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 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.
be-vayit
in a house
le-khaver
to a friend
mi-Tel Aviv
from Tel Aviv
ke-more
like a teacher
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.
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.
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
את is a marker, not a word with meaning. It appears before a definite direct object — one carrying the article ה, a personal name, or a pronoun.
If the object is indefinite, את simply does not appear. That is the whole rule.
Do not confuse the particle את with אַתְּ, the feminine "you". Unvocalised they look identical and only context tells them apart.
אֲנִי רוֹאֶה סֶרֶט.
ani ro’e seret
Indefinite object — no את
אֲנִי רוֹאֶה אֶת הַסֶּרֶט.
ani ro’e et ha-seret
Definite object — את is required
A personal name also needs it: אֲנִי מַכִּיר אֶת דָּנָה. When the object is a pronoun, את merges with it into these forms:
אוֹתִי, אוֹתְךָ, אוֹתָךְ, אוֹתוֹ, אוֹתָהּ, אוֹתָנוּ, אֶתְכֶם and אוֹתָם replace את plus a pronoun.
“I read a book” (any book).
When a preposition meets a pronoun the two fuse into one word. Instead of ל + אני you get לִי, and instead of עם + אתה you get אִתְּךָ.
This is one of the clearest tells of an inexperienced speaker, so the table is worth drilling until it is automatic.
עם inflects on a completely different base: אִתִּי, אִתְּךָ, אִתּוֹ. The forms עִמִּי and עִמּוֹ exist but are literary.
| Person | שֶׁל | לְ־ | עִם | בְּ־ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי — I | שֶׁלִּי | לִי | אִתִּי | בִּי |
| אַתָּה — you (m) | שֶׁלְּךָ | לְךָ | אִתְּךָ | בְּךָ |
| אַתְּ — you (f) | שֶׁלָּךְ | לָךְ | אִתָּךְ | בָּךְ |
| הוּא — he | שֶׁלּוֹ | לוֹ | אִתּוֹ | בּוֹ |
| הִיא — she | שֶׁלָּהּ | לָהּ | אִתָּהּ | בָּהּ |
| אֲנַחְנוּ — we | שֶׁלָּנוּ | לָנוּ | אִתָּנוּ | בָּנוּ |
| אַתֶּם — you (pl) | שֶׁלָּכֶם | לָכֶם | אִתְּכֶם | בָּכֶם |
| הֵם — they | שֶׁלָּהֶם | לָהֶם | אִתָּם | בָּהֶם |
על inflects too, and is worth knowing: עָלַי, עָלֶיךָ, עָלַיִךְ, עָלָיו, עָלֶיהָ, עָלֵינוּ, עֲלֵיכֶם, עֲלֵיהֶם.
Every verb has its own fixed preposition, and it is almost never the one your native language would use. You wait ל and not את, you use ב and not עם. The only way through is to learn the verb and its preposition as a single unit.
Tip: when you add a new verb to your vocabulary list, always write it with its preposition and a full example sentence.
| Verb | Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| מְחַכֶּה | לְ־ | to wait for something | אֲנִי מְחַכֶּה לָאוֹטוֹבּוּס |
| מְדַבֵּר | עִם | to speak with someone | אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר עִם דָּנָה |
| מְדַבֵּר | עַל | to speak about a topic | אֲנַחְנוּ מְדַבְּרִים עַל הַסֶּרֶט |
| חוֹשֵׁב | עַל | to think about | אֲנִי חוֹשֵׁב עָלֶיךָ |
| עוֹזֵר | לְ־ | to help someone | הוּא עוֹזֵר לִי |
| מִתְגַּעְגֵּעַ | לְ־ | to miss someone or something | אֲנִי מִתְגַּעְגֵּעַ לַבַּיִת |
| מִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ | בְּ־ | to use something | אֲנִי מִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בַּמַּחְשֵׁב |
| נִכְנָס | לְ־ | to enter somewhere | הוּא נִכְנָס לַחֶדֶר |
How to learn these
Never learn a verb alone. Write it with its preposition and one short example: מְחַכֶּה לְ־, אֲנִי מְחַכֶּה לְךָ. The game below drills the prepositions from this lesson.
The verb מחכה takes ל, never את, however it may sound in your first language.
A definite direct object always requires את in front of it.
ל and the article ה merge. Not לְהַבַּיִת but לַבַּיִת.
A preposition never stands before an independent pronoun; it inflects with it instead.
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