Ordinal numbers (rishon, sheni, shlishi), their masculine and feminine forms, and where they go: after the noun, like adjectives.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
הוא גר בקומה הראשונה.
He lives on the first floor.
זה היום השני של הסמינר.
This is the second day of the seminar.
הוא סיים במקום השלישי.
He finished in third place.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Hebrew ordinals ("first, second, third") are adjectives. They come after the noun, agree with it in gender, and take ה (ha-) when the noun does.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | ראשון (rishon) | ראשונה (rishona) |
| 2nd | שני (sheni) | שנייה (shniya) |
| 3rd | שלישי (shlishi) | שלישית (shlishit) |
| 4th | רביעי (revi'i) | רביעית (revi'it) |
| 5th | חמישי (khamishi) | חמישית (khamishit) |
| 6th | שישי (shishi) | שישית (shishit) |
| 7th | שביעי (shvi'i) | שביעית (shvi'it) |
| 8th | שמיני (shmini) | שמינית (shminit) |
| 9th | תשיעי (tshi'i) | תשיעית (tshi'it) |
| 10th | עשירי (asiri) | עשירית (asirit) |
From 3rd to 10th the pattern is regular: masculine -i, feminine -it.
English puts "first" in front of the noun; Hebrew puts it after, like any adjective. The usual learner errors are the English order (*הראשון יום) and the masculine form with a feminine noun (*הקומה השני).
You already know these ordinals from the calendar: יום ראשון (Sunday, "first day"), יום שני (Monday, "second day") ... יום שישי (Friday). Here they follow יום without ה.
From eleven on, Hebrew uses the ordinary number after the noun, usually with ה: הקומה ה-12 (ha-koma ha-shteim-esre), ביום ה-15 (ba-yom ha-khamisha-asar, on the 15th). School years and chapters are often written with letters instead: כיתה ב' (second grade).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesOrdinal number does not agree in gender with the noun it modifies.
Missing definite article ה- on ordinal when the noun is definite.
הוא גר בקומה הראשונה.
He lives on the first floor.
ראשונה — feminine, agreeing with קומה (floor, f).
זה היום השני של הסמינר.
This is the second day of the seminar.
השני — masculine ordinal with definite article, agreeing with יום (day, m).
הוא סיים במקום השלישי.
He finished in third place.
שלישי — masculine, agreeing with מקום (place, m).
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Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises