Hebrew basic word order is SVO (Subject-Verb-Object), similar to English. However, Hebrew has no present tense of 'to be', so many everyday sentences are verbless. Word order is also more flexible than in English.
SVO - Subject, Verb, Object
The default word order is the same as English: Subject + Verb + Object.
דָּוִד אוֹכֵל תַּפּוּחַ = David eats an apple (S + V + O).
Sentence Patterns
| Pattern | Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| SVO | דָּנִי כּוֹתֵב מִכְתָּב | DA-ni ko-TEV mikh-TAV | Dani writes a letter |
| SVO | הַיֶּלֶד שׁוֹתֶה מַיִם | ha-YE-led sho-TE MA-yim | The boy drinks water |
| Verbless | אֲנִי תַּלְמִיד | a-NI tal-MID | I am a student |
| Verbless | הַבַּיִת גָּדוֹל | ha-BA-yit ga-DOL | The house is big |
| VSO (formal) | אָמַר הַמּוֹרֶה | a-MAR ha-mo-RE | The teacher said (literary) |
Verbless Sentences
In present tense, Hebrew drops 'is/am/are' entirely:
• אֲנִי רוֹפֵא = I (am) a doctor
• הַמַּיִם קָרִים = The water (is) cold
• זֶה טוֹב = This (is) good
In Context
אֲנִי גָּר בְּתֵל אָבִיב
a-NI gar be-tel a-VIV
I live in Tel Aviv
SVO with prepositional phrase
הַיּוֹם יוֹם שִׁשִּׁי
ha-YOM yom shi-SHI
Today is Friday
verbless sentence
הַכֶּלֶב רָץ בַּגַּן
ha-KE-lev rats ba-GAN
The dog runs in the park
אֵיפֹה הַחֲנוּת?
EI-fo ha-kha-NUT?
Where is the store?
question - verbless
Quick Tip
When you want to say 'is/am/are', just skip it. Put the subject and predicate next to each other: הוּא מוֹרֶה (hu mo-RE) = he is a teacher. No extra word needed.