Basic construct state (סמיכות): noun compounds without של
Can recognize and use common construct state noun phrases
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
הם למדו בבית הספר.
They studied at school.
האחות עובדת בבית חולים.
The nurse works at a hospital.
אני הולך לבית הכנסת בשבת.
I go to the synagogue on Shabbat.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Smikhut (סמיכות) joins two nouns directly, without של, to make one idea. English does something similar with "school bus" or "coffee cup", but Hebrew puts the head noun first:
| Hebrew | Literally | English |
|---|---|---|
| בית ספר (beit sefer) | house of book | school |
| בית חולים (beit kholim) | house of sick people | hospital |
| בית קפה (beit kafe) | house of coffee | café |
| כוס מים (kos mayim) | glass of water | a glass of water |
| עוגת שוקולד (ugat shokolad) | cake of chocolate | chocolate cake |
The first noun is the main one: a בית ספר is a kind of house, and an עוגת שוקולד is a kind of cake.
This is the rule English speakers break most: in smikhut, the definite article goes on the second noun alone.
*הבית ספר is very common in casual Israeli speech, but it is not standard. An adjective goes after the whole phrase and agrees with the first noun: בית ספר חדש (a new school), not with ספר.
When the second noun is a person or a long phrase, use של instead: הבית של ההורים שלי (my parents' house).
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesAdding ה to the first noun instead of the second in definite smikhut (*הבית ספר instead of בית הספר). Trying to create smikhut for all possession (use של for non-fixed phrases). Not recognizing that בית ספר is one lexical unit.
All L1s: this has no direct parallel in European languages. Must learn common fixed expressions as vocabulary units.
Added ה to the first noun in construct state instead of the second
In definite smikhut, ה always attaches to the SECOND (head) noun: בית הספר not *הבית ספר
Tried to create novel smikhut for non-fixed possession instead of using של
Learn fixed smikhut compounds as vocabulary; for dynamic possession use של: הספר של דן (not *ספר דן)
הם למדו בבית הספר.
They studied at school.
בית הספר (the school): ה attaches to ספר (2nd noun), not בית. This is definite smikhut.
האחות עובדת בבית חולים.
The nurse works at a hospital.
בית חולים (hospital) = construct state compound. Indefinite here — no ה on either word.
אני הולך לבית הכנסת בשבת.
I go to the synagogue on Shabbat.
בית הכנסת (the synagogue): ל- prefix + definite smikhut. Note: ל + בית → לבית.
The check for this topic is still being prepared
Ready-made hints are free
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises