Hebrew has three main ways to show possession: the word שֶׁל (shel = of), pronoun suffixes attached to nouns, and the יֵשׁ לִי (yesh li = I have) pattern. The שֶׁל method is the most common in everyday speech.
שֶׁל (shel) with Pronouns
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| שֶׁלִּי | she-LI | my / mine |
| שֶׁלְּךָ | shel-KHA | your (m. sg.) |
| שֶׁלָּךְ | she-LAKH | your (f. sg.) |
| שֶׁלּוֹ | she-LO | his |
| שֶׁלָּהּ | she-LA | her / hers |
| שֶׁלָּנוּ | she-LA-nu | our / ours |
| שֶׁלָּכֶם | she-la-KHEM | your (m. pl.) |
| שֶׁלָּהֶם | she-la-HEM | their (m.) |
| שֶׁלָּהֶן | she-la-HEN | their (f.) |
Using שֶׁל
Place שֶׁל after the noun:
• הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁלִּי = my book (the book of-mine)
• הַבַּיִת שֶׁל דָּנִי = Dani's house (the house of Dani)
The noun usually takes הַ (the) when using שֶׁל.
יֵשׁ לִי / אֵין לִי - Having & Not Having
Hebrew says 'I have' as 'there is to me':
• יֵשׁ לִי כֶּלֶב = I have a dog
• אֵין לִי כֶּסֶף = I don't have money
• יֵשׁ לוֹ שְׁתֵּי אֲחָיוֹת = He has two sisters
• הָיָה לִי = I had (past), יִהְיֶה לִי = I will have (future)
יֵשׁ with All Persons
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| יֵשׁ לִי | yesh li | I have |
| יֵשׁ לְךָ | yesh le-KHA | you (m.) have |
| יֵשׁ לָךְ | yesh lakh | you (f.) have |
| יֵשׁ לוֹ | yesh lo | he has |
| יֵשׁ לָהּ | yesh la | she has |
| יֵשׁ לָנוּ | yesh LA-nu | we have |
| יֵשׁ לָכֶם | yesh la-KHEM | you (pl.) have |
| יֵשׁ לָהֶם | yesh la-HEM | they have |
In Sentences
Quick Tip
In casual speech, Israelis almost always use שֶׁל instead of the old-fashioned pronoun suffixes. הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁלִּי (my book) is much more common than סִפְרִי - though you'll hear suffixes in fixed phrases like אִמִּי (my mother).