Smichut, the construct state סְמִיכוּת
Hebrew often chains two nouns so the first is “of” the second: בֵּית סֵפֶר, עוֹרֵךְ דִּין, כּוֹס קָפֶה. That chain is smichut, and the first noun frequently changes shape.
Put the possessed noun first in construct form, drop its own הַ, and put הַ only on the last noun when the whole phrase is definite.
The first noun is the construct (nismakh) and the second is the absolute (somekh). English “school” is literally “house of book”: בֵּית סֵפֶר. The construct noun does not take הַ; definiteness is marked on the last noun: בֵּית הַסֵּפֶר for a particular schoolhouse reading, and דֶּלֶת הַבַּיִת for “the door of the house.”
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| בֵּית סֵפֶר | beit sefer | school | |
| עוֹרֵךְ דִּין | orekh din | lawyer | |
| דֶּלֶת הַבַּיִת | delet habayit | the door of the house |
| Absolute | Construct | Phrase | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| בַּיִת | בֵּית | בֵּית סֵפֶר | school |
| שָׁנָה | שְׁנַת | שְׁנַת לִמּוּדִים | school year |
| יְלָדִים | יַלְדֵי | יַלְדֵי הַשְּׁכֵנִים | the neighbors' children |
| מִלָּה | מִלַּת | מִלַּת מַפְתֵּחַ | password |
| כּוֹס | כּוֹס | כּוֹס קָפֶה | a cup of coffee |
A feminine noun that ends in ה usually switches to ת in construct: שָׁנָה becomes שְׁנַת, עֲגָלָה becomes עֲגָלַת. Masculine plurals in ים become י: יְלָדִים becomes יַלְדֵי, בָּתִּים becomes בָּתֵּי. These changes are spelling and sound, not a new word.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| עֶגְלַת קְנִיּוֹת | agalat kniyot | shopping cart | |
| בִּגְדֵי יָם | bigdei yam | swimwear | |
| יוֹם הוּלֶדֶת | yom huledet | birthday |
An adjective agrees with the first noun but is placed after the whole smichut. בֵּית סֵפֶר גָּדוֹל is a big school, not a school of something big. If the phrase is definite, the adjective takes הַ as well: בֵּית הַסֵּפֶר הַגָּדוֹל.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| כּוֹס קָפֶה חַמָּה | kos kafeh khamah | a hot cup of coffee | |
| בֵּית הַחוֹלִים הַחָדָשׁ | beit hakholim hekhadash | the new hospital |
Exceptions
Frozen pairs keep their own article habits
Many set phrases are learned as one lexical item: בֵּית חוֹלִים, בֵּית כְּנֶסֶת, יוֹם הוּלֶדֶת. Speakers may treat them as a block and not re-open the construct for a new adjective in the middle. When in doubt, keep the pair intact and modify after it.
של is the analytic alternative
Israeli speech often prefers X של Y instead of a tight construct, especially with long phrases or a pronoun: הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל הַיֶּלֶד, הַבַּיִת שֶׁלִּי. Both are correct; smichut is denser and more lexical, של is more flexible.
| הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל הַיַּלְדָּה | hasefer shel hayaldah | the girl's book |
Common mistakes
הַבֵּית סֵפֶר → בֵּית הַסֵּפֶר
The article belongs on the last noun, not on the construct noun.
בָּתִּים סֵפֶר → בָּתֵּי סֵפֶר
Masculine plural construct drops ים for י.
שָׁנָה לִמּוּדִים → שְׁנַת לִמּוּדִים
Feminine ה becomes ת in construct.
Go on to
Gender of nouns
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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Hebrew plurals are not a single ending. Masculine nouns usually add ים and feminine nouns usually add ות, and then a long list of everyday words break that pattern.
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 minPossession with shel
The everyday way to say my, your, or Dan’s in modern Hebrew is של plus a noun or a pronoun ending. הספר שלי is the phrase you want in class and on the street.
A1 · 8 min