Because and so כִּי, בִּגְלַל, לָכֵן
Cause and result are split by what follows the linker: כִּי and מִפְּנֵי שֶׁ take a clause, בִּגְלַל takes a noun, and לָכֵן or spoken אָז introduce the result. Purpose uses כְּדֵי plus an infinitive, which is not a cause.
State a reason with כִּי plus a clause or בִּגְלַל plus a noun; state a result with לָכֵן; state a purpose with כְּדֵי plus an infinitive.
כִּי is the default spoken “because” before a full clause: אֲנִי נִשְׁאָר כִּי אֲנִי עָיֵף. בִּגְלַל takes a noun phrase: בִּגְלַל הַגֶּשֶׁם. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁ and מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁ are more formal clause linkers with the same job as כי. Do not put a finite clause straight after בגלל in careful style.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי נִשְׁאָר כִּי אֲנִי עָיֵף | ani nish'ar ki ani ayef | I am staying because I am tired | |
| בִּגְלַל הַגֶּשֶׁם לֹא יָצָאנוּ | biglal hageshem lo yatzanu | Because of the rain we did not go out | |
| מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין זְמַן | mipnei she'ein zman | because there is no time |
| Linker | Followed by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| כִּי | a clause | כִּי יֵשׁ עֲבוֹדָה |
| בִּגְלַל | a noun | בִּגְלַל הָעֲבוֹדָה |
| מִפְּנֵי שֶׁ | a clause | מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיֵּשׁ עֲבוֹדָה |
| לָכֵן | a result clause | לָכֵן לֹא בָּאתִי |
| כְּדֵי | an infinitive | כְּדֵי לִרְאוֹת |
לָכֵן is a clear “therefore” at the start of the result: יָרַד גֶּשֶׁם, לָכֵן נִשְׁאַרְנוּ. Spoken Israeli Hebrew also uses אָז for a light “so.” עַל כֵּן and מִשּׁוּם כָּךְ belong to a more written register. Keep the reason and the result as two clauses; do not glue them with כי and לכן in the same slot.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֵין אוֹטוֹבּוּס, לָכֵן אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ בָּרֶגֶל | ein otobus, lakhen ani holekh baregel | There is no bus, so I am walking | |
| אָז בּוֹא נֵלֵךְ | az bo nelekh | So let’s go |
כְּדֵי plus an infinitive means “in order to”: בָּאתִי כְּדֵי לִרְאוֹת אוֹתְךָ. כְּדֵי שֶׁ plus a future-like clause is used when the subjects differ: כְּדֵי שֶׁתָּבִין. That is purpose, not “because.” English “so” covers both; Hebrew splits them.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי לוֹמֵד כְּדֵי לַעֲבוֹד פֹּה | ani lomed kedei la'avod po | I am studying in order to work here | |
| דַּבֵּר לְאַט כְּדֵי שֶׁנָּבִין | daber le'at kedei shenavin | Speak slowly so that we understand |
Exceptions
Spoken biglal she
Many speakers say בִּגְלַל שֶׁ plus a clause. You will hear it constantly. Careful teaching still pairs בגלל with a noun and כי / מפני ש with a clause, and that pairing is what written Israeli Hebrew prefers.
| בִּגְלַל שֶׁהָיָה לִי חַם | biglal shehayah li kham | because I was hot (spoken) |
Ki is not a complementizer here
In this lesson כִּי means “because.” Biblical and high-literary כי can mean “that,” but modern Israeli complements after “say” and “think” use שֶׁ. Do not write אֲנִי חוֹשֵׁב כִּי for “I think that” in everyday style.
Common mistakes
בִּגְלַל אֲנִי עָיֵף → כִּי אֲנִי עָיֵף
בִּגְלַל needs a noun; a clause takes כִּי.
בָּאתִי כִּי לִרְאוֹת אוֹתְךָ → בָּאתִי כְּדֵי לִרְאוֹת אוֹתְךָ
Purpose with an infinitive is כְּדֵי, not כִּי.
לָכֵן אֲנִי עָיֵף as the reason → כִּי אֲנִי עָיֵף
לָכֵן introduces a result, not a cause.
Go on to
Conjunctions
The smallest glue words (וְ, אוֹ, אֲבָל, גַּם, אֶלָּא) do most of the joining work in Israeli sentences. They stay in front of the clause or phrase they add, and וְ is written attached to the next word.
A1 · 10 minConditionals
Real conditions in Israeli Hebrew open with אִם and usually put a present or future in both clauses. Unreal “if only I had known” conditions use לוּ or אִלּוּ plus a past, and speech often substitutes אִם הָיִיתִי instead.
B1 · 13 minInfinitives
The dictionary-style to write form in Hebrew is לכתוב. That ל־ infinitive follows רוצה, יכול, צריך, אוהב, and a long list of other verbs, and it is also how signs give instructions.
A1 · 10 minAdverbs
Many Israeli adverbs of manner are simply adjectives in the masculine singular: הִיא מְדַבֶּרֶת יָפֶה, הוּא רָץ מַהֵר. Others are frozen words (לְאַט, כְּבָר, עוֹד) or a בְּ plus an abstract noun (בִּזְהִירוּת).
A2 · 11 min