BHBE 2: Referring to Things
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Transcript of BHBE 2: Referring to Things
IN THIS LESSONLearn how to refer to things in quantities of one, two, and many (in grammatical terminology, how to use nouns).
Biblical Hebrew uses three grammatical numbers:
singular (unmarked) dual (marked with ים —)* plural (marked with ים— or ות—)
* Only a few words have dual forms.
To say “one [thing]”: use אחד after a
masculine singular noun use אחת after a
feminine singular noun
For most nouns, to say “two things”:
use שני before a masculine plural noun
use שתי before a feminine plural noun
But some nouns — mostly body parts and units of measurement, along with a few other very common words like “water” and “sky” — have a special dual form.
If the noun has a dual form, to say “two [things]”:
use שני before a masculine dual noun
use שתי before a feminine dual noun
For nouns that have duals, the plural form may refer to something quite different.
To say “many [things],” use רבים after a
masculine plural noun use רבות after a feminine
plural noun
TIP When you learn a new Hebrew noun, go ahead and learn how to say “one [thing],” “two [things],” and “many [things].” Later on, when you learn how to pair up nouns with adjectives and verbs, you’ll be glad you did.