Object Pronouns
Me, you, him, her, us, them. In Hebrew the verb decides how you say them: אוֹתִי, לִי, אִתִּי or בִּי. This lesson shows you how to pick the right one.
Learn every verb together with its object: רוֹאֶה אוֹתִי, עוֹזֵר לִי, מְדַבֵּר אִתִּי. Then the right form comes out on its own.
Replacing the object: את becomes אותו
Say it once, then use a pronoun
Once a thing or a person has been mentioned, nobody repeats the noun: “Did you see the film? Yes, I saw it.” Hebrew does the same and replaces the noun after את with a pronoun.
But Hebrew never says אֶת הוּא or אֶת אֲנִי. The marker את fuses with the pronoun into one word: אֶת + הוּא ← אוֹתוֹ, אֶת + אֲנִי ← אוֹתִי. You met את in the prepositions lesson: it marks a definite direct object.
A pronoun is always definite, so it always takes this form, even when the noun it replaces had no את: קָנִיתִי סֵפֶר וְקָרָאתִי אוֹתוֹ בְּיוֹם אֶחָד (I bought a book and read it in one day).
A two-line conversation
רָאִיתָ אֶת הַסֶּרֶט הֶחָדָשׁ?
ra’ita et ha-seret he-khadash?
Did you see the new film?
כֵּן, רָאִיתִי אוֹתוֹ אֶתְמוֹל.
ken, ra’iti oto etmol
Yes, I saw it yesterday.
אוֹתוֹ takes the place of אֶת הַסֶּרֶט, so the film is not named twice.
From noun to pronoun
All ten forms, from אותי to אותןthe core table
One base, endings you already know
Take the base אוֹת־ and add the personal endings you know from שֶׁלִּי and לִי: אוֹתִי (me), אוֹתְךָ (you), אוֹתוֹ (him), אוֹתָהּ (her), אוֹתָנוּ (us), אוֹתָם (them).
Two forms break the pattern: plural “you” goes back to the base אֶת־, giving אֶתְכֶם and אֶתְכֶן. As with the pronouns themselves, “you” and “them” have a masculine and a feminine form.
Hebrew has no separate “it”: a thing is אוֹתוֹ or אוֹתָהּ depending on the noun's gender, and אוֹתָם or אוֹתָן in the plural.
The object pronouns in every person
| Person | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי | אוֹתִיoti | me |
| אַתָּה | אוֹתְךָotkha | you (m.) |
| אַתְּ | אוֹתָךְotakh | you (f.) |
| הוּא | אוֹתוֹoto | him, it |
| הִיא | אוֹתָהּota | her, it |
| אֲנַחְנוּ | אוֹתָנוּotanu | us |
| אַתֶּם | אֶתְכֶםetkhem | you (m. pl.) |
| אַתֶּן | אֶתְכֶןetkhen | you (f. pl.) |
| הֵם | אוֹתָםotam | them (m.) |
| הֵן | אוֹתָןotan | them (f.) |
In everyday speech you will also hear אוֹתְכֶם. It is common, but אֶתְכֶם is the standard form and the one to write.
Sentences you will actually say
אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אוֹתָךְ.
ani ohev otakh
I love you (a man to a woman).
אַתָּה זוֹכֵר אוֹתִי? לָמַדְנוּ יַחַד.
ata zokher oti? lamadnu yakhad
Do you remember me? We studied together.
הַמַּפְתְּחוֹת? שַׂמְתִּי אוֹתָם עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן.
ha-maftekhot? samti otam al ha-shulkhan
The keys? I put them on the table.
אֲנַחְנוּ מַזְמִינִים אֶתְכֶם לַחֲתֻנָּה.
anakhnu mazminim etkhem la-khatuna
We are inviting you (all) to the wedding.
הַדִּירָה? מָכַרְנוּ אוֹתָהּ.
ha-dira? makharnu ota
The apartment? We sold it.
אוֹתוֹ before a noun means “the same”
After a verb אוֹתוֹ is “him” or “it”. Before a noun it means “the same”: אוֹתוֹ דָּבָר (the same thing), בְּאוֹתוֹ יוֹם (on the same day), אוֹתָהּ שְׁאֵלָה (the same question). Its position tells you which one it is.
Quick check
“I know Dana” → “I know her”.
אֲנִי מַכִּיר ___.
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Frequently asked questions
- How do you say “me”, “him” and “her” in Hebrew?
- It depends on the verb. As a direct object, את fuses with the pronoun: אוֹתִי (oti, me), אוֹתוֹ (oto, him), אוֹתָהּ (ota, her), as in אֲנִי רוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ (I see him). If the verb takes a preposition, that preposition inflects instead: לִי after לַעֲזוֹר (help me), אִתִּי after לְדַבֵּר עִם (talk to me).
- What is the difference between אותי and לי?
- אוֹתִי is a direct object: the action lands on you, as in הוּא רוֹאֶה אוֹתִי (he sees me). לִי marks the person who receives something or is helped, as in הוּא נוֹתֵן לִי (he gives me) or הוּא עוֹזֵר לִי (he helps me). The verb decides which one you need, so learn each verb with its preposition.
- How do you say “I love you” in Hebrew?
- The verb follows the speaker and the pronoun follows the person you love. A man says אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אוֹתָךְ (ani ohev otakh) to a woman and אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אוֹתְךָ (ani ohev otkha) to a man. A woman says אֲנִי אוֹהֶבֶת אוֹתְךָ (ani ohevet otkha) to a man and אֲנִי אוֹהֶבֶת אוֹתָךְ (ani ohevet otakh) to a woman.
- Is it איתי or אתי?
- Both spell the same word, “with me” (iti). With nikud it is אִתִּי. Without nikud the standard spelling is איתי: the י shows the “i” sound. אתי is the older spelling you still see in books, and it is ambiguous, because old spelling writes אֹתִי (oti, me) the same way. The form עִמִּי is correct but literary.
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- Replacing the object: את becomes אותו
- All ten forms, from אותי to אותן
- Verbs that take ל: לי, לך, לו (Free account)
- The verb decides: איתי, בי and more (Free account)
- Word order, and when to drop the object (Free account)
- Common mistakes and summary (Free account)
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