Numbers and gender מִסְפָּרִים וּמִגְדָּר
Israeli Hebrew still distinguishes masculine and feminine numerals, and for 3–10 the long form goes with masculine nouns. That polarity is the main trap in shop and classroom counting.
Use אחד/אחת and שניים/שתיים in gender with the noun; for 3–10 take the longer ־ה form with masculine nouns and the short form with feminine nouns.
One agrees in the expected direction: סֵפֶר אֶחָד, יַלְדָּה אַחַת, and אחד follows the noun. Two has a free form and a construct form: שְׁנַיִם / שְׁנֵי with masculine, שְׁתַּיִם / שְׁתֵּי with feminine. In front of a noun you almost always want the short construct: שְׁנֵי סְפָרִים, שְׁתֵּי בָּנוֹת.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| יֵשׁ לִי סֵפֶר אֶחָד | yesh li sefer ekhad | I have one book | |
| יֵשׁ לִי יַלְדָּה אַחַת | yesh li yaldah akhat | I have one girl | |
| שְׁנֵי יְלָדִים וְשְׁתֵּי בָּנוֹת | shnei yeladim veshtei banot | two boys and two girls |
| n | Masculine (סְפָרִים) | Feminine (בָּנוֹת) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | סֵפֶר אֶחָד | בַּת אַחַת |
| 2 | שְׁנֵי סְפָרִים | שְׁתֵּי בָּנוֹת |
| 3 | שְׁלוֹשָׁה סְפָרִים | שָׁלוֹשׁ בָּנוֹת |
| 4 | אַרְבָּעָה סְפָרִים | אַרְבַּע בָּנוֹת |
| 5 | חֲמִשָּׁה סְפָרִים | חָמֵשׁ בָּנוֹת |
| 6 | שִׁשָּׁה סְפָרִים | שֵׁשׁ בָּנוֹת |
| 7 | שִׁבְעָה סְפָרִים | שֶׁבַע בָּנוֹת |
| 8 | שְׁמוֹנָה סְפָרִים | שְׁמוֹנֶה בָּנוֹת |
| 9 | תִּשְׁעָה סְפָרִים | תֵּשַׁע בָּנוֹת |
| 10 | עֲשָׂרָה סְפָרִים | עֶשֶׂר בָּנוֹת |
The forms that end in ־ָה (שְׁלוֹשָׁה, אַרְבָּעָה, עֲשָׂרָה) count masculine nouns. The short forms (שָׁלוֹשׁ, אַרְבַּע, עֶשֶׂר) count feminine nouns. Native speakers still make slips here in fast speech, but careful Israeli Hebrew keeps the pair. The number stands before the noun: שְׁלוֹשָׁה יְלָדִים, not the reverse.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| שְׁלוֹשָׁה כִּסְאוֹת | shloshah kis'ot | three chairs | |
| שָׁלוֹשׁ כּוֹסוֹת | shalosh kosot | three glasses | |
| עֲשָׂרָה יָמִים | asarah yamim | ten days |
From 11–19 the pair is אַחַד עָשָׂר / אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה, שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר / שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה, then שְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר / שְׁלוֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה, and so on. Round tens such as עֶשְׂרִים and שְׁלוֹשִׁים do not change for gender. When the noun is definite, many numbers take a construct: שְׁלוֹשֶׁת הַיְלָדִים, שְׁתֵּי הַבָּנוֹת.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה בָּנוֹת | shteim esreh banot | twelve girls | |
| שְׁלוֹשֶׁת הַיְלָדִים | shloshet hayeladim | the three children | |
| עֶשְׂרִים וְאֶחָד יְלָדִים | esrim ve'ekhad yeladim | twenty-one children |
Exceptions
Shemonah looks the same unvowelled
Masculine שְׁמוֹנָה and feminine שְׁמוֹנֶה are both written שמונה without nikud. Gender is heard in the last vowel, not seen in unpointed text. Let the following noun tell you which reading you want.
Time and some units freeze the feminine
Hours use feminine numbers because שָׁעָה is feminine: הַשָּׁעָה שָׁלוֹשׁ, not שלושה. Many speakers also freeze a preferred form with certain measure words; follow the noun’s gender when you know it, and learn frozen clock forms with telling time.
Common mistakes
שָׁלוֹשׁ יְלָדִים → שְׁלוֹשָׁה יְלָדִים
Masculine nouns from 3–10 take the longer ־ָה numeral.
שְׁלוֹשָׁה בָּנוֹת → שָׁלוֹשׁ בָּנוֹת
Feminine nouns take the short numeral.
אֶחָד סֵפֶר → סֵפֶר אֶחָד
אֶחָד / אַחַת follow the noun; higher numbers precede it.
Go on to
Ordinal numbers
Ordinals tell you which one in a line: the first bus, the third lesson, the second street. They behave like adjectives, so they agree in gender and take הַ when the noun is definite.
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Every Hebrew noun is masculine or feminine, and that gender spreads to adjectives, present-tense verbs, and the numbers that sit with the noun. Meaning will not save you: שולחן (shulkhan, table) is masculine and דלת (delet, door) is feminine.
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A Hebrew adjective sits after its noun and copies three things: gender, number, and definiteness. Learn one adjective as a four-form set, not as a single English-style word.
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The everyday question is מָה הַשָּׁעָה, and the answer uses feminine numbers because שָׁעָה is feminine. Israeli speech mixes analog phrases such as שָׁלוֹשׁ וָחֵצִי with digital-style readings of the minutes.
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