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PricingAboutSupportEt, the Object Marker את סימן המושא
Hebrew marks a definite direct object with את. You say ראיתי ספר but ראיתי את הספר, and you say ראיתי אותך when the object is a pronoun.
Put את only before a definite direct object; skip it before an indefinite object and before objects that already have a preposition.
A direct object with no ה and no possessor takes no את: אני קורא ספר. The same object with ה takes את: אני קורא את הספר. Names are definite, so they take את: ראיתי את דן. This is the central split. English has nothing like it, so you have to check definiteness on purpose.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| אני קורא ספר | ani kore sefer | I am reading a book. | |
| אני קורא את הספר | ani kore et ha-sefer | I am reading the book. | |
| ראיתי את דן | ra'iti et dan | I saw Dan. |
את plus a pronoun becomes אותי, אותך, אותו, אותה, אותנו, אתכם, אתכן, אותם, אותן. Use this set after verbs that take a direct object: הוא מכיר אותי, היא רואה אותנו. Do not pile את in front of those fused forms.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| אוֹתִי | oti | me |
| אוֹתְךָ | otkha | you (ms) |
| אוֹתָךְ | otakh | you (fs) |
| אוֹתוֹ | oto | him / it (m) |
| אוֹתָהּ | ota | her / it (f) |
| אוֹתָנוּ | otanu | us |
| אֶתְכֶם | etkhem | you (mp) |
| אֶתְכֶן | etkhen | you (fp) |
| אוֹתָם | otam | them (mp) |
| אוֹתָן | otan | them (fp) |
If the verb already wants ב, ל, על, or עם, you do not add את. גר בתל אביב has no את. דיברתי עם דן has עם, not את. את is only for the bare noun that is the thing acted on. Checking the verb’s preposition saves false את.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| דיברתי עם דן | dibarti im dan | I spoke with Dan. | |
| הם גרים בתל אביב | hem garim be-tel aviv | They live in Tel Aviv. | |
| היא מחכה לאוטובוס | hi mekhake la-otobus | She is waiting for the bus. |
ספרי, הספר שלי, and ספר הילד (construct) all count as definite. They take את when they are direct objects: קראתי את ספרו, ראיתי את הבית של רות. A bare ספר does not. Definiteness, not the English the, is the test.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| קראתי את ספרו | karati et sifro | I read his book. | |
| ראיתי את הבית של רות | ra'iti et ha-bayit shel rut | I saw Ruth's house. |
Exceptions
Spoken Hebrew Sometimes Drops את
You will hear ראיתי הספר. Standard writing and class still want ראיתי את הספר. Do not drop את in work you hand in. Recognize the spoken skip so it does not look like a different verb.
את Versus אַתְּ
Unvowelled את is both the object marker and feminine you. A sentence-initial את before a present-tense feminine verb is the pronoun: את כותבת. את before a definite noun after a verb is the object marker: ראית את הסרט. The neighbors in the sentence tell them apart.
Common Mistakes
ראיתי את ספר → ראיתי ספר
Indefinite ספר does not take את.
ראיתי הספר → ראיתי את הספר
A definite direct object needs את in standard Hebrew.
ראיתי את אתה → ראיתי אותך
Use the fused object pronoun אותך, not את plus a subject pronoun.
Go on to
The Definite Article
Hebrew has no word for a or an. You mark the when you need it by prefixing ה to the noun, and that same ה then copies onto adjectives that describe the noun.
A1 · 10 minPrepositions with Suffixes
A Hebrew preposition cannot sit in front of אני or אתה. The pronoun melts into the preposition: לי, בך, ממנו, איתי, עליה, and each preposition has its own little table.
A2 · 14 minPresent Tense
The Hebrew present is a four-form participle: one each for masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural. It covers I am writing and I write, and it does not mark person.
A1 · 12 minPrevious and Next
Frequently Asked Questions
What level is "Et, the Object Marker"?
Et, the Object Marker is A1 in baba's grammar order, and takes about 10 minutes to work through.
What's the short rule for et, the object marker?
Put את only before a definite direct object; skip it before an indefinite object and before objects that already have a preposition.