Free grammar · Unit 4 of 10
The Hebrew adjective follows the noun and copies it
In Hebrew the adjective comes after the noun: בַּיִת גָּדוֹל, «a big house», word for word «house big». And it agrees with the noun in gender and number, using the same four endings as the nouns: nothing for masculine singular, ־ָה for feminine, ־ִים for masculine plural, ־וֹת for feminine plural. So גָּדוֹל becomes גְּדוֹלָה, גְּדוֹלִים, גְּדוֹלוֹת.
Two traps. The adjective follows the noun’s real gender, not the look of its ending: עִיר «city» is feminine, so עִיר גְּדוֹלָה; שֻׁלְחָנוֹת «tables» is masculine, so שֻׁלְחָנוֹת גְּדוֹלִים. And when the noun has «the», the adjective takes it too: הַבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל, «the big house».
The page has the explanation, the table of the four forms and the first two exercises. The other four, including an adjective with «the», open with a free account.
Step 4 of 10 · Explanation
The adjective follows the noun and copies it
In Hebrew the adjective comes after the noun, not before: , «a big house», word for word «house big».
And it copies the noun's gender and number with the same four endings the nouns use: nothing for masculine singular, for feminine, for masculine plural, for feminine plural.
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
- Do Hebrew adjectives go before or after the noun?
- Always after: סֵפֶר טוֹב, «a good book», word for word «book good».
- How do Hebrew adjectives change for feminine and plural?
- They take the noun’s endings: טוֹב, טוֹבָה, טוֹבִים, טוֹבוֹת. What counts is the noun’s real gender, even when its ending misleads.
- Why is it הַבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל, with two ה?
- Because «the», ה, goes on both the noun and the adjective. Without the second ה, הַבַּיִת גָּדוֹל is a whole sentence: «the house is big».
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.
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