Hebrew Plural Forms
Forming plurals in Hebrew follows patterns based on gender. Most masculine nouns add -ים (-im) and most feminine nouns add -ות (-ot). However, there are important exceptions and irregular plurals to learn.
How It Works
Masculine plural: add -ים (-im) to the base. יֶלֶד → יְלָדִים (yeled → yeladim - boy → boys). Feminine plural: add -ות (-ot) to the base (removing ה if present). יַלְדָּה → יְלָדוֹת (yalda → yeladot - girl → girls). Irregular plurals exist and must be memorized: אִישׁ → אֲנָשִׁים (ish → anashim - man → men), אִשָּׁה → נָשִׁים (isha → nashim - woman → women), בַּיִת → בָּתִּים (bayit → batim - house → houses).
Example Sentences
Common Mistakes
1. Assuming all plurals are regular - some of the most common words have irregular plurals (man/men, woman/women, house/houses). 2. Forgetting that some feminine nouns take masculine plural endings and vice versa (e.g., שֵׁם - name (m.) → שֵׁמוֹת with ות ending). 3. Forgetting to make adjectives plural too: 'big boys' is יְלָדִים גְּדוֹלִים, not יְלָדִים גָּדוֹל.
Study Tip
When learning vocabulary, always learn the plural form at the same time as the singular. For common irregular plurals, create memory tricks: 'Man (ish) becomes people (anashim) - one is an island, many are a nation.' The more you read and listen to Hebrew, the more natural plural forms will feel.