Products מוצרים
Mobile AppWeb TranslatorChrome ExtensionSpeak HebrewAPIs & DevelopersHebrewCore APIEnterpriseFor NewsroomsFor GovernmentTools כלים
All Hebrew ToolsHebrew to English TranslatorEnglish to Hebrew TranslatorOnline Hebrew KeyboardVerb ConjugatorGematria CalculatorHebrew Date ConverterToday's Hebrew DateJewish Holidays This YearZmanim by CityYour Name in HebrewThe Hebrew AlphabetSlang Dictionarybaba AtlasLearn ללמוד
Hebrew GuidesAI Hebrew TutorHebrew for Yom KippurHebrew for TravelHebrew in the NewsIsraeli News in EnglishHebrew News in EnglishHebrew on WhatsAppBlogNews חדשות
baba NewsGood Morning, IsraelIsraeli NewsroomsIsraeli News APIMore עוד
PricingAboutSupportInterrogative Particles
Questions are marked with הֲ, מִי, מָה, and a few other short words, not with English word order.
Yes-No Questions
Prefixed הֲ (often הַ or הֶ before some vowels) turns a clause into a question. It is easy to confuse with the article; pointing and syntax tell them apart. הֲלוֹא expects agreement ("is it not …?").
question prefix
is it not?
Who, What, Where, Why
מִי who, מָה / מַה what, לָמָּה / מַדּוּעַ why, אַיֵּה where, אֵיךְ how, מָתַי when. They stand at the front more often than English learners expect.
who
what
why
where
how
Without a Particle
Intonation and context can make a question with no הֲ at all. In a pointed prose verse, still look for the particle first.
Read Next
The 100 Most Common Words
A short list does most of the work in Biblical Hebrew. Particles and a handful of verbs open whole chapters.
Biblical Prepositions
A closed set of short words does the work of English "in, to, from, on, before, after."
How to Start Reading
A small grammar, the high-frequency list, and three short texts will carry you farther than a year of isolated drills.