Personal Pronouns
Hebrew personal pronouns with grammatical gender: gendered 'you' and 'they', 10 forms total
Can use all 10 Hebrew personal pronouns correctly, including gendered forms of 'you' and 'they'
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
אַתָּה סטודנט. אַתְּ סטודנטית.
You (m) are a student. You (f) are a student.
הֵם עובדים. הֵן עובדות.
They (m) work. They (f) work.
אֲנַחְנוּ מדברים עברית.
We speak Hebrew.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Hebrew personal pronouns distinguish gender in 2nd and 3rd person.
| Person | Hebrew | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1sg | אֲנִי | I |
| 2sg m | אַתָּה | you (m) |
| 2sg f | אַתְּ | you (f) |
| 3sg m | הוּא | he |
| 3sg f | הִיא | she |
| 1pl | אֲנַחְנוּ | we |
| 2pl m | אַתֶּם | you (m.pl) |
| 2pl f | אַתֶּן | you (f.pl) |
| 3pl m | הֵם | they (m) |
| 3pl f | הֵן | they (f) |
No formal 'you' like German Sie — modern Hebrew uses אַתָּה/אַתְּ for everyone.
Common Error Patterns
Uses אַתָּה (masculine) when addressing a female, or vice versa
אַתָּה = addressing a man/boy. אַתְּ = addressing a woman/girl. Listen for context clues about the person's gender.
Uses הֵם (masculine plural) for an all-female group, or הֵן for a mixed group
הֵן = they (all female). הֵם = they (all male OR mixed group). When in doubt with mixed groups, use הֵם.
אַתָּה סטודנט. אַתְּ סטודנטית.
You (m) are a student. You (f) are a student.
אַתָּה = you (masculine), אַתְּ = you (feminine). Different words! The noun also changes: סטודנט (m) vs סטודנטית (f).
הֵם עובדים. הֵן עובדות.
They (m) work. They (f) work.
הֵם = they (masculine or mixed group), הֵן = they (all feminine). The verb also changes: עובדים (m.pl) vs עובדות (f.pl).
אֲנַחְנוּ מדברים עברית.
We speak Hebrew.
אֲנַחְנוּ = we (no gender distinction in 1st person plural). מדברים = speak (masculine plural verb form, used for mixed/default).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises