Negation שְׁלִילָה
Israeli Hebrew splits negation by what you are denying: לֹא before verbs and adjectives, אֵין for “there isn’t” and “don’t have,” and אַל before an imperative. Extra words such as שׁוּם and אַף sit comfortably beside that first negator.
Use לֹא with a finite verb, אֵין with existence or possession, and אַל with a command; doubling with שׁוּם or אַף is normal, not a cancel.
לֹא stands right before the verb or the predicate adjective: אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ, זֶה לֹא יָקָר. אֵין denies existence or possession: אֵין לִי זְמַן, אֵין כָּאן מָקוֹם. Negative commands use אַל plus the future-looking form: אַל תֵּלֵךְ, אַל תִּדְאַגִּי. Infinitive “without doing” often uses בְּלִי or בְּלִי לְ.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִי לֹא מְדַבֵּר אַנְגְּלִית | ani lo medaber anglit | I do not speak English | |
| אֵין לִי כֶּסֶף | ein li kesef | I have no money | |
| אַל תִּדְאַג | al tid'ag | Don’t worry |
| Word | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| לֹא | verbs and adjectives | אֲנִי לֹא רָעֵב |
| אֵין | there isn’t; don’t have | אֵין כְּנִיסָה |
| אַל | negative command | אַל תֵּלֵךְ |
| בְּלִי | without | בְּלִי סֻכָּר |
Israeli Hebrew likes a negator plus a negative determiner together. אֵין לִי שׁוּם דָּבָר, לֹא רָאִיתִי אַף אֶחָד, and אֲנִי לֹא הוֹלֵךְ אַף פַּעַם are all standard. שׁוּם pairs with a noun; אַף פַּעַם is “never”; כְּלוּם and שׁוּם דָּבָר both cover “nothing.” Do not drop לֹא or אֵין and keep only the determiner in a finite sentence.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| לֹא רָאִיתִי אַף אֶחָד | lo ra'iti af ekhad | I did not see anyone | |
| אֵין לִי שׁוּם רַעְיוֹן | ein li shum raayon | I have no idea | |
| אֲנִי לֹא אוֹכֵל אֶת זֶה אַף פַּעַם | ani lo okhel et ze af pa'am | I never eat that |
Possession and existence in the present use יֵשׁ and אֵין, not לֹא יֵשׁ. Past and future of “have” still often keep the יֵשׁ/אֵין frame with הָיָה / יִהְיֶה: לֹא הָיָה לִי זְמַן. Predicate adjectives and participles stay with לֹא: הוּא לֹא עָיֵף, הֵם לֹא בָּאִים.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| אֵין פֹּה מָקוֹם | ein po makom | There is no room here | |
| לֹא הָיָה לִי זְמַן | lo hayah li zman | I did not have time |
Exceptions
Bli is not a sentence negator
בְּלִי סֻכָּר means “without sugar,” not “there is no sugar.” To deny existence, switch to אֵין סֻכָּר. בלי plus an infinitive (בְּלִי לִשְׁאוֹל) is “without asking.”
Ein as “must not” in older formulae
Notices may use אֵין plus an infinitive for prohibition: אֵין לְעַשֵּׁן. Spoken Israeli Hebrew prefers אָסוּר לְעַשֵּׁן or אַל תְּעַשֵּׁן for the same job.
Common mistakes
לֹא יֵשׁ לִי זְמַן → אֵין לִי זְמַן
Negate יֵשׁ with אֵין, not with לֹא יֵשׁ.
לֹא תֵּלֵךְ now as a command → אַל תֵּלֵךְ
Negative imperatives take אַל, not לֹא, in standard commands.
רָאִיתִי שׁוּם דָּבָר → לֹא רָאִיתִי שׁוּם דָּבָר
שׁוּם still needs לֹא or אֵין in a finite clause.
Go on to
yesh and ein
יש says something is there or that someone has it; אין says the opposite. Hebrew has no verb have in the present, so יש לי זמן is how you say I have time.
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Israeli yes-no questions are often just a statement with rising pitch, but content questions open with a small closed set: מַה, מִי, אֵיפֹה, מָתַי, לָמָּה, אֵיךְ, כַּמָּה. Formal writing may add הַאִם in front of a yes-no question.
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