Without a subject: kar li, tov li, efshar, asur
Many everyday phrases get by without anyone acting. A short word does the work, with a "to whom" pronoun beside it. Kar li — I am cold, cham lo — he is hot, tov lanu — we are fine. Koev li harosh — my head hurts — is built the same way. For example: “קר לי בבית הזה.” — I am cold in this house. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Many everyday phrases get by without anyone acting. A short word does the work, with a "to whom" pronoun beside it. Kar li — I am cold, cham lo — he is hot, tov lanu — we are fine. Koev li harosh — my head hurts — is built the same way.
Judgments live there too: tov — good, ra — bad, kef — fun, kashe — hard. With a pronoun they become personal: tov li — I am well, kashe li — it is hard for me.
There is and there is not are the pair yesh and ein: yesh chanaya — there is parking, ein li zman — I have no time.
Permission works the same way: efshar — may, and asur — must not. Efshar leshalem bekartis — you can pay by card; asur hangs on signs by parking lots and entrances.
Table
| turn | no addressee | with an addressee |
|---|---|---|
| cold | קר — kar | קר לי — kar li |
| hot | חם — cham | חם לו — cham lo |
| good | טוב — tov | טוב לנו — tov lanu |
| hard | קשה — kashe | קשה לי — kashe li |
| fun | כיף — kef | כיף לכם — kef lachem |
| there is | יש — yesh | יש לי — yesh li |
| there is not | אין — ein | אין לו — ein lo |
| may | אפשר — efshar | אפשר לי — efshar li |
| must not | אסור — asur | אסור לך — asur lecha |
By example
- קר לי בבית הזה.кар ли ба-байит хазэ.I am cold in this house.
- יש חניה כאן? — אין.йеш хания кан? — эйн.Is there parking here? — No.
- במעבר חצייה אפשר, ברחוב אסור.ба-маавар ха-хацая эфшар, ба-рехов асур.On the crossing it is allowed, in the street it is not.
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
Without a subject: how does it work in Hebrew?
Many everyday phrases get by without anyone acting. A short word does the work, with a "to whom" pronoun beside it. Kar li — I am cold, cham lo — he is hot, tov lanu — we are fine. Koev li harosh — my head hurts — is built the same way.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“קר לי בבית הזה.” (кар ли ба-байит хазэ.) — I am cold in this house. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.