The adjective agrees: gender and number
The adjective lives by the rules of its noun: masculine as in the dictionary, feminine adds -a, plural takes -im or -ot. Cham — hot, chama — hot (f), chamim — hot (pl). For example: “החול חם היום.” — The sand is hot today. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The adjective lives by the rules of its noun: masculine as in the dictionary, feminine adds -a, plural takes -im or -ot. Cham — hot, chama — hot (f), chamim — hot (pl).
You already speak this way without noticing: mayim chamim — hot water — agrees, because mayim is always plural. The adjective simply repeats the shape of the noun.
The adjective stands after the noun. Chultza chadasha is literally "shirt new". The article then goes on both words: hachultza hachadasha — that very new shirt.
One trap: gender is not always guessable. Shulchan, table, is masculine; mitbach, kitchen, too — but sakin, knife, is usually feminine. Listen to how the word behaves in a phrase and repeat after it.
Table
| plain | masculine | feminine | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| hot | חם (cham) | חמה (chama) | חמים (chamim) |
| new | חדש (chadash) | חדשה (chadasha) | חדשים (chadashim) |
| expensive | יקר (yakar) | יקרה (yakra) | יקרים (yakarim) |
| long | ארוך (aroch) | ארוכה (arucha) | ארוכים (aruchim) |
| light | קל (kal) | קלה (kala) | קלים (kalim) |
By example
- החול חם היום.ха-холь хам ха-йом.The sand is hot today.
- המזוודות כבדות.ха-мазвэдот кведот.The suitcases are heavy.
- החולצה החדשה יקרה.ха-хульца ха-хадаша якра.The new shirt is expensive.
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 does an adjective agree in Hebrew?
One trap: gender is not always guessable. Shulchan, table, is masculine; mitbach, kitchen, too — but sakin, knife, is usually feminine. Listen to how the word behaves in a phrase and repeat after it.
Feminine form of Hebrew adjectives?
The adjective lives by the rules of its noun: masculine as in the dictionary, feminine adds -a, plural takes -im or -ot. Cham — hot, chama — hot (f), chamim — hot (pl).
Why is michnasayim plural in Hebrew?
The adjective lives by the rules of its noun: masculine as in the dictionary, feminine adds -a, plural takes -im or -ot. Cham — hot, chama — hot (f), chamim — hot (pl).
How to say new shoes in Hebrew?
One trap: gender is not always guessable. Shulchan, table, is masculine; mitbach, kitchen, too — but sakin, knife, is usually feminine. Listen to how the word behaves in a phrase and repeat after it.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“החול חם היום.” (ха-холь хам ха-йом.) — The sand is hot today. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.