Lesson 6

Contents:

         6.a Alphabet
         6.b Verbs
         6.c Nouns & Adjectives
         6.d Sentences

6.a: Alphabet

There we go with two more consonants:

• ע - that's a no-sound letter. Just as א, it's either used as a dummy-consonant for a vowel, or for archaic reasons.
  
• צ - zz,ts, as in 'pizza' or 'its'.
  
  It has a final form – ץ.
  

Now let's read and then listen:

פִיצַה	listen
עַמוֹק	listen
מַצַה	listen
פַעַר	listen
קַצֵה	listen
צֵלסִיוּס	listen
מַעַן	listen
בֵיצַה	listen

6.b Verbs

Let's have 3 more verbs:

• the root צחק (tz.kh.k.) means 'laugh'. By the way, the name Itzhak means “laughing”
• the root יצר (y.tz.r.) means 'create'
• the root עמד (?.m.d.) means 'stand'

We know all pronouns, present&past forms, so it's time for prepositions:

• עַל – al – on, atop. It also means about
• עִם – im – with

Third preposition, אֵת - et, is not used in english – it's used in transitive verbs, and indicates that following noun is a subject to which the action applies, target of the action, and not the object which applies the action. For example, in the sentence 'Dan asks Adam', Dan is the one performing the action, and Adam is the one on whom the action is applied. How do we know? Because of the order, 'Adam asks Dan' would reverse the roles. In hebrew one adds the preposition:

דַן שוֹאֵל אֵת אַדַם – dan shoel et adam.
That way you can change the word order, and it still means the same “Dan asks Adam”:
אֵת אַדַם שוֹאֵל דַן – et adam shoel dan – lit. “ET/To/The Adam asks Dan”
Some more examples:

• דַנַה אוֹהֵבֵת אֵת אַדַם – dana ohevet et adam – Dana loves Adam (I know we've been saying it until now without 'et', but it wasn't 100% correct. Now we got it all fixed!)
  
• אַנִי הוֹרֵס אֵת הַבַית – ani hores et habayt – I destroy the house.


• אַנִי לוֹבֵש אֵת הַבֵגֵד – ani lovesh et habeged – I wear the cloth.


• אַנִי בוֹדֵק אֵת הַגַן – ani bodek et hagan – I check the garden.


• אַנִי סוֹגֵר אֵת הַחֵדֵר – ani soger et hakheder – I close the room.

But does one always use it? No, only when the noun is definite (it comes with 'the', or is obviously specified – using a name, or pronoun). When the noun is indefinite - you say it as you used to, without 'et': אַנִי סוֹגֵר חֵדֵר - ani soger kheder – I close a room.

Great, let's add three more verbs and start practicing:

• the root מצא (m.tz.!.) means 'find'.
• the root יצא (y.tz.!.) means 'leave, exit, go out'
• the root קרא (k.r.!.) means 'read', but also “call someone”, (for real, not on phone)

Read aloud, translate and then listen. Note when there is or isn't 'את', and every time ask yourself why:

אַנִי מַצַאתִי כַדוּר	listen
אַנִי מַצַאתִי אֵת הַכַדוּר שֵל דַן	listen
דַנַה עִם דִינַה צַחקוּ עַל אַדַם	listen
אַנִי יַצַרתִי גלִידַה וֵאַתַה אַכַלתַ אֵת הַגלִידַה	listen
אַנִי עוֹמֵד עַל הַבַמַה, וֵאַת יוֹצֵאת מֵהַבַית	listen
אַנִי קַרַאתִי הַרבֵה ספַרִים, אַַבַל אַנַי אוֹהֵב מֵאוֹד אֵת הַסֵפֵר "מוֹבִי דִיק"	listen
אַנִי קַרַאתִי לֵבֵן, וֵהוּא הַלַך לֵבַית	listen

And now translate, without writing, and check your pronunciation:

I sat on the stage.	listen
You (masc.) stood on the stage.	listen
You (fem.) loved the stage.	listen
He exited from stage.	listen
She went to stage.	listen
We remembered the stage.	listen
You (plural masc.) sold the stage.	listen
You (plural fem.) thought about the stage.	listen
They (fem.) destroyed the stage.	listen
They (masc.) fell from the stage.	listen
I wrote about the stage.	listen
She read about the stage.	listen

6.c Nouns & Adjectives

We need more adjectives (again – note the common pattern, this time it's XaXeX):

שַמֵן	shamen	fat	listen
רַזֵה	raze	skinny, opposite of fat	listen
קַשֵה	kashe	difficult	listen
כַבֵד	kaved	heavy	listen
קַל	kal	easy, light - opposite of the 2 words above	listen

Now, how do you say 'my, his, to her”? All prepositions in hebrew can attach suffixes that point to the pronoun. Today we'll learn 3 forms (I,he,she) on 3 prepositions (of,to,in):

• I: you add the sound 'i':
  

  שֵלִי	sheli	my, mine
  לִי	li	to me
  בִי	bi	in me

• He: you add the sound 'o':
  

  שֵלוֹ	shelo	his
  לוֹ	lo	to him
  בוֹ	bo	in him

• She: you add the sound 'a':
  

  שֵלַה	shela	her
  לַה	la	to her
  בַה	ba	in her

And 4 more numbers (in their fem. form):

4	אַרבַע	arba	listen
7	שֵבַע	sheva	listen
8	שמוֹנֵה	shmone	listen
9	תֵשַע	tesha	listen

And of course, we need nouns:

עִיר	(m.)	ir	city	listen
רֵחוֹב	(m.)	rekhov	street	listen
עֵץ	(m.)	etz	tree	listen
מַחשֵב	(m.)	makhshev	computer	listen
שַעַה	(f.)	shaa	hour	listen

Exercise – write in hebrew, pronounce and compare to the recorded version (note - some nouns below are masculin and we're using feminine form for numbers. it's not very nice of us, but we'll get over it in a couple of lessons):

I learn 8 hours in day.	אַנִי לוֹמֵד שמוֹנֵה שַעוֹת בֵיוֹם	listen
In this street (are) many green trees.	בֵרֵחוֹב זֵה הַרבֵה עֵצִים יַרוֹקִים	listen
Where (to) you go? To street Hashalom, in my city. (Is) This far? No, this (is) not far, this (is) very close.	לֵאַן אַתַה הוֹלֵך? לֵרֵחוֹב הַשַלוֹם, בֵעִיר שֵלִי. זֵה רַחוֹק? לא, זֵה לא רַחוֹק, זֵה מֵאוֹד קַרוֹב	listen
I like books more than computer. I (do) not read from computer, and I read many books.	אֵנִי אוֹהֵב ספַרִים יוֹתֵר מֵמַחשֵבִים. אַנִי לא קוֹרֵא מֵמַחשֵב, וֵאַנִי קוֹרֵא הַרבֵה ספַרִים	listen
Dog (is) heavier than cat, but (is) lighter than boy. Fat dog (is) heavier than skinny dog.	כֵלֵב יוֹתֵר כַבֵד מֵחַתוּל, אַבַל יוֹתֵר קַל מֵיֵלֵד. כֵלֵב שַמֵן יוֹתֵר כַבֵד מֵכֵלֵב רַזֵה	listen
In this room (are) 5 (female) cats: 2 (are) fat, and 3 (are) skinny.	בֵחֵדֵר זֵה חַמֵש חַתוּלוֹת: שתַיִם שמֵנוֹת, וֵשַלוֹש רַזוֹת	listen
I (did) not read the book, because he is very difficult.	אַנִי לא קַרַאתִי אֵת הַסֵפֵר, כִי הוּא מֵאוֹד קַשֵה	listen

Pronounce, without writing (and check yourself), the following numbers (digit by digit):

472	listen
894	listen
723	listen
897	listen
23456789	listen

6.d Sentences

Three useful words to finish the day:

כל	kol	every	listen
אַז	az	then	listen
כשֵ	kshe	when(*)	listen

(*)when, but not as a question! As in “when I did it, I was drunk”. This word, even though it's of 2 letters, is attached to the following word, for example:כשֵהוּא אַמַר לִי, אַז יַצַאתִי מֵהַחֵדֵר – kshehu amar li, az yatzati mehaheder – when he told me, then I exited from the room

Now, final exercise of the lesson – write the sentences in hebrew:

I (masc.) learn hebrew (עִברִית – ivrit) every day, and this (is) not easy – this (is) very difficult!	אַנִי לוֹמֵד עִברִית כל יוֹם, וֵזֵה לא קַל - זֵה מֵאוֹד קַשֵה!	listen
When she wears her black cloth, then I say to her that she (is) like madonna.	כשֵהִיא לוֹבֵשֵת אֵת הַבֵגֵד הַשַחוֹר שֵלַה, אַז אַנִי אוֹמֵר לַה שֵהִיא כמוֹ מַדוֹנַה.	listen
I love the fairytale, (it) she (is) very simple. I read the fairytale with my little son every year.	אַנִי אוֹהֵב אֵת הַאַגַדַה, הִיא מֵאוֹד פשוּטַה. אַנִי קוֹרֵא אֵת הַאַגַדַה עִם הַבֵן הַקַטַן שֵלִי כל שַנַה.	listen
When the dog left from the street and went to house, then the (male) cat descended from the tree, and laughed about the dog.	כשֵהַכֵלֵב יַצַא מֵהַרֵחוֹב וֵהַלַך לֵבַית, אַז הַחַתוּל יַרַד מֵהַעֵץ וֵצַחַק עַל הַכֵלֵב	listen
Yesterday I found a white ball, and today my dog and cat destroyed the ball.	אֵתמוֹל מַצַאתִי כַדוּר לַבַן, וֵהַיוֹם כֵלֵב שֵלִי וֵחַתוּל שֵלִי הַרסוּ אֵת הַכַדוּר.	listen
When I sit in my room, I check email every hour.	כשֵאַנִי יוֹשֵב בֵחֵדֵר שֵלִי, אַנִי בוֹדֵק אִימֵייל כל שַעַה.	listen
This dog (is) very fat, he (is) (as) heavy as (a) tree.	כֵלֵב זֵה מֵאוֹד שַמֵן, הוּא שַמֵן כמוֹ עֵץ.	listen