Hebrew prepositions show relationships between words - location, direction, possession, and more. Some prepositions are separate words, while others attach directly to the noun as a prefix.
Common Prepositions
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| בְּ- | be- | in, at | בְּבַיִת (be-VA-yit) = in a house |
| לְ- | le- | to, for | לְיֶלֶד (le-YE-led) = to a boy |
| מִ- | mi- | from | מִסֵּפֶר (mi-SE-fer) = from a book |
| עַל | al | on, about | עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן (al ha-shul-KHAN) = on the table |
| אֶל | el | to, toward | אֶל הַבַּיִת (el ha-BA-yit) = to the house |
| עִם | im | with | עִם חָבֵר (im kha-VER) = with a friend |
| בֵּין | bein | between | בֵּין הַבָּתִּים (bein ha-ba-TIM) = between the houses |
| לִפְנֵי | lif-NEI | before | לִפְנֵי הַשִּׁעוּר (lif-NEI ha-shi-UR) = before the lesson |
| אַחֲרֵי | a-kha-REI | after | אַחֲרֵי הָאֹכֶל (a-kha-REI ha-O-khel) = after the food |
| לְיַד | le-YAD | next to | לְיַד הַחַלּוֹן (le-YAD ha-kha-LON) = next to the window |
Attached Prepositions
Three prepositions attach directly to the noun as a prefix - they are not separate words:
• בְּ- (in): בְּבַיִת = in a house
• לְ- (to): לַיֶּלֶד = to the boy
• מִ- (from): מֵהַבַּיִת = from the house
When the noun has הַ (the), these combine: בְּ + הַ = בַּ, לְ + הַ = לַ, מִ + הַ = מֵהַ.
Prepositions with Pronoun Suffixes - לְ (to/for)
| Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| לִי | li | to me |
| לְךָ | le-KHA | to you (m.) |
| לָךְ | lakh | to you (f.) |
| לוֹ | lo | to him |
| לָהּ | la | to her |
| לָנוּ | LA-nu | to us |
| לָכֶם | la-KHEM | to you (m. pl.) |
| לָהֶם | la-HEM | to them (m.) |
| לָהֶן | la-HEN | to them (f.) |
In Sentences
אֲנִי גָּר בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם
a-NI gar bi-ru-sha-LA-yim
I live in Jerusalem
בְּ + יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
הוּא הוֹלֵךְ אֶל הַחֲנוּת
hu ho-LEKH el ha-kha-NUT
He is going to the store
יֵשׁ לִי שְׁאֵלָה
yesh li she-e-LA
I have a question
literally: there-is to-me a question
הַסֵּפֶר עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן
ha-SE-fer al ha-shul-KHAN
The book is on the table
Quick Tip
The construction יֵשׁ לִי (yesh li = there is to me) is how Hebrew says 'I have'. You'll use prepositions with pronoun suffixes constantly in everyday Hebrew.