hees-ta-KER

heesh-ta-MESH

he looked

he earned (a salary)

he used

These, too, are base forms o f heetpa'el.

7

The consonants indicated by the letters ' ‫ ז‬/‫ צ‬/‫ ס‬/‫ ש‬/‫ ש‬are called sibilants ( ‫) עיצוןים שורקים‬.

411

III. Regular Verbs in the Seven Beenyaneem /

3. Beenyan Heetpa'el

Q: What happened to the ‫ ת׳‬of the prefix -‫ הת‬in these verbs? A: It switched places with the first root letter:8

before the switch :

‫כש ת ה‬

‫*ה תת סשכמלש י‬ ‫*ה‬ '

X

‫ה ש ת מ שה ס ת כ ל ה ש ת כ ר‬

after the switch :

‫*ר‬

'

This switching takes place for phonetic reasons. It occurs in all tenses and forms o f heetpa'el whenever the first root letter is ‫ש׳‬,‫ ש׳‬or ‫ס׳‬, as in: infinitive

future

present

past

‫להשתמש‬

‫ישתמש‬

‫משתמש‬

‫השתמש‬

'‫ צ‬and '‫( ז‬the sounds ts and z) Now read these past tense ‫ הוא‬forms: ‫הזדלןן‬

‫הצטער‬

heez-da-KEN

heets-ta-'ER

he grew old

he was son‫׳{־‬

These, too, belong to beenyan heetpa'el. The root o f ‫ הצטער‬is ‫ר‬-‫ע‬-‫צ‬, and the root o f ‫ רז־זךקן‬is ‫ג‬-‫ק‬-‫ז‬. Q: Do you see the ‫ ת׳‬of ‫ התפעל‬in these verbs? A: No, it is nowhere to be seen. The process of its (1) before the switch:

disappearance isas follows:

(2) after the initial switch:

‫ ן‬1? ‫* ה ת ז‬ v: A ‫ ןן‬I? f7 ‫*יי ז ס‬

‫*ה ת צ ע ר‬ ‫*הה ת צ ג!נ ר‬ \ /' 3 ‫ז*הרעתצ‬ ‫*הה צ ת ?ן ר‬

(3) after one more change:

1‫ ן‬i? ‫יי ז‬ 1‫ ל‬1‫ ד‬T

‫הה ה צצ טט