Hebrew question words (like who, what, where) come at the beginning of the sentence, just like English. For yes/no questions, Hebrew simply uses rising intonation - no word order change is needed.
Question Words
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| מִי | mi | who |
| מָה | ma | what |
| אֵיפֹה | EI-fo | where |
| מָתַי | ma-TAI | when |
| לָמָּה | LA-ma | why |
| אֵיךְ | eikh | how |
| כַּמָּה | KA-ma | how much / how many |
| אֵיזֶה | EI-ze | which (m.) |
| אֵיזוֹ | EI-zo | which (f.) |
Yes/No Questions
For yes/no questions, use the same word order as a statement - just change your intonation (raise your voice at the end):
• Statement: אַתָּה גָּר פֹּה. (you live here.)
• Question: אַתָּה גָּר פֹּה? (do you live here?)
In formal writing, you can add הַאִם (ha-IM) at the start.
Answering Yes/No
• כֵּן (ken) = yes
• לֹא (lo) = no
In Sentences
מָה שִׁמְךָ?
ma shim-KHA?
What is your name? (to m.)
אֵיפֹה הַשֵּׁרוּתִים?
EI-fo ha-she-ru-TIM?
Where are the bathrooms?
כַּמָּה זֶה עוֹלֶה?
KA-ma ze o-LE?
How much does this cost?
לָמָּה אַתָּה עָצוּב?
LA-ma a-TA a-TSUV?
Why are you sad?
Quick Tip
In casual speech, מָה (ma) often merges with the next word: מָה אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה? becomes מָאַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה? This is normal and doesn't change the meaning.