Free grammar · Unit 2 of 10
Hebrew nouns: masculine or feminine, one or many
Every Hebrew noun is masculine or feminine, and the ending nearly always tells you which. Feminine nouns end in ־ָה, like מוֹרָה «teacher», or in ־ת, like מַחְבֶּרֶת «notebook». Nouns with any other ending are usually masculine: סֵפֶר «book», יֶלֶד «child». A few hide it: עִיר «city» is feminine with no ending at all.
The plural follows the gender. Masculine nouns add ־ִים (-im): סֵפֶר, סְפָרִים. Feminine nouns swap their ending for ־וֹת (-ot): מוֹרָה, מוֹרוֹת. Then there are nouns that take the «wrong» ending and keep their gender, like שֻׁלְחָן «table», plural שֻׁלְחָנוֹת, still masculine.
Here you get the explanation, the table and the first two exercises, where you pick the right plural. The other four, from telling masculine from feminine to typing a plural yourself, open with a free account.
Step 2 of 10 · Explanation
Nouns: masculine or feminine, one or many
Every Hebrew noun is masculine or feminine.
Most feminine nouns end in (, ) or in (, ).
A noun that ends in another letter is usually masculine: , , .
A few feminine nouns hide it: «city» and «country» are feminine without an ending.
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 accountQuestions
- How do you make plurals in Hebrew?
- Masculine nouns add ־ִים (-im): סֵפֶר, סְפָרִים. Feminine nouns change ־ָה or ־ת to ־וֹת (-ot): מוֹרָה, מוֹרוֹת. Some nouns break the rule and are learned with their plural.
- How do I know if a Hebrew noun is feminine?
- If it ends in ־ָה or ־ת, it almost always is. A few feminine nouns have no ending, like עִיר «city» and אֶרֶץ «country»: the adjective gives them away, עִיר גְּדוֹלָה.
- Why is the plural of אִשָּׁה נָשִׁים?
- It is an irregular plural: אִשָּׁה «woman» stays feminine even though its plural ends in ־ִים. The other way round, שֻׁלְחָן is masculine with the plural שֻׁלְחָנוֹת.
And then?
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The units
- Unit 1 of 10The pronouns: אֲנִי, אַתָּה, אַתְּ, הוּא, הִיא
- Unit 2 of 10Nouns: masculine or feminine, one or many
- Unit 3 of 10Strong verbs: לוֹמֵד, לוֹמֶדֶת, לוֹמְדִים, לוֹמְדוֹת
- Unit 4 of 10The adjective follows the noun and copies it
- Unit 5 of 10«And» is a letter: וְ
- Unit 6 of 10ב for where you are, ל for where you go
- Unit 7 of 10Strong verbs: לִלְמֹד, לִכְתֹּב, לִסְגֹּר
- Unit 8 of 10Strong verbs: כָּתַבְתִּי, לָמַדְתִּי, סָגַרְתִּי
- Unit 9 of 10Pi’el: מְדַבֵּר, מְדַבֶּרֶת, מְדַבְּרִים, מְדַבְּרוֹת
- Unit 10 of 10Time words: הַיּוֹם, מָחָר, אֶתְמוֹל, בַּבֹּקֶר