Shoresh
Sign in

Free grammar · Unit 14 of 20

«I had» in Hebrew: הָיָה לִי, הָיְתָה לִי, הָיוּ לִי

Hebrew has no verb «to have». In the present, «I have» is יֵשׁ לִי, word for word «there is to me». But יֵשׁ has no past, so «I had» uses «was», הָיָה: הָיָה לִי כֶּלֶב, «I had a dog», really «a dog was to me».

That is why the verb agrees with the thing you had, not with you. A masculine noun takes הָיָה, a feminine one הָיְתָה, a plural הָיוּ: הָיְתָה לִי מְכוֹנִית, «I had a car»; הָיוּ לִי חֲבֵרִים, «I had friends». Who had it is shown with ל: לִי, לְךָ, לָהּ, לָנוּ, לָהֶם. And «I did not have» is לֹא הָיָה לִי: the אֵין of the present gives way to לֹא.

This page has the explanation, the two tables and the first two exercises: «I had a dog» and «she had a question». The other four, including typing the verb yourself and building a sentence, open with a free account.

1/4

Step 14 of 20 · Explanation

I had: הָיָה לִי, הָיְתָה לִי, הָיוּ לִי

In the present, «I have» is , word for word «there is to me».

has no past, so the past uses «was»: .

And because the sentence really says «a dog was to me», the verb follows the dog, not me.

, «I had a dog»; , «I had a car» ( is feminine); , «I had friends».

4 more exercises in this unit

This page has the explanation and the first two exercises. The rest are in your free account, with every unit and the reading course, and the practice remembers your mistakes.

Continue with a free account

Questions

How do you say «I had» in Hebrew?
הָיָה לִי (haya li) with a masculine noun, הָיְתָה לִי (hayta li) with a feminine one, הָיוּ לִי (hayu li) with a plural. The verb follows the thing, not the person who had it.
Why not הָיִיתִי for «I had»?
Because הָיִיתִי means «I was»: הָיִיתִי בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, «I was in Jerusalem». «I had» is «there was to me»: הָיָה לִי.
How do you say «I had no time» in Hebrew?
לֹא הָיָה לִי זְמַן (lo haya li zman). In the past אֵין becomes לֹא plus the form of הָיָה that fits the thing: לֹא הָיְתָה לִי מְכוֹנִית.

And then?

In a free trial lesson we talk on Google Meet and I set your goals. With a free account the steps you finish follow you to every device.

Try a free lessonCreate a free accountContinue without an account

The units

  1. Unit 1 of 20The pronouns: אֲנִי, אַתָּה, אַתְּ, הוּא, הִיא
  2. Unit 2 of 20Nouns: masculine or feminine, one or many
  3. Unit 3 of 20Strong verbs: לוֹמֵד, לוֹמֶדֶת, לוֹמְדִים, לוֹמְדוֹת
  4. Unit 4 of 20The adjective follows the noun and copies it
  5. Unit 5 of 20«And» is a letter: וְ
  6. Unit 6 of 20ב for where you are, ל for where you go
  7. Unit 7 of 20Strong verbs: לִלְמֹד, לִכְתֹּב, לִסְגֹּר
  8. Unit 8 of 20Strong verbs: כָּתַבְתִּי, לָמַדְתִּי, סָגַרְתִּי
  9. Unit 9 of 20Pi’el: מְדַבֵּר, מְדַבֶּרֶת, מְדַבְּרִים, מְדַבְּרוֹת
  10. Unit 10 of 20Time words: הַיּוֹם, מָחָר, אֶתְמוֹל, בַּבֹּקֶר
  11. Unit 11 of 20Two-letter verbs: גָּר, גָּרָה, גָּרִים, גָּרוֹת
  12. Unit 12 of 20Verbs ending in ה: רוֹצֶה, רוֹצָה, רוֹצִים, רוֹצוֹת
  13. Unit 13 of 20Two-letter verbs: גַּרְתִּי, קַמְתִּי, בָּאתִי
  14. Unit 14 of 20I had: הָיָה לִי, הָיְתָה לִי, הָיוּ לִי
  15. Unit 15 of 20Verbs ending in ה: לִרְצוֹת, לִשְׁתּוֹת, לִקְנוֹת
  16. Unit 16 of 20Verbs ending in ה: קָנִיתִי, רָצִיתִי, הָיִיתִי
  17. Unit 17 of 20Two-letter verbs: לָגוּר, לָקוּם, לָרוּץ
  18. Unit 18 of 20Throat letters at the end: שׁוֹמֵעַ, יוֹדֵעַ, קוֹרֵא
  19. Unit 19 of 20Pi'el in the past: דִּבֵּר, סִפֵּר, שִׁלֵּם
  20. Unit 20 of 20«That» after I think, I say, I know: שֶׁ