1. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 1 Hebrew Communications This module introduces the basic elements of communicating in Modern Hebrew, with emphasis on verbal communications. These elements will focus on sentence structure and syntax for the various types of sentences one normally encounters in the language. After these elements are described, examples of various common conversational scenarios and situations one may encounter, and related dialogues, will be introduced to illustrate verbal Hebrew communications.

2. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 2 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) In general, the Hebrew sentence structures are similar to their English counterparts. However, there are also differences, some of which will be noted later. Most Hebrew sentences contain a subject, a verb and other elements. So that the general syntax of the Hebrew sentence is subject-verb- object, i.e., the subject precedes the predicate*. It should be noted that there is some flexibility in the syntax of the Hebrew sentence in some cases. Hebrew includes the following basic sentence structures: 1.the nominal sentence 2.the verbal sentence 3.the interrogative sentence 4.the verbal infinitive sentence 5.the conditional sentence A simple example of each is shown in the next slide. Sentence structure and syntax rules * The predicate is the part of a sentence that shows what is being said about the subject.

3. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 3 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) The following table contains simple examples that correspond the five common Hebrew sentence structures listed in the previous slide: Sentence structure and syntax rules (cont’d) # אַנְגְּלִיתתַּעְתִּיקעִבְרִית 1.I am in the class.aNI ba’kiTAH.אֲנִי בַּכִּתָּה 2.I am learning in the class.aNI loMED ba’kiTAH.אֲנִי לוֹמֵד בַּכִּתָּה 3.Who is registered for the class?MI nirSHAM la’kiTAH ? מִי נִרְשָׁם לַכִּתָּה 4.I want to learn.aNI roTSAH lilMOD.אֲנִי רוֹצָה לִלְמֹד 5.If we’ll study then we’ll know.IM nilMAD AZ NEIda.אִם נִלְמַד אָז נֵדַע The most significant differences between the respective syntax of Hebrew and English sentences will be noted in the next several slides.

4. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 4 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) It was pointed out in Slide 2 that differences exist between the Hebrew and English sentence syntax. One difference is the usage of the Hebrew verb equivalent to the English verb “to be” in the present tense. Note that in the example for the nominal sentence (#1), the Hebrew contains no explicit verb corresponding to the “am” in the English (i.e., it is implicit). In the example of the verbal sentence (#2), the simple present tense verb לוֹמֵד means “am learning” as shown combined with the singular masculine 1 st -person pronoun (the English translation changes for the singular masculine 2 nd -person and 3 rd -person pronouns). Here too, the explicit present tense of the Hebrew verb equivalent to the English verb “to be” corresponding to the “am” (or to the “are” or “is” in the case of the singular masculine 2 nd -person and 3 rd -person pronoun cases) is absent (i.e., it is implicit). This also applies to the other conjugations in the present tense, i.e., to the singular feminine and plural masculine & feminine conjugations. Sentence structure and syntax rules (cont’d)

5. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 5 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) אַנְגְּלִיתתַּעְתִּיקעִבְרִית The door is closed.haDElet sguRAH.הַדֶּלֶת סְגוּרָה The door was closed.haDElet hay i TAH sguRAH.הַדֶּלֶת הָיְתָה סְגוּרָה The door will be closed.haDElet tih i YEH sguRAH.הַדֶּלֶת תִּהְיֶה סְגוּרָה The parents are at home.hahoRIM baBAyit.הַהוֹרִים בַּבַּיִת The parents were at home.hahoRIM haYU baBAyit.הַהוֹרִים הָיוּ בַּבַּיִת The parents will be at home.hahoRIM yih i YU baBAyit.הַהוֹרִים יִהְיוּ בַּבַּיִת As noted in the previous slide, one significant difference between the Hebrew and English sentence structures is that the Hebrew verb equivalent of the English verb “to be” is, in general, not explicitly used in the present tense. In other words, its use is limited to the past and future tenses, as shown in the examples below: Sentence structure and syntax rules (cont’d)

6. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 6 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) Another significant difference between Hebrew and English sentence syntax is the position of an adjective”. Unlike in the syntax of an English sentence, where the adjective precedes the noun (or pronoun) that it describes, in the Hebrew sentence the adjective generally follows the noun it describes. The adjective in Hebrew also takes on the gender and plurality of the noun it modifies. Also, whenever the noun is modified by the Hebrew equivalent of the definite article, the adjective also carries the definite article. On the other hand, as is the case with the English sentence syntax, in Hebrew the adverb** generally follows the verb it describes. Unlike the situation with the Hebrew adjective relative to the noun, the Hebrew adverb does not assume the attributes of the conjugated verb (i.e., tense, gender, person, and singular/plural). Examples are shown in the table on the next slide. Sentence structure and syntax rules (cont’d) * An adjective is a part of speech that describes a noun or pronoun. ** An adverb is a part of speech that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

7. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 7 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) אַנְגְּלִיתתַּעְתִּיקעִבְרִית A big boy ate in the kitchen. YEled gaDOL aCHAL ba’mitBAH.יֶלֶד גָּדוֹל אָכַל בַּמִּטְבָּח The big girl is eating in the kitchen. ha’yalDAH ha’gdoLAH oCHElet ba’mitBAH.הַיַּלְדָּה הַגְּדוֹלָה אוֹכֶלֶת בַּמִּטְבָּח Big boys ate in the kitchen. y e laDIM gdoLIM achLU ba’mitBAH.יְלָדִים גְּדוֹלִים אָכְלוּ בַּמִּטְבָּח The big girls are eating in the kitchen. ha’y i laDOT ha’gdoLOT ochLOT ba’mitBAH.הַיְּלָדוֹת הַגְּדוֹלוֹת אוֹכְלוֹת בַּמִּטְבָּח The big boy ate fast. ha’YEled ha’gaDOL aCHAL maHER.הַיֶּלֶד הַגָּדוֹל אָכַל מַהֵר The big girls are eating fast. ha’y i laDOT ha’gdoLOT ochLOT maHER.הַיְּלָדוֹת הַגְּדוֹלוֹת אוֹכְלוֹת מַהֵר In the following table, the first four entries demonstrate the syntax of the Hebrew adjectives and its properties in a simple sentence. The last two entries in the table demonstrate the syntax of the Hebrew adverb and its properties in a simple sentence. Sentence structure and syntax rules (cont’d)

8. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 8 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) An interrogative sentence, i.e., a question, was previously listed as one of the five basic sentence structures in Hebrew. In Hebrew, questions are generally formed in two ways: Raising the intonation at the end of an ordinary sentence (we have already encountered this in several earlier modules). For this type of question the answer is, quite often, either כֵּן (yes) or לֹא (no). Starting the sentence with an interrogative word or phrase, of which there are quite a few, depending on the nature of the question. One interrogative word in particular, הַאִם (loosely translated as “Is it …?”, but this changes depending on what follows הַאִם ), which introduces a question, the answer to which is, quite often, either כֵּן or לֹא. Some commonly used interrogative words and phrases are listed on the next slide. It should be noted that, in general, these either start a question or are a question by themselves. Also, as is the case in the English language, most of these terms have non-interrogative meanings when they appear in the middle of any sentence. Sentence structure and syntax rules (cont’d)

9. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 9 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) Interrogative words – (miLOT sh e eiLAH) מִלּוֹת שְׁאֵלָה אַנְגְּלִיתתַּעְתִּיק עִבְרִי ת אַנְגְּלִיתתַּעְתִּיק עִבְרִי ת אַנְגְּלִית תַּעְתִּי ק עִבְרִי ת Interrogative prefix of 1 st word ha -, ha -, he - הֲ ־, הַ ־, הֶ ־ How…?E i CH אֵיךְ Which…? What…? eiZEH (EIzeh)* אֵיזֶה Why…? laMAH (LAmah)* לָמָּה How many (much)…? kaMAH (KAmah)* כַּמָה To which…? To what…? l e eiZEH (l e EIzeh)* לְאֵיזֶה Why…?maDU’a מַדּוּעַ To how many (much)…? kaMAH (KAmah)* לְכַמָה Which…? What…? eiZO (EIzo)* אֵיזוֹ Who…?MI מִי How old is…? BEN kaMAH (KAmah)* בֶּן כַּמָה At which…? At what…? b e eiZO (b e EIzo)* בְּאֵיזוֹ In whom…?b e MI בְּמִי How old is…? BAT kaMAH (KAmah)* בַּת כַּמָה To where…?l e AN לְאָן To/for whom…?l e MI לְמִי What…?MAH מַה From where…? meiAyin מֵאַיִן When…?maTAI מָתַי To what…?l e MAH לְמַה Where…? eiFOH (EIfoh)* אֵיפֹה From when…?mimaTAI מִמָּתַי From what…? miMAH מִמַּה From where…? me’eiFOH (me’EIfoh)* מֵאֵיפֹ ה * The terms in parentheses show the (acceptable) pronunciations used by most speakers, whereas the terms above show the (proper) pronunciation in the formal language. More on this on the next slide.

10. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 10 The examples in the table show that some interrogative words may be prefixed with common prepositions and, thereby, form related interrogative terms. When the interrogative prefix הֲ ־, הַ ־, הֶ ־ is applied to the first word in an ordinary sentence, it turns the sentence into a question after a minor modification of the syntax. Some interrogative words may be preceded by certain elements, such as the preposition עַד, ( AD; “to, till”), which turns the combination into an interrogative phrase of its own, e.g., עַד מָתַי ( AD maTAI; “Till when…?”). The examples in the table also show that several different interrogative words have the same meanings. In colloquial (spoken) Hebrew, some of these terms are generally interchangeable. However, formal Hebrew makes a distinction between questions that inquire about a reason and questions that inquire about a purpose. A notable example of this is the pair לָמָּה and מַדּוּעַ – these two words are used in both ways by many Hebrew speakers. However, in formal Hebrew, לָמָּה is restricted to questions about the purpose of an action, the answers to which usually uses the word כְּדֵי ( k e DEI; “in order to”). Similarly, מַדּוּעַ is restricted to inquiries about reason, the answers to which usually uses the word כִּי ( KI; “because”). Selected examples of questions & answers are shown on the next two slides. Hebrew Communications (cont’d) Sentence structure and syntax rules (cont’d)

11. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 11 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) אַנְגְּלִיתתַּעְתִּיקעִבְרִית What are you eating? (to a m.)MAH aTAH oCHEL ? מַה אַתָּה אוֹכֵל (I am eating) cake.(aNI oCHEL) uGAH.(אֲנִי אוֹכֵל) עוּגָה To where are you going? (to a f.)leAN AT hoLEchet ? לְאָן אַתְּ הוֹלֶכֶת (I am going) to the shopping mall.(aNI hoLEchet) la’qenYON.(אֲנִי הוֹלֶכֶת) לֵקֶּנְיוֹן How much does this cost?KAmah ZEH oLEH ? כַּמָּה זֶה עוֹלֶה (It costs) a dollar twenty.(ZEH oLEH) DOlar (v e )esRIM.(זֶה עוֹלֶה) דּוֹלָר (וְ)עֶשְׂרִים How old is your wife?BAT KAmah ha’iSHAH shelCHA (isht e CHA) ? בַּת כַּמָּה הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁלְּךָ (אִשְׁתְּךָ) She is thirty eight.HI BAT shloSHIM u’shmoNEH.הִיא בַּת שְׁלוֹשִׁים וּשְׁמוֹנֶה How old is your husband?BEN KAmah ha’baAL sheLACH (ba’aLECH) ? בֶּן כַּמָּה הַבַּעַל שֶׁלָּךְ (בַּעֲלֵךְ) He is forty four.HU BEN arba’IM vearBA.הוּא בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים וְאַרְבַּע When is her birthday?maTAI YOM ha’huLEdet sheLAH ? מָתַי יוֹם הַהוּלֶדֶת שֶׁלָּהּ In (another) two days.b e OD yoMAyim.בְּעוֹד יוֹמַיִם Questions & Answers – (sh e eiLOT u’tshuVOT) שְׁאֵלוֹת וּתְשוּבוֹת

12. Modern Hebrew for Beginners Copyright ©2007-09 Uri Yosef for VirtualYeshiva.com All rights reserved. Module 11/Page 12 Hebrew Communications (cont’d) אַנְגְּלִיתתַּעְתִּיקעִבְרִית Did they win the (victory) cup?ha’IM HEM zaCU ba’gaVI’a ? הַאִם הֵם זָכוּ בַּגָּבִיעַ Yes.KEN.כֵּן How is it possible to get there from here? EICH efSHAR l e haGI’a l e SHAM miPOH ? אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר לְהַגִּיעַ לְשָׁם מִפֹּה By train.b e raKEvet.בְּרַכֶּבֶת Where did you leave the children?EIfoh hish’ARtem ET ha’y i laDIM ? אֵיפֹה הִשְׁאַרְתֶּם אֶת הַיְּלָדִים (We left them) at home.(hish’ARnu oTAM) baBAyit.(הִשְׁאַרְנוּ אוֹתָם) בַּבַּיִת At what time will the party start?b e EIzo sha’AH tat’HIL ha’m e siBAH ? בְּאֵיזוֹ שָׁעָה תַּתְחִיל הַמְּסִבָּה (The party will start) at 7:00 p.m.(ha’m e siBAH tat’HIL) b e SHEva ba’Erev.(הַמְּסִבָּה תַּתְחִיל) בְּשֶׁבַע בַּעֶרֶב Why are you shouting? (to a m.)LAmah aTAH tso’EK ? לָמָּה אַתָּה צוֹעֵק (I am yelling) so that you will hear me.(aNI tso’EK) keDEI shetishMA oTI.(אֲנִי צוֹעֵק) כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּשְׁמְעוּ אוֹתִי Why aren’t you working? (to a f.)maDU’a AT LO oVEdet ? מַדּוּעַ אַתְּ לֹא עוֹבֶדֶת (I am not working) because I am tired.(aNI LO oVEdet) KI aNI ayeFAH.(אֲנִי לֹא עוֹבֶדֶת) כִּי אֲנִי עֲיֵפָה More questions & answers – (OD sh e eiLOT u’tshuVOT) עוֹד שְׁאֵלוֹת וּתְשוּבוֹת