Plurals
Grammar Notes
Hebrew has two endings for plurals:
- - for masculine nouns
- - for feminine nouns
You also need to remove the ending of a word before making it into a plural.
Despite this simple system, there are a few irregularities. For example, is the plural of "wine", despite it being a masculine noun. These are relatively rare and have to be memorized.
📖 Story: Cakes for the children 7 sentences · 3 questions
Cakes for the children
- We have dogs and cats.
- The dogs are big, and the cats are small.
- The children eat apples and cakes.
- The women drink coffee.
- The dogs want cakes too.
- But the cakes are for the children!
- And the cats? They want fish.
Questions
What do the women drink?
Who are the cakes for?
What do the cats want?
Practice
The rule
Most masculine nouns take −ים; most feminine nouns (ending in −ה or −ת) take −ות. Some words are irregular.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| masc. −ים | ||
| fem. −ה → −ות | ||
| irregular | ||
| masc. but −ות |
Each sentence shows the rule. Listen, say it after the voice, then tap the grey bar for the meaning and a note on the rule. The pattern quiz blanks out the key form.
Sentences
- – I have two books · ספר → ספרים
- – The cakes are tasty · עוגה → עוגות
- – The women drink juice · אישה → נשים (irregular)
- – The dogs bark · כלב → כלבים
- – The girls are happy · ילדה → ילדות
- – I love apples · תפוח → תפוחים
- – There are three dresses in the closet · שמלה → שמלות
- – The windows are open · חלון → חלונות (masc. with −ות)