Im hayiti: if only
An unreal condition is assembled from two parts: im — if, and haya — was in the right person, after which the ordinary present form follows. Im hayiti yodea — if I knew; im hayita kan — if you were here. For example: “אם הייתי יודע, הייתי בא.” — If I had known, I would have come. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
An unreal condition is assembled from two parts: im — if, and haya — was in the right person, after which the ordinary present form follows. Im hayiti yodea — if I knew; im hayita kan — if you were here.
Haya conjugates by person, as in the past you learned: hayiti — I was, hayita — you were, hayu — they were. Gender holds in the second part: im hayiti yodea — if I knew (a man), im hayiti yodeat — if I knew (a woman).
The second half of the phrase also takes haya: im hayiti yodea, hayiti ba — if I had known, I would have come. A real "if" needs no haya at all: the plain future does the job.
Table
| who | conditional | How it reads | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (m) | אם הייתי בא | im hayiti ba | if I were coming |
| I (f) | אם הייתי באה | im hayiti baa | if I were coming |
| you (m) | אם היית בא | im hayita ba | if you were coming |
| she | אם היא הייתה באה | im hi hayta baa | if she were coming |
| we | אם היינו באים | im hayinu baim | if we were coming |
| they | אם היו באים | im hayu baim | if they were coming |
By example
- אם הייתי יודע, הייתי בא.им хайити йодеа, хайити ба.If I had known, I would have come.
- אם היה לי זמן, הייתי לומד עוד שפות.им хая ли зман, хайити ломэд од сафот.If I had time, I would learn more languages.
- אם הייתי רואה, הייתי עוזר.им хайити роэ, хайити озэр.If I had seen it, I would have helped.
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
If I had known in Hebrew?
The second half of the phrase also takes haya: im hayiti yodea, hayiti ba — if I had known, I would have come. A real "if" needs no haya at all: the plain future does the job.
The conditional in Hebrew?
An unreal condition is assembled from two parts: im — if, and haya — was in the right person, after which the ordinary present form follows. Im hayiti yodea — if I knew; im hayita kan — if you were here.
How to say I would come in Hebrew?
The second half of the phrase also takes haya: im hayiti yodea, hayiti ba — if I had known, I would have come. A real "if" needs no haya at all: the plain future does the job.
How is an unreal condition built in Hebrew?
An unreal condition is assembled from two parts: im — if, and haya — was in the right person, after which the ordinary present form follows. Im hayiti yodea — if I knew; im hayita kan — if you were here.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“אם הייתי יודע, הייתי בא.” (им хайити йодеа, хайити ба.) — If I had known, I would have come. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.