To me: the preposition le- with suffixes
Little tails attach to the preposition le-, to, and make to me, to her, to us: li, la, lanu. Koev li — it hurts me; koev la — it hurts her. Hebrew does not say "I have a pain": the pain hurts to someone. For example: “כואב לי הראש.” — My head hurts. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Little tails attach to the preposition le-, to, and make to me, to her, to us: li, la, lanu. Koev li — it hurts me; koev la — it hurts her. Hebrew does not say "I have a pain": the pain hurts to someone.
The pattern is the same as yesh li, I have: a preposition plus a tail. Le- itself means to and for, and the tail tells who.
Pain is built exactly so: koev li harosh is literally "hurts to me the head". The order can flip — harosh koev li — and the meaning holds. Feminine body parts take koevet: hashen koevet li.
Table
| to whom | Hebrew | How it reads |
|---|---|---|
| to me | לי | li |
| to you (m) | לך | lecha |
| to you (f) | לך | lach |
| to him | לו | lo |
| to her | לה | la |
| to us | לנו | lanu |
| to you (pl) | לכם | lachem |
By example
- כואב לי הראש.коэв ли ха-рош.My head hurts.
- כואב לה הרגל.коэв ла ха-регель.Her leg hurts.
- יש לנו זמן.йеш лану зман.We have time.
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say it hurts in Hebrew?
Little tails attach to the preposition le-, to, and make to me, to her, to us: li, la, lanu. Koev li — it hurts me; koev la — it hurts her. Hebrew does not say "I have a pain": the pain hurts to someone.
What does koev li mean?
Little tails attach to the preposition le-, to, and make to me, to her, to us: li, la, lanu. Koev li — it hurts me; koev la — it hurts her. Hebrew does not say "I have a pain": the pain hurts to someone.
How do suffixes attach to the preposition le?
Little tails attach to the preposition le-, to, and make to me, to her, to us: li, la, lanu. Koev li — it hurts me; koev la — it hurts her. Hebrew does not say "I have a pain": the pain hurts to someone.
Difference between yesh li and koev li?
The pattern is the same as yesh li, I have: a preposition plus a tail. Le- itself means to and for, and the tail tells who.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“כואב לי הראש.” (коэв ли ха-рош.) — My head hurts. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.