Kan, lekan, mikan: a place has three questions
The three questions of place hold apart the way English here, hither and hence do. For example: “אני בבית, בוא הביתה.” — I am at home, come home. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The three questions of place hold apart the way English here, hither and hence do.
Where — the preposition be-: babait — at home. Where to — the preposition le- or a special word in -a: habaita — home(ward), pnima — inward, hachutza — outward. Where from — the preposition me-: mehabait — from home.
Learn the pairs in threes: kan — lekan — mikan (here — to here — from here); sham — lesham — misham. Up and down break the pattern: lemaala means both "upstairs" and "upward", lemata both "downstairs" and "downward"; "from" adds mi-: milemaala, milemata. And meachorei — achora (behind — backward).
The test is simple. If "where to" fits, take le- or the form in -a. If "where" fits, take be-; if "where from" fits, me-.
Table
| where (eifo?) | where to (le'an?) | where from (me'ayin?) | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| כאן — kan | לכאן — lekan | מכאן — mikan | here — to here — from here |
| שם — sham | לשם — lesham | משם — misham | there — to there — from there |
| בבית — babait | הביתה — habaita | מהבית — mehabait | at home — home — from home |
| בפנים — bifnim | פנימה — pnima | מבפנים — mibifnim | inside — inward — from inside |
| בחוץ — bachutz | החוצה — hachutza | מבחוץ — mibachutz | outside — outward — from outside |
| למעלה — lemaala | למעלה — lemaala | מלמעלה — milemaala | upstairs — upward — from above |
| למטה — lemata | למטה — lemata | מלמטה — milemata | downstairs — downward — from below |
| מאחורי — meachorei | אחורה — achora | — | behind — backward |
By example
- אני בבית, בוא הביתה.ани бабаит, бо ха-байта.I am at home, come home.
- החתול יצא החוצה וחזר מבחוץ.ха-хатуль яца ха-хуца ве-хазар ми-ве-хуц.The cat went outside and returned from outside.
- המעלית למעלה, המדרגות מלמטה.ха-маалит ле-маала, ха-мадрегот ми-лемата.The elevator is up, the staircase is down.
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 here and there to in Hebrew?
Learn the pairs in threes: kan — lekan — mikan (here — to here — from here); sham — lesham — misham. Up and down break the pattern: lemaala means both "upstairs" and "upward", lemata both "downstairs" and "downward"; "from" adds mi-: milemaala, milemata. And meachorei — achora (behind — backward).
Habaita and babait difference in Hebrew?
Where — the preposition be-: babait — at home. Where to — the preposition le- or a special word in -a: habaita — home(ward), pnima — inward, hachutza — outward. Where from — the preposition me-: mehabait — from home.
Hebrew adverbs of direction?
The three questions of place hold apart the way English here, hither and hence do.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“אני בבית, בוא הביתה.” (ани бабаит, бо ха-байта.) — I am at home, come home. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.