Personal Pronouns
Ten short words that replace names. In Hebrew “you” and “they” change with gender, and the verb follows.
Learn them as a chant: אֲנִי, אַתָּה, אַתְּ, הוּא, הִיא · אֲנַחְנוּ, אַתֶּם, אַתֶּן, הֵם, הֵן.
Pronouns replace names
The idea
A pronoun stands in for a person, a thing or a group so you do not repeat the name: Dana studies → she studies.
As the subject of a sentence, the pronoun itself never changes. What changes is the verb after it, which must match the pronoun's gender and number.
Hebrew has no “it”: objects are הוּא or הִיא depending on the noun's gender.
From a name to a pronoun
Singularsingular
Five forms for one person
“I” is the same for everyone. “You” has a masculine and a feminine form, and so does the third person: he and she.
אַתָּה ends in an open “-a”; אַתְּ ends on the consonant “t”. Say both out loud until the difference is automatic.
The singular pronouns
ani
I
ata
you
at
you
hu
he / it
hi
she / it
Tip
Start with אֲנִי and four everyday verbs, then swap in אַתָּה / אַתְּ and הוּא / הִיא. The verb endings you learned in the present tense do the rest.
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Frequently asked questions
- How do I say “it” in Hebrew?
- Use הוּא for a masculine noun and הִיא for a feminine one: a book (סֵפֶר) is הוּא, a door (דֶּלֶת) is הִיא. When “it” refers to a situation rather than to a noun, Hebrew uses זֶה: זֶה טוֹב, it's good.
- Do I need the pronoun if the verb already shows who is acting?
- In the present tense yes, because the verb shows only gender and number, not the person. In past and future the “I”, “you” and “we” forms carry the person (כָּתַבְתִּי, I wrote), so the pronoun is often dropped; with he, she and they it usually stays.
- Is it wrong to use הֵם for a group of women?
- It is common in casual speech, but the correct form is הֵן with a feminine plural verb. Use הֵן in writing and in any exam.
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