Prepositions
Prepositions are the threads that hold a sentence together. In Hebrew some of them are not separate words at all, just a single letter at the front.
Prepositions never translate one-to-one between languages. The efficient way is to learn them inside a fixed phrase, never on their own.
The attached letters ב, ל, מ, כGlued to the word
A preposition one letter long
The four most common prepositions are not separate words but letters glued to the front of the word: בְּ־ for place or instrument, לְ־ for a destination or recipient, מִ־ for origin, and כְּ־ for comparison.
When the word is definite, the letter meets the article ה and swallows it. What remains in its place is the vowel that marks definiteness.
מ is the exception: it does not swallow the ה but leans on it — מֵהַבַּיִת.
The four letters at work
be-vayit
in a house
le-khaver
to a friend
mi-Tel Aviv
from Tel Aviv
ke-more
like a teacher
Meeting the article ה
This is the rule most learners miss: you never write לְהַבַּיִת, you write לַבַּיִת. The ה disappears and its vowel stays behind.
| Combination | Result | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בְּ + הַבַּיִת | בַּבַּיִת | in the house |
| לְ + הֶחָבֵר | לֶחָבֵר | to the friend |
| כְּ + הַמּוֹרֶה | כַּמּוֹרֶה | like the teacher |
| מִן + הַבַּיִת | מֵהַבַּיִת | from the house |
Note the contrast: בְּבַיִת is in some house, בַּבַּיִת is in the house. An adjective after it keeps its own ה: בַּבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל, in the big house.
Standalone prepositions
Words that stand on their own
Beside the attached letters there are full prepositions written as separate words. These are the ones that pin down place, time and direction, and they come back in almost every sentence.
Twelve words that cover daily life
al
on, or about a topic
im
with (someone)
etsel
at someone's place
bishvil
for, on behalf of
lifnei
before, in time or place
akharei
after
bein
between
leyad
next to
mul
opposite, facing
bli
without
ad
until
neged
against
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Frequently asked questions
- When do I use את?
- Only before a definite direct object: one with the article ה, a personal name, or a pronoun. You say אני רואה סרט without את, but אני רואה את הסרט with it.
- Why is it לַבַּיִת and not לְהַבַּיִת?
- Because ב, ל and כ swallow the article ה. The ה drops out of the spelling and its vowel moves onto the attached letter. מ is the exception and keeps the ה: מֵהַבַּיִת.
- How do I say with me, with you, with him?
- The preposition עם inflects on the base אִתּ־ (from an old word for “with”): אִתִּי, אִתְּךָ, אִתָּךְ, אִתּוֹ, אִתָּהּ, אִתָּנוּ, אִתְּכֶם, אִתְּכֶן, אִתָּם, אִתָּן. The forms עִמִּי and עִמּוֹ are correct but literary.
- How do I know which preposition a verb takes?
- No rule predicts it, so you learn the pair as one unit. When you add a new verb, write it down with its preposition and one example sentence.
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