Free grammar · Unit 6 of 10
ב for where you are, ל for where you go
English already separates «I am in Haifa» from «I am going to Haifa». Hebrew does the same with two letters glued to the front of the place: ב for where someone is, ל for where someone is heading. הִיא עוֹבֶדֶת בְּבַנְק, «she works in a bank»; הֵם נָסְעוּ לְיָפוֹ, «they went to Jaffa».
The verb decides. Verbs of being, like גָּר «lives», עוֹבֵד «works», יוֹשֵׁב «sits», הָיָה «was», take ב. Verbs of moving, like הוֹלֵךְ «goes», נוֹסֵעַ «travels», טָס «flies», חוֹזֵר «comes back», take ל. With «the», the ה disappears into the letter and leaves its a behind: בַּבַּיִת «at home», לַיָּם «to the sea».
The page has the explanation, a table of paired sentences and the first two exercises, where you choose between ב and ל. The other four, including typing the word with its letter yourself, open with a free account.
Step 6 of 10 · Explanation
ב for where you are, ל for where you go
Two letters glued to the front of a place.
is «in» or «at»: the place where someone is, lives, works, sits, was.
, , .
is «to»: the place someone is moving toward.
, .
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
- When do you use ב and when ל in Hebrew?
- ב for the place where you are, ל for the place you are going to. אֲנִי גָּר בְּחֵיפָה, «I live in Haifa», but אֲנִי נוֹסֵעַ לְחֵיפָה, «I am going to Haifa».
- Why is it בַּבַּיִת and not בְּהַבַּיִת?
- When ב or ל meets «the», הַ, the ה drops out and the letter takes its vowel a: בְּ + הַבַּיִת = בַּבַּיִת.
- How do you say «I am at home» in Hebrew?
- אֲנִי בַּבַּיִת (ani babayit). «I am going home» is אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לַבַּיִת (ani holech labayit).
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