Lesson 11

Contents:

         11.a Verbs
         11.b Adjectives
         11.c Nouns
         11.d Sentences

11.a: Verbs

Let's learn 3 more verbs:

• the root ענה [a.n.h.] means 'answer'.
• the root עשׂה [a.s.h.] means 'do'
• the root עלה [a.l.h.] has two meanings - 'to go up, ascend', and also - 'to cost'.

Today we'll learn more past tense of the verbs ending with 'ה'. It goes like this:

• הוּא קַנַה [hu kana] - 'he bought'
• הִיא קַנתַה [hi kanta] - 'she bought'
• הֵם/הֵן קַנוּ [hem/hen kanu] - 'they bought'

Let's learn 2 more verbs and start practicing:

• the root חלה [kh.l.h.] means 'to be sick'
• the root היה [h.y.h.] means 'to be'. This verb is not used in present.

Exercise – write the following in hebrew:

He was here yesterday, i don't know (masc.) what he was doing.	הוּא הַיַה כַאן אֵתמוֹל, אַנִי לא יוֹדֵעַ מַה הוּא עַשַה.	listen
I asked them, and they answered me. (note the prepositions)	אַנִי שַאַלתִי אוֹתַם, וֵהֵם עַנוּ לִי.	listen
He was in tel aviv, many times, and she wasn't.	הוּא הַיַה בֵתֵל אַבִיב, הַרבֵה פַעַמִים, וֵהִיא לא הַיתַה.	listen
Yesterday the coffee cost 6 shekels, today it costs 7 shekels.	אֵתמוֹל הַקַפֵה עַלַה שִישַה שקַלִים, הַיוֹם הוּא עוֹלֵה שִבעַה שקַלִים	listen

11.b Adjectives

Remember we told you the same root can appear in many patterns, bearing the vague meaning of verb into specific structure? Today we'll introduce the XaXuX structure. It typically represents adjectives, depicting a situation when the action has been already taken, or has been taking place:

גַנוּב	[ganuv]	stolen
סַגוּר	[sagur]	closed
פַתוּחַ	[patuakh] (*)	open
כַתוּב	[katuv]	written
יַדוּעַ	[yadua] (*)	known
פַנוּי	[panuy] (**)	available, free

(*) Note the [a] before ח and ע, when these are last root-letter.
(**) When the root ends with ה, it changes into י.

Exercise - translate, and then check your answer:

loved	אַהוּב
eaten	אַכוּל
guarded	שַמוּר
checked	בַדוּק
finished	גַמוּר
wanted, wished	רַצוּי
built	בַנוּי
taken	לַקוּחַ
forgotten	שַכוּחַ

We know how to compare adjectives - more and less - but how to say "most"? The most common way is to put :

• הַכִי - [akhi]

before the adjective, as in:
הַשִמלַה שֵלַה - הַכִי יַפַה - hasimla shela - akhi yafa - her dress - (is) the most beautiful

It's practice time:

(It's) already 5 days that he is sick.	כבַר חַמִישַה יַמִים שֵהוּא חוֹלֵה	listen
(It's better) wanted not to swim here, the waves here (are) the biggest.	רַצוּי לא לִשחוֹת כַאן, הַגַלִים כַאן - הַכִי גדוֹלִים	listen
Her house (is) built 20 years ago.	הַבַית שֵלַה בַנוּי לִפנֵי עֵשׂרִים שַנַה	listen
He wanted to buy oranges, but the supermarket was closed.	הוּא רַצַה לִקנוֹת תַפוּזִים, אַבַל הַסוּפֵר הַיַה סַגוּר	listen

11.c Nouns

Let's learn several nouns of the XeXeX pattern:

לֵחֵם	[lekhem]	bread
סֵרֵט	[seret]	movie
גֵבֵר	[gever]	man, male
גֵזֵר	[gezer]	carrot

Note that in plural, as we've already seen with other nouns of this pattern, both [e] drop and the word becomes 'XXaXim', as in:

• גבַרִים - [gvarim] - men

All right, we learned now all shortened forms of בֵ,לֵ,שֵל,אֵת, let's do the same with עִם ([im], meaning "with"). The endings are the same, but the preposition itself changes into אִית ( it):

אִיתִי	iti	with me
אִיתךַ	itkha	with you (sing.masc.)
אִיתַך	itakh	with you (sing.fem.)
אִיתוֹ	ito	with him
אִיתַה	ita	with her
אִיתַנוּ	itanu	with us
אִיתַם/אִיתַן (*)	itam/itan	with them (masc./fem.)

(*) note the ה in the ending has been absorbed

Let's learn some more nouns of the XeXeX pattern:

עֵרֵב	[erev]	evening
חֵלֵק	[khelek]	part
מֵלֵך	[melekh]	king

Exercise – write in hebrew, pronounce and compare to the recorded version:

Once (upon a time), there were many kings - there was one king in every country.	פַעַם, הַיוּ הַרבֵה מלַכִים - הַיַה מֵלֵך אֵחַד בֵכל מֵדִינַה	listen
I saw a movie today, and also yesterday. This week i saw 3 movies.	אַנִי רַאִיתִי סֵרֵט הַיוֹם, וֵגַם אֵתמוֹל. הַשַבוּעַ רַאִיתִי שלוֹשַה סרַטִים	listen
We ate carrot salad with bread, and drank tea and coffee. I wanted coffee, and my girlfriend wanted tea.	אַנַחנוּ אַכַלנוּ סַלַט גֵזֵר עִם לֵחֵם, וֵשַתִינוּ תֵה וֵקַפֵה. אַנִי רַצִיתִי קַפֵה, וֵהַחַבֵרַה שֵלִי רַצתַה תֵה.	listen
This street is the longest in city.	הַרֵחוֹב הַזֵה - הַכִי אַרוֹך בֵעִיר	listen
He only wrote open stories, and did many unfinished movies.	הוּא כַתַב רַק סִיפוּרִים פתוּחִים, וֵעַשַה הַרבֵה סרַטִים לא גמוּרִים	listen
He is well built - he has very strong hands and legs.	הוּא בַנוּי טוֹב - יֵש לוֹ יַדַיִים וֵרַגלַיִים מֵאוֹד חַזַקוֹת	listen
Stolen apple is sweetest!	תַפוּחַ גַנוּב - הַכִי מַתוֹק!	listen

11.d Sentences

It was a long lesson, so let's finish it with four useful words:

אַפִילוּ	[afilu]	even
אֵלֵה	[ele]	these
תַמִיד	[tamid]	always
מַמַש	[mamash]	very, really

Final exercise of the day!! Translate the dialogues without writing, and listen:
Robbery

- Uri, i read in newspaper yesterday that they stole 30 millions from bank!	listen
- Who is "they"?	listen
- I don't know.. Thieves?? (It's) written that there were 3 men.	listen
- Did they find them?	listen
- Noo, it always takes many weeks to find them.	listen
And if they ran away from the country - even more..	listen
The bank is very well guarded, so if they did it - they are really good.	listen
- Maybe..	listen
- Yes, they knew what they are doing.	listen

In a bakery

- Hello	listen
- Hello	listen
- How much does white bread cost?	listen
- The small (one) costs 5 shekels, and the bigger (ones), there, cost 8 shekels.	listen
- Good, then i want two small (ones). And - yesterday i bought here black bread, it was really good.	listen
- These? Yes, they're the best i have. I also eat them, with my family, every evening.	listen
- Ok, then i want two parts of this bread.	listen
- Very good, it's twenty shekels. Thanks that you bought here.	listen