Hebrew pronouns change based on person, gender, and number. Unlike English, Hebrew distinguishes between masculine and feminine 'you' and 'they'. There are personal, demonstrative, and possessive pronouns.
Personal Pronouns
| Person | Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | אֲנִי | a-NI | I |
| 2nd sg. m. | אַתָּה | a-TA | you (m.) |
| 2nd sg. f. | אַתְּ | at | you (f.) |
| 3rd sg. m. | הוּא | hu | he |
| 3rd sg. f. | הִיא | hi | she |
| 1st pl. | אֲנַחְנוּ | a-NAKH-nu | we |
| 2nd pl. m. | אַתֶּם | a-TEM | you (m. pl.) |
| 2nd pl. f. | אַתֶּן | a-TEN | you (f. pl.) |
| 3rd pl. m. | הֵם | hem | they (m.) |
| 3rd pl. f. | הֵן | hen | they (f.) |
Demonstrative Pronouns
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| זֶה | ze | this (m.) | זֶה סֵפֶר (ze SE-fer) = this is a book |
| זֹאת | zot | this (f.) | זֹאת מַחְבֶּרֶת (zot makh-BE-ret) = this is a notebook |
| אֵלֶּה | E-le | these | אֵלֶּה סְפָרִים (E-le sfa-RIM) = these are books |
Possessive - שֶׁל (shel) + Pronoun
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| שֶׁלִּי | she-LI | my / mine |
| שֶׁלְּךָ | shel-KHA | your (m.) |
| שֶׁלָּךְ | she-LAKH | your (f.) |
| שֶׁלּוֹ | she-LO | his |
| שֶׁלָּהּ | she-LA | her |
| שֶׁלָּנוּ | she-LA-nu | our |
| שֶׁלָּכֶם | she-la-KHEM | your (m. pl.) |
| שֶׁלָּהֶם | she-la-HEM | their (m.) |
| שֶׁלָּהֶן | she-la-HEN | their (f.) |
In Sentences
אֲנִי תַּלְמִיד
a-NI tal-MID
I am a student
no verb 'am' needed
הוּא גָּר בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם
hu gar bi-ru-sha-LA-yim
He lives in Jerusalem
זֶה הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁלִּי
ze ha-SE-fer she-LI
This is my book
demonstrative + possessive
אַתֶּם מְדַבְּרִים עִבְרִית?
a-TEM me-dab-RIM iv-RIT?
Do you (pl.) speak Hebrew?
Quick Tip
In casual Hebrew, אֲנַחְנוּ (anakhnu) is often shortened to אָנוּ (A-nu). And שֶׁלָּהֶם/שֶׁלָּהֶן are often merged into just שֶׁלָּהֶם for both genders.