Numbers 1
Grammar Notes
A general note on numbers
Numbers in Hebrew generally have gender just like adjectives. Unlike adjectives, they come before the nouns they modify:
- – ten dresses
- – ten coats
Notice that the masculine form is the longer form - usually the feminine form of something is longer - and that when a number appears on its own, it will be the feminine version of the number.
One
and are special
in that they come after the noun they modify, like other
adjectives:
– one girl
Two
and lose
the at the end when they come before
nouns:
– two bananas
Eleven to Nineteen
All of these numbers are formed by combining "ten" with "one", "ten" with "two" etc. The first number agrees in gender, but the "ten" will be the opposite gender. Notice the change in vowel pattern ( - 'esre and - 'asar).
- – fifteen (fem.)
- – fifteen (masc.)
Zero and Twenty
These two numbers are neutral; that is, they do not reflect gender, just like numbers in English.
More/Less Than
- means "from", but it also can be mean "than".
Lessons
Lesson 1
- – to count
- – one (fem.)
- – one (masc.)
- – two (fem.)
- – two (masc.)
- – three (fem.)
- – more
Lesson 2
- – three (masc.)
- – four (fem.)
- – four (masc.)
- – five (fem.)
- – five (masc.)
- – less
- – too
Lesson 3
- – number
- – six (fem.)
- – six (masc.)
- – seven (fem.)
- – seven (masc.)
- – eight (fem.)
- – eight (masc.)
Lesson 4
- – a lot
- – nine (fem.)
- – nine (masc.)
- – ten (fem.)
- – ten (masc.)
- – eleven (fem.)
- – eleven (masc.)
Lesson 5
- – twelve (fem.)
- – twelve (masc.)
- – thirteen (fem.)
- – thirteen (masc.)
- – fourteen (fem.)
- – fourteen (masc.)
Lesson 6
- – fifteen (fem.)
- – fifteen (masc.)
- – sixteen (fem.)
- – sixteen (masc.)
- – seventeen (fem.)
- – seventeen (masc.)
Lesson 7
- – eighteen (fem.)
- – eighteen (masc.)
- – nineteen (fem.)
- – nineteen (masc.)
- – twenty
- – zero
📋 From my grammar sheet tables · exercises
Numbers have a feminine form (used for counting and with feminine nouns) and a masculine form.
0–19
| Number | Feminine | Masculine | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |||
| 1 | א | ||
| 2 | ב | ||
| 3 | ג | ||
| 4 | ד | ||
| 5 | ה | ||
| 6 | ו | ||
| 7 | ז | ||
| 8 | ח | ||
| 9 | ט | ||
| 10 | י | ||
| 11 | יא | ||
| 12 | יב | ||
| 13 | יג | ||
| 14 | יד | ||
| 15 | טו | ||
| 16 | טז | ||
| 17 | יז | ||
| 18 | יח | ||
| 19 | יט |
20 and up
| Number | Hebrew | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | כ | |
| 30 | ל | |
| 40 | מ | |
| 50 | נ | |
| 60 | ס | |
| 70 | ע | |
| 80 | פ | |
| 90 | צ | |
| 100 | ק | |
| 200 | ר | |
| 300 | ש | |
| 400 | ת | |
| 500 | תק | |
| 600 | תר | |
| 700 | תש | |
| 800 | תת | |
| 900 | תתק | |
| 1000 | א׳ | |
| 2000 | ב׳ |
Letters as numbers: 15 is טו and 16 is טז (not יה, יו); 500–900 are written תק, תר, תש, תת, תתק.
Exercises
📖 Story: Ten animals 8 sentences · 3 questions
Ten animals
- We have a lot of animals at home.
- We have two dogs and three cats.
- We also have four hens and one fish.
- The boy counts:
- "One, two, three..."
- "We have ten animals!"
- Mom says: "That's too many!"
- But the boy wants one more cat.
Questions
How many cats does the family have?
How many animals are there in total?
What does Mom think?
Practice
The rule
Numbers have a masculine and a feminine form. Confusingly, the form ending in −ה goes with masculine nouns (3–10).
| with feminine nouns | with masculine nouns | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (after the noun) | |
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 5 |
Each sentence shows the rule. Listen, say it after the voice, then tap the grey bar for the meaning and a note on the rule. The pattern quiz blanks out the key form.
Sentences
- – I have two dogs · masc. noun → שני
- – I have two daughters · fem. noun → שתי
- – I want three apples · masc. noun → שלושה
- – There are five women in the room · fem. noun → חמש
- – I have one child · אחד comes after the noun
- – I bought ten dresses · fem. noun → עשר
- – There are four books on the table · masc. noun → ארבעה
- – This is too much · יותר – more, מדי – too