Hebrew is a language where gender and number are not just grammatical features – they shape the entire structure of a sentence. Nouns, adjectives, and even verbs must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
Gender: Masculine vs. Feminine
Every noun in Hebrew is either masculine or feminine.
- Masculine nouns often end in a consonant or “-ים” in plural.
Example: ספר (sefer – book), ספרים (sfarim – books) - Feminine nouns often end in “-ה” or “-ת”, and “-ות” in plural.
Example: מורה (morah – teacher), מורות (morot – teachers)
Adjectives and verbs must match the gender of the noun:
- ילד טוב מדבר עברית (Yeled tov medaber ivrit – A good boy speaks Hebrew)
- ילדה טובה מדברת עברית (Yaldah tovah medaberet ivrit – A good girl speaks Hebrew)
Number: Singular vs. Plural
Hebrew distinguishes between singular and plural, and nouns, adjectives and verbs reflect this.
- Singular: הוא כותב (hu kotev – he writes)
- Plural masculine: הם כותבים (hem kotvim – they [m.] write)
- Plural feminine: הן כותבות (hen kotvot – they [f.] write)
A Language of Agreement
Hebrew is built on grammatical agreement. Every part of the sentence – subject, verb, adjective – must align in gender and number. This reflects a deeper linguistic mindset: Hebrew speakers constantly track and adjust for these features, even in everyday speech.
