Ordinal numbers מִסְפָּרִים סִדּוּרִיִּים
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.
Place the ordinal after the noun, match its gender, and add הַ to the ordinal when the noun is definite.
The everyday set is רִאשׁוֹן, שֵׁנִי, שְׁלִישִׁי, רְבִיעִי, חֲמִישִׁי, שִׁשִּׁי, שְׁבִיעִי, שְׁמִינִי, תְּשִׁיעִי, עֲשִׂירִי, with feminine רִאשׁוֹנָה, שְׁנִיָּה, שְׁלִישִׁית, and so on. Feminine 3–10 typically end in ־ִית. These are the forms you need for dates of the month in speech, floors, and “first time.”
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן | hayom harishon | the first day | |
| הַפַּעַם הַשְּׁנִיָּה | hapa'am hashniyah | the second time | |
| קוֹמָה שְׁלִישִׁית | komah shlishit | third floor |
| n | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | רִאשׁוֹן | רִאשׁוֹנָה |
| 2 | שֵׁנִי | שְׁנִיָּה |
| 3 | שְׁלִישִׁי | שְׁלִישִׁית |
| 4 | רְבִיעִי | רְבִיעִית |
Say הַשִּׁעוּר הָרִאשׁוֹן, not ראשון השיעור. Indefinite phrases omit הַ on both: שִׁעוּר רִאשׁוֹן can label “lesson one” on a worksheet. After a feminine noun you need the feminine ordinal: הָרַכֶּבֶת הַשְּׁנִיָּה, not השני.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| הַשִּׁעוּר הַשְּׁלִישִׁי | hashiur hashlishi | the third lesson | |
| הָרַכֶּבֶת הָרִאשׁוֹנָה | harakevet harishonah | the first train |
Above ten, Israeli speech often just uses the cardinal with a definite noun: הַיּוֹם הָעֶשְׂרִים, הַקּוֹמָה הָאַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה. Written style may still build an ordinal. For dates you will hear בְּשִׁשָּׁה בְּמַאי beside יוֹם שִׁשִּׁי; weekday names שִׁנִּי through שִׁשִּׁי are the same roots as the ordinals.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| הַיּוֹם הָעֶשְׂרִים בַּחֹדֶשׁ | hayom haesrim bakhodesh | the twentieth of the month | |
| יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי בַּבֹּקֶר | yom shlishi baboker | Tuesday morning |
Exceptions
Rishon is not built like the rest
רִאשׁוֹן comes from רֹאשׁ, not from the cardinal אֶחָד. There is no form אחדון. Keep ראשון / ראשונה as a pair of their own.
Sheni versus shtayim
Do not confuse the ordinal שֵׁנִי / שְׁנִיָּה with the cardinal שְׁנַיִם / שְׁתַּיִם. “The second bus” is הָאוֹטוֹבּוּס הַשֵּׁנִי; “two buses” is שְׁנֵי אוֹטוֹבּוּסִים.
Common mistakes
רִאשׁוֹן הַיּוֹם → הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן
Ordinals follow the noun like other adjectives.
הַפַּעַם הַשֵּׁנִי → הַפַּעַם הַשְּׁנִיָּה
פַּעַם is feminine, so the ordinal must be feminine.
שְׁתֵּי קוֹמָה → קוֹמָה שְׁנִיָּה
“Second floor” is an ordinal, not the cardinal two.
Go on to
Numbers and gender
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.
A2 · 15 minAdjective agreement
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.
A1 · 12 minTelling time
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.
A1 · 12 minThe 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 min