Page 21 - Verb Book Past Tense-UNIT 3, RH3

21 CD1
Track 34
UNIT 3 - Binyan Pa'al, Group 3

4. Possession

This usage is usually a confusing one for English speakers. In English we have a

special verb "to have" to describe possession of something.

In Hebrew we do not have a verb, but use an expression ...‫ֵיׁש ל‬

Present tense: .‫ֵיש ִלי תפּוח‬
.‫ֵיש לֹו תפּוח‬
I have an apple. .‫ֵיש ָלנּו תפּוח‬
He has an apple. .‫ֵיש ָלּה תפּוחים‬
We have an apple.
She has apples.

Past tense:

The verb ‫ ִל ְהיֹות‬is used according to the subject and not according to the owner of

the subject in one of the following forms: ‫ָהיּו‬

‫ָה ְי ָתה ָה ָיה‬

Examples:

I had an apple. → .‫( היה לי תפּוח‬The word ‫ ַתּפּו ַח‬is single, thus ‫) ָה ָיה‬

He had an apple. → .‫( היה לֹו תפּוח‬The word ‫ ַתּפּו ַח‬is single, thus ‫) ָה ָיה‬

We had an apple. → .‫( היה ָלנּו תפּוח‬The word ‫ ַתּפּו ַח‬is single, thus ‫) ָה ָיה‬

She had apples (plural). → .‫( היּו ָלּה תפּוחים‬The word ‫ ַתּפּו ִחים‬is plural, thus ‫) ָהיּו‬

*Note: In the past tense the verb ‫ ִל ְהיֹות‬is used either in the single or the plural, masculine or

feminine form according to the related subject

Present Past ‫ָע ָבר‬ ‫הֶֹוה‬

I have a nice I had a nice ‫ָה ָיה לי בית‬ ‫ֵיש לי בית‬
house. house. .‫יפה‬ .‫יפה‬
I have a nice I had a nice job.
job. ‫ָה ְי ָתה לי‬ ‫ֵיש לי עבֹודה‬
I have a lot of I had a lot of .‫עבֹודה טֹובה‬ .‫טֹובה‬
friends. friends. ‫ָהיּו לי הר ֵבה‬
‫ֵיש לי הר ֵבה‬
.‫ח ֵברים‬ .‫ח ֵברים‬

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