Free lessonLevel A19 min read12 practice words

Possession: של, שלי and יש לי

Whose is it, and what do you have? Two short patterns, שֶׁל and יֵשׁ לִי, cover almost everything you will say about owning.

Hebrew puts the owner after the thing: not “my house” but “the house of mine”, הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי.

Whose is it? The word שֶׁל

The thing, then שֶׁל, then the owner

To say whose something is, Hebrew uses one short word: שֶׁל (shel), “of, belonging to”. The order is the reverse of English “Dani’s book”: first the thing, then שֶׁל, then the owner. הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי is literally “the book of Dani”.

The thing owned takes ה, because “Dani’s book” is one specific book. The owner takes ה only when it is an ordinary noun used definitely, like שֶׁל הַשְּׁכֵנִים (the neighbors’). Names never take ה, and neither do אִמָּא and אַבָּא, which work like names.

To ask whose, put מִי after שֶׁל: שֶׁל מִי זֶה? (Whose is this?)

The pattern

The pattern
Thing	Owner	Phrase	Meaning
הַסֵּפֶר	דָּנִי	הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי	Dani’s book
הַטֶּלֶפוֹן	אִמָּא	הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁל אִמָּא	Mom’s phone
הַמִּשְׂרָד	הַמְּנַהֶלֶת	הַמִּשְׂרָד שֶׁל הַמְּנַהֶלֶת	the manager’s office
הַכֶּלֶב	הַשְּׁכֵנִים	הַכֶּלֶב שֶׁל הַשְּׁכֵנִים	the neighbors’ dog

Whose is what: everyday sentences

שֶׁל מִי הַתִּיק?

shel mi ha-tik?

Whose bag is it?

הַתִּיק שֶׁל נוֹעָה.

ha-tik shel Noa

It’s Noa’s bag.

הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁל אִמָּא עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן.

ha-telefon shel ima al ha-shulkhan

Mom’s phone is on the table.

הַכֶּלֶב שֶׁל הַשְּׁכֵנִים נוֹבֵחַ כָּל הַלַּיְלָה.

ha-kelev shel ha-shkhenim noveakh kol ha-layla

The neighbors’ dog barks all night.

שֶׁלִּי, שֶׁלְּךָ, שֶׁלּוֹ: my, your, his10 forms

שֶׁל + a person = one word

When the owner is a pronoun, Hebrew never says שֶׁל אֲנִי. The two fuse into one word, just like לִי and אִתְּךָ in the prepositions lesson: שֶׁלִּי (my, mine), שֶׁלְּךָ (your, yours).

The form follows the owner, never the thing. שֶׁלִּי stays שֶׁלִּי whether the thing is masculine, feminine or plural, so there is nothing to agree: one word per person.

Each form means both “my” and “mine”: הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁלִּי (my phone), זֶה שֶׁלִּי (it’s mine).

One שֶׁלִּי for every noun

הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּיmasc.

ha-bayit sheli

my house

הַמִּטָּה שֶׁלִּיfem.

ha-mita sheli

my bed

הַסְּפָרִים שֶׁלִּיplural

ha-sfarim sheli

my books

שֶׁל with all ten persons

שֶׁל with all ten persons
Person	Form	Pronunciation	Meaning
אֲנִי	שֶׁלִּי	sheli	my, mine
אַתָּה	שֶׁלְּךָ	shelkha	your, yours (to a man)
אַתְּ	שֶׁלָּךְ	shelakh	your, yours (to a woman)
הוּא	שֶׁלּוֹ	shelo	his
הִיא	שֶׁלָּהּ	shela	her, hers
אֲנַחְנוּ	שֶׁלָּנוּ	shelanu	our, ours
אַתֶּם	שֶׁלָּכֶם	shelakhem	your, yours (to men or a mixed group)
אַתֶּן	שֶׁלָּכֶן	shelakhen	your, yours (to women)
הֵם	שֶׁלָּהֶם	shelahem	their, theirs (men or mixed)
הֵן	שֶׁלָּהֶן	shelahen	their, theirs (women)

These are the same endings you met on לְ: לִי, לְךָ, לָךְ, לוֹ, לָהּ. Learn them once here and you will recognize them on many other prepositions.

In real life

אֵיפֹה הַמַּפְתְּחוֹת שֶׁלִּי?

eifo ha-maftekhot sheli?

Where are my keys?

זֶה הַקָּפֶה שֶׁלְּךָ אוֹ שֶׁלָּהּ?

ze ha-kafe shelkha o shela?

Is this your coffee or hers?

הַהוֹרִים שֶׁלָּנוּ גָּרִים בְּתֵל אָבִיב.

ha-horim shelanu garim be-Tel Aviv

Our parents live in Tel Aviv.

הַבַּיִת שֶׁלָּכֶם מַמָּשׁ יָפֶה!

ha-bayit shelakhem mamash yafe!

Your house is really beautiful!

Listen to the ending

שֶׁלָּךְ (shelakh, yours, to a woman) and שֶׁלָּהּ (shela, hers) differ only in the last sound, so say both out loud. In casual speech many Israelis use שֶׁלָּכֶם and שֶׁלָּהֶם for women too, as they do with אַתֶּם and הֵם; the feminine forms are the standard.

The thing owned takes הmy = the … of mine

Possession makes the noun specific

“My house” is one particular house, so the noun takes ה: הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי, literally “the house of mine”. Leave out ה and the meaning changes to “a … of mine”: חָבֵר שֶׁלִּי is a friend of mine, one of several.

An adjective comes right after the noun and takes ה too, and שֶׁלִּי closes the phrase: הַבַּיִת הֶחָדָשׁ שֶׁלִּי (my new house). You will hear הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי הֶחָדָשׁ in casual speech, but noun, adjective, owner is the standard order.

Because the phrase is definite, it takes אֶת when it is the direct object, as in the prepositions lesson: אֲנִי מְחַפֵּשׂ אֶת הַמַּפְתְּחוֹת שֶׁלִּי (I’m looking for my keys).

Building the phrase

Building the phrase
Pattern	Example	Meaning
Noun with ה, then the owner	הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי	my house
Noun, adjective, then the owner	הַבַּיִת הֶחָדָשׁ שֶׁלִּי	my new house
Noun without ה	חָבֵר שֶׁלִּי	a friend of mine

Without ה: one of several

זֶה חָבֵר שֶׁלִּי מֵהָעֲבוֹדָה.

ze khaver sheli me-ha-avoda

This is a friend of mine from work.

With ה: the one

זֶה הֶחָבֵר שֶׁלִּי, יוֹנָתָן.

ze he-khaver sheli, Yonatan

This is my boyfriend, Yonatan.

With ה, הֶחָבֵר שֶׁלִּי and הַחֲבֵרָה שֶׁלִּי usually mean “my boyfriend” and “my girlfriend”.

Mine, yours, hers: the form on its own

זֶה שֶׁלִּי!

ze sheli!

That’s mine!

הַמְּעִיל הַזֶּה לֹא שֶׁלִּי.

ha-me’il ha-ze lo sheli

This coat isn’t mine.

הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁלְּךָ אוֹ שֶׁל דָּנָה?

ha-sefer shelkha o shel Dana?

Is the book yours or Dana’s?

Quick check

1 of 5

“Dani’s dog.”

I have: יֵשׁ לִי and אֵין לִיNo verb “to have”

“There is to me”

Hebrew has no verb “to have”. Instead it says “there is to me”: יֵשׁ לִי. יֵשׁ (there is) and אֵין (there isn’t) never change; the person sits on לְ, with the same endings as שֶׁל: לִי, לְךָ, לוֹ, לָנוּ…

With a name or a noun, attach לְ to it: לְדָנִי יֵשׁ אָח (Dani has a brother). Before ה the two merge: לַמּוֹרָה יֵשׁ… (the teacher has…). The owner can also follow יֵשׁ: יֵשׁ לְדָנִי אָח means the same.

שֶׁלִּי says whose a thing is; יֵשׁ לִי says that you have one. הָאוֹטוֹ שֶׁלִּי is “my car”, יֵשׁ לִי אוֹטוֹ is “I have a car”.

Have and don’t have, all ten persons

Have and don’t have, all ten persons
Person	Have	Don’t have	Pronunciation
אֲנִי	יֵשׁ לִי	אֵין לִי	yesh li / ein li
אַתָּה	יֵשׁ לְךָ	אֵין לְךָ	yesh lekha / ein lekha
אַתְּ	יֵשׁ לָךְ	אֵין לָךְ	yesh lakh / ein lakh
הוּא	יֵשׁ לוֹ	אֵין לוֹ	yesh lo / ein lo
הִיא	יֵשׁ לָהּ	אֵין לָהּ	yesh la / ein la
אֲנַחְנוּ	יֵשׁ לָנוּ	אֵין לָנוּ	yesh lanu / ein lanu
אַתֶּם	יֵשׁ לָכֶם	אֵין לָכֶם	yesh lakhem / ein lakhem
אַתֶּן	יֵשׁ לָכֶן	אֵין לָכֶן	yesh lakhen / ein lakhen
הֵם	יֵשׁ לָהֶם	אֵין לָהֶם	yesh lahem / ein lahem
הֵן	יֵשׁ לָהֶן	אֵין לָהֶן	yesh lahen / ein lahen

Never לֹא יֵשׁ: the negative of יֵשׁ is its own word, אֵין.

Not only things

יֵשׁ לְךָ מַטְעֵן?

yesh lekha mat’en?

Do you have a charger? (to a man)

יֵשׁ לִי שְׁאֵלָה.

yesh li she’ela

I have a question.

אֵין לִי מֻשָּׂג.

ein li musag

I have no idea.

לְדָנִי יֵשׁ מְכוֹנִית חֲדָשָׁה.

le-Dani yesh mekhonit khadasha

Dani has a new car.

אֵין לָנוּ כֹּחַ הַיּוֹם.

ein lanu koakh ha-yom

We have no energy today.

Had and will haveAgrees with the thing

The verb agrees with the thing, not with you

In the past and the future, יֵשׁ is replaced by the verb “to be”: הָיָה לִי (I had), יִהְיֶה לִי (I will have). The thing you have is the grammatical subject, so the verb agrees with it in gender and number.

The form depends on what you had, not on who had it. A man and a woman both say הָיָה לִי זְמַן, because זְמַן (time) is masculine, and both say הָיְתָה לִי בְּעָיָה, because בְּעָיָה (a problem) is feminine.

Negate with לֹא before the verb: לֹא הָיָה לִי זְמַן, לֹא יִהְיֶה לָנוּ כֶּסֶף. אֵין belongs to the present only.

Three tenses, three forms

Three tenses, three forms
Thing owned	Example	Past	Present	Future
masc. sing.	זְמַן	הָיָה לִי	יֵשׁ לִי	יִהְיֶה לִי
fem. sing.	בְּעָיָה	הָיְתָה לִי	יֵשׁ לִי	תִּהְיֶה לִי
plural (m. or f.)	אוֹרְחִים	הָיוּ לִי	יֵשׁ לִי	יִהְיוּ לִי

Masculine and feminine plurals share one form: הָיוּ לָנוּ אוֹרְחִים (guests), הָיוּ לָנוּ בְּעָיוֹת (problems).

Looking back

הָיָה לִי יוֹם אָרֹךְ.

haya li yom arokh

I had a long day.

אֶתְמוֹל הָיְתָה לָנוּ מְסִבָּה.

etmol hayta lanu mesiba

Yesterday we had a party.

הָיוּ לָהֶם הַרְבֵּה בְּעָיוֹת עִם הַדִּירָה.

hayu lahem harbe be’ayot im ha-dira

They had a lot of problems with the apartment.

לֹא הָיְתָה לִי בְּרֵרָה.

lo hayta li brera

I had no choice.

Looking ahead

מָחָר יִהְיֶה לִי זְמַן.

makhar yihye li zman

Tomorrow I’ll have time.

בַּשָּׁבוּעַ הַבָּא תִּהְיֶה לָנוּ פְּגִישָׁה.

ba-shavua ha-ba tihye lanu pgisha

Next week we’ll have a meeting.

בְּקָרוֹב יִהְיוּ לָנוּ שְׁכֵנִים חֲדָשִׁים.

be-karov yihyu lanu shkhenim khadashim

Soon we’ll have new neighbors.

What you will hear on the street

In casual speech many Israelis say הָיָה לִי for everything, even before a feminine noun: הָיָה לִי בְּעָיָה. You will hear it all the time, but הָיְתָה לִי בְּעָיָה is the correct form and the one to use in writing.

Quick check

1 of 5

You ask a woman: “Do you have a minute?”

___ רֶגַע?

Endings on the noun: שְׁמִי, אִשְׁתִּי, בְּנִיTo recognize

The owner glued to the noun

Hebrew has an older, shorter way to say whose: the ending goes straight onto the noun. שְׁמִי means “my name”, exactly like הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי. The endings are the ones from שֶׁל: ־ִי (my), ־וֹ (his), ־ָהּ (her).

You don’t need to build these forms yet. But you will meet them every day in a few family words, in formal language and in fixed expressions, so learn to recognize them.

A suffix form is already definite, so it never takes ה. A feminine ־ָה becomes ־ת before the ending, as in smikhut: אִשָּׁה ← אִשְׁתִּי.

Everyday form and short form

Everyday form and short form
Everyday form	Short form	Pronunciation	Meaning
הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי	שְׁמִי	shmi	my name
הַבֵּן שֶׁלִּי	בְּנִי	bni	my son
הַבַּת שֶׁלִּי	בִּתִּי	biti	my daughter
הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁלִּי	אִשְׁתִּי	ishti	my wife
הַבַּעַל שֶׁלִּי	בַּעֲלִי	ba’ali	my husband
הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלּוֹ	שְׁמוֹ	shmo	his name
הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלָּהּ	שְׁמָהּ	shma	her name

Where you meet them

שָׁלוֹם, שְׁמִי מִיכַל כֹּהֵן.

shalom, shmi Mikhal Kohen

Hello, my name is Michal Cohen. (formal: a speech, an email, the phone at work)

זֹאת אִשְׁתִּי, נוֹעָה.

zot ishti, Noa

This is my wife, Noa.

בַּעֲלִי עוֹבֵד בַּבַּנְק.

ba’ali oved ba-bank

My husband works at the bank.

לְדַעְתִּי, זֶה רַעְיוֹן מְצֻיָּן.

le-da’ti, ze ra’ayon metsuyan

In my opinion, it’s an excellent idea.

Fixed expressions with ־ִי

לְדַעְתִּי

le-da’ti

in my opinion

לְצַעֲרִי

le-tsa’ari

unfortunately (lit. to my sorrow)

לְמַזָּלִי

le-mazali

luckily for me

בְּעַצְמִי

be-atsmi

by myself

Which one to use

In speech the שֶׁל form is always safe: הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי, הַבֵּן שֶׁלִּי. The exception is wife and husband: most Israelis say אִשְׁתִּי and בַּעֲלִי. To introduce yourself, the everyday choice is קוֹרְאִים לִי… (literally “they call me”).

Common mistakes and summary

Five mistakes to drop early

שֶׁלִּי הַבַּיִתהַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי
The owner comes after the thing. English “my” and Russian “мой” come first; Hebrew does the opposite.
בַּיִת שֶׁלִּי גָּדוֹלהַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי גָּדוֹל
“My house” is definite, so the noun needs ה.
הַמְּכוֹנִית חֲדָשָׁה שֶׁלִּיהַמְּכוֹנִית הַחֲדָשָׁה שֶׁלִּי
The adjective takes ה too and sits between the noun and שֶׁלִּי.
אֲנִי יֵשׁ אָחיֵשׁ לִי אָח
There is no verb “to have”: יֵשׁ + לְ + the owner.
הָיְתָה לִי זְמַןהָיָה לִי זְמַן
The verb agrees with the thing. זְמַן is masculine, so הָיָה, even when a woman is speaking.

What to take away

The thing, then שֶׁל, then the owner: הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי.
With a pronoun, שֶׁל fuses into one word (שֶׁלִּי, שֶׁלְּךָ, שֶׁלָּךְ…) that follows the owner, never the thing.
The thing owned takes ה, and so does its adjective: הַבַּיִת הֶחָדָשׁ שֶׁלִּי.
“I have” is יֵשׁ לִי, “I don’t have” is אֵין לִי.
Past and future agree with the thing: הָיָה / הָיְתָה / הָיוּ לִי, יִהְיֶה / תִּהְיֶה / יִהְיוּ לִי.

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Test yourself: Possession

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say “my” in Hebrew?: Put שֶׁלִּי after the noun and ה before it: הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי (my house), הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁלִּי (my phone). שֶׁלִּי does not change with the noun’s gender or number. For other people use שֶׁלְּךָ, שֶׁלָּךְ, שֶׁלּוֹ, שֶׁלָּהּ, שֶׁלָּנוּ, שֶׁלָּכֶם, שֶׁלָּכֶן, שֶׁלָּהֶם and שֶׁלָּהֶן.
How do you say “I have” in Hebrew?: Hebrew has no verb “to have”. Say יֵשׁ לִי, literally “there is to me”: יֵשׁ לִי אָח (I have a brother). The negative is אֵין לִי: אֵין לִי זְמַן (I don’t have time). For other people change only the ending: יֵשׁ לְךָ, יֵשׁ לָהּ, יֵשׁ לָנוּ.
Why is it הָיְתָה לִי בְּעָיָה but הָיָה לִי זְמַן?: Because the verb agrees with the thing you have, which is the grammatical subject. בְּעָיָה (a problem) is feminine, so הָיְתָה; זְמַן (time) is masculine, so הָיָה. Who had it does not matter. The future works the same way: תִּהְיֶה לִי בְּעָיָה, יִהְיֶה לִי זְמַן.
What is the difference between שְׁמִי and הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי?: Both mean “my name”. הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי is everyday speech; שְׁמִי puts the ending on the noun and sounds formal, the way you would open an email or a speech. In conversation Israelis usually just say קוֹרְאִים לִי… (they call me…).

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Whose is it? The word שֶׁל
שֶׁלִּי, שֶׁלְּךָ, שֶׁלּוֹ: my, your, his
The thing owned takes ה (Free account)
I have: יֵשׁ לִי and אֵין לִי (Free account)
Had and will have (Free account)
Endings on the noun: שְׁמִי, אִשְׁתִּי, בְּנִי (Free account)
Common mistakes and summary (Free account)
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Questions

Thing

Owner

Phrase

Meaning

הַסֵּפֶר

דָּנִי

הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי

Dani’s book

הַטֶּלֶפוֹן

אִמָּא

הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁל אִמָּא

Mom’s phone

הַמִּשְׂרָד

הַמְּנַהֶלֶת

הַמִּשְׂרָד שֶׁל הַמְּנַהֶלֶת

the manager’s office

הַכֶּלֶב

הַשְּׁכֵנִים

הַכֶּלֶב שֶׁל הַשְּׁכֵנִים

the neighbors’ dog

Person

Form

Pronunciation

Meaning

אֲנִי

שֶׁלִּי

sheli

my, mine

אַתָּה

שֶׁלְּךָ

shelkha

your, yours (to a man)

אַתְּ

שֶׁלָּךְ

shelakh

your, yours (to a woman)

הוּא

שֶׁלּוֹ

shelo

his

הִיא

שֶׁלָּהּ

shela

her, hers

אֲנַחְנוּ

שֶׁלָּנוּ

shelanu

our, ours

אַתֶּם

שֶׁלָּכֶם

shelakhem

your, yours (to men or a mixed group)

אַתֶּן

שֶׁלָּכֶן

shelakhen

your, yours (to women)

הֵם

שֶׁלָּהֶם

shelahem

their, theirs (men or mixed)

הֵן

שֶׁלָּהֶן

shelahen

their, theirs (women)

Pattern

Example

Meaning

Noun with ה, then the owner

הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי

my house

Noun, adjective, then the owner

הַבַּיִת הֶחָדָשׁ שֶׁלִּי

my new house

Noun without ה

חָבֵר שֶׁלִּי

a friend of mine

Person

Have

Don’t have

Pronunciation

אֲנִי

יֵשׁ לִי

אֵין לִי

yesh li / ein li

אַתָּה

יֵשׁ לְךָ

אֵין לְךָ

yesh lekha / ein lekha

אַתְּ

יֵשׁ לָךְ

אֵין לָךְ

yesh lakh / ein lakh

הוּא

יֵשׁ לוֹ

אֵין לוֹ

yesh lo / ein lo

הִיא

יֵשׁ לָהּ

אֵין לָהּ

yesh la / ein la

אֲנַחְנוּ

יֵשׁ לָנוּ

אֵין לָנוּ

yesh lanu / ein lanu

אַתֶּם

יֵשׁ לָכֶם

אֵין לָכֶם

yesh lakhem / ein lakhem

אַתֶּן

יֵשׁ לָכֶן

אֵין לָכֶן

yesh lakhen / ein lakhen

הֵם

יֵשׁ לָהֶם

אֵין לָהֶם

yesh lahem / ein lahem

הֵן

יֵשׁ לָהֶן

אֵין לָהֶן

yesh lahen / ein lahen

Thing owned

Example

Past

Present

Future

masc. sing.

זְמַן

הָיָה לִי

יֵשׁ לִי

יִהְיֶה לִי

fem. sing.

בְּעָיָה

הָיְתָה לִי

יֵשׁ לִי

תִּהְיֶה לִי

plural (m. or f.)

אוֹרְחִים

הָיוּ לִי

יֵשׁ לִי

יִהְיוּ לִי

Everyday form

Short form

Pronunciation

Meaning

הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי

שְׁמִי

shmi

my name

הַבֵּן שֶׁלִּי

בְּנִי

bni

my son

הַבַּת שֶׁלִּי

בִּתִּי

biti

my daughter

הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁלִּי

אִשְׁתִּי

ishti

my wife

הַבַּעַל שֶׁלִּי

בַּעֲלִי

ba’ali

my husband

הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלּוֹ

שְׁמוֹ

shmo

his name

הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלָּהּ

שְׁמָהּ

shma

her name

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “my” in Hebrew?

Put שֶׁלִּי after the noun and ה before it: הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי (my house), הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁלִּי (my phone). שֶׁלִּי does not change with the noun’s gender or number. For other people use שֶׁלְּךָ, שֶׁלָּךְ, שֶׁלּוֹ, שֶׁלָּהּ, שֶׁלָּנוּ, שֶׁלָּכֶם, שֶׁלָּכֶן, שֶׁלָּהֶם and שֶׁלָּהֶן.

How do you say “I have” in Hebrew?

Hebrew has no verb “to have”. Say יֵשׁ לִי, literally “there is to me”: יֵשׁ לִי אָח (I have a brother). The negative is אֵין לִי: אֵין לִי זְמַן (I don’t have time). For other people change only the ending: יֵשׁ לְךָ, יֵשׁ לָהּ, יֵשׁ לָנוּ.

Why is it הָיְתָה לִי בְּעָיָה but הָיָה לִי זְמַן?

Because the verb agrees with the thing you have, which is the grammatical subject. בְּעָיָה (a problem) is feminine, so הָיְתָה; זְמַן (time) is masculine, so הָיָה. Who had it does not matter. The future works the same way: תִּהְיֶה לִי בְּעָיָה, יִהְיֶה לִי זְמַן.

What is the difference between שְׁמִי and הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי?

Both mean “my name”. הַשֵּׁם שֶׁלִּי is everyday speech; שְׁמִי puts the ending on the noun and sounds formal, the way you would open an email or a speech. In conversation Israelis usually just say קוֹרְאִים לִי… (they call me…).