In English, when we speak of a direct object, we mean a noun that is acted on by the verb. In the sentence “He ate a cookie,” for example, the word cookie is a direct object. In Hebrew, you say this sentence like this:
הוּא אָכַל עוּגִיָּה (hoo ah-hahl oo-gee-yah; literally: He ate cookie.)
Notice that Hebrew doesn’t have a word for a in this example. The a is simply implied.
You can always spot an indirect object in Hebrew because it’s always preceded by a preposition. If you want to say “He gave a boy a cookie,” the word boy is an indirect object. He is being given something, but he isn’t directly acted on. Another test for an indirect object: It can have to before it (“He gave a cookie to a boy”). In Hebrew, you say that phrase this way: הוּאנָתַן לַיֶּלֶד עוּגִיָּה (hoo nah-tahn lah-yeh-lehd oo-gee-ah; literally: He gave to boy cookie.).
Defining definite objects
In Hebrew, you can tell when a noun is being used as a definite object (the hat as opposed to a hat) because it has the prefix הַ (hah) attached to the word it modifies. Take the noun כּוֹבַע (koh-vah; hat). If you want to indicate that הַכּוֹבַע is a definite object, just add the prefix: הַכּוֹבַע (hah-koh-vah; the hat).
Getting help from the definite article
You can easily spot a definite object by the placement of a definite article הַ (hah; the) in front of it. If that definite object is also a direct object, אֶת (eht) also precedes it. In the following sentence, when you understand that הוּא רוֹצֶה (hoo roh-tzeh) means he wants, you can figure out the meaning of the entire sentence: הוּא רוֹצֶה אֶת הַכּוֹבַע (hoo roh-tzeh eht hah-koh-vah; He wants the hat.). Notice the אֶת is in front of the הַכּוֹבַע. (Note:אֶת is placed only before a definite direct object.) אֶת is kind of like a road sign that says “D.D.O.A: Definite Direct Object Ahead.”
Unfortunately, Hebrew doesn’t have indefinite articles (a or an). But Hebrew sentences certainly have indirect objects! Instead, you can tell that an object is nonspecific (a hat as opposed to the hat) by the omission of אֶת (eht) or any other preposition. So, if you want to say “He wants a hat” in Hebrew, the sentence looks like this: הוּא רוֹצֶה כּוֹבַע (hoo roh-tzeh koh-vah).
Perfecting your pronouns
When you don’t want to name nouns, you can always call in their pinch-hitters: the pronouns (words that stand in for nouns).
Clarifying this and that
Hebrew has a set of pronouns for “this” or “that” that are specialized according to masculine singular (MS), feminine singular (FS), and masculine plural for both masculine and feminine (NB). Although nonbinary pronouns are in their nascence in Hebrew, I’m including them here along with binary gendered pronouns:
זֶה (zeh; this [is]) (MS)
זֹאת (zoht; this [is]) (FS)
זאֶת (zeht. This is) (NB)
אֶלָּא (ay-leh; these [are]) (MP/FP)
These words can function as the subject of an “is” sentence or as adjectives:
זֶה מַפְתֵּחַ (zeh mahf-tay-ah): This is a key.
הַמַּפְתֵּחַ הַזֶּה (hah -mahf-tay-ah hah-zeh)-: this key
Getting personal
Personal pronouns are nouns that apply to particular people — or, um, persons. In English, the personal pronouns are “I”, “you,” “he,” “she,” “we,” and “they.” In Hebrew, there are four forms for the personal pronoun “you”: masculine singular (MS), feminine singular (FS), masculine plural (MP), and feminine plural (FP). The personal pronoun “they” has two forms: masculine and feminine (MP and FP). Table 2-2 shows subjective case (when the pronoun serves as the subject of the sentence) personal pronouns in Hebrew.
TABLE 2-2 Personal Pronouns Used as Subjects
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי | ah-nee | I (M/F) |
| אַתָּה | ah-tah | you (MS) |
| אַתְּ | aht | you (FS) |
| הוּא | hoo | he |
| הִיא | hee | she |
| אֲנַחְנוּ | ah-nahch-noo | we (MP/FP) |
| אַתֶּם | ah-tehm | you (MP) |
| אֶתֵּן | ah-tehn | you (FP) |
| הֵם | hehm | they (MP) |
| הֵן | hehn | they (FP) |
Nonbinary Hebrew pronouns are emerging and gaining in acceptance. Suggestions from the Nonbinary Hebrew Project are as follows:
| אַתֶּה | ah-teh | you (singular nonbinary) |
| אֲתְּמֵן | Aht -mehn | you (plural nonbinary) |
| הֶה | heh | they (singular) |
| הֶהמֵּן | hay mehn | they (nonbinary plural) |
Hebrew also has what English calls objective case pronouns, personal pronouns used as the direct object of a verb