Smichut: two words, one notion
For a compound name, two nouns go side by side and stick together. Mapat shulchan is a tablecloth, literally "cloth of table". Mechonat kvisa is a washing machine, kartis moadon a loyalty card. This pairing is called smichut. For example: “התיק מעור אמיתי, הכובע מצמר.” — A bag of natural leather, a hat of wool. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
For a compound name, two nouns go side by side and stick together. Mapat shulchan is a tablecloth, literally "cloth of table". Mechonat kvisa is a washing machine, kartis moadon a loyalty card. This pairing is called smichut.
The first word often changes its ending: mapa becomes mapat, mechona becomes mechonat (מכונת (мехонат)). The second word stays as it is. The article, if needed, goes on the second word: mapat hashulchan — the tablecloth.
What a thing is made of takes me-, from: me-or — of leather, me-tzemer — of wool. The material adjective works too: tzemeri — woolen.
Table
| plain form | in smichut | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| מפה | מפת | מפת שולחן | a tablecloth |
| מכונה | מכונת | מכונת כביסה | a washing machine |
| אריזה | אריזת | אריזת מתנה | gift wrapping |
| עגלה | עגלת | עגלת קניות | a shopping trolley |
| כרטיס | כרטיס | כרטיס מועדון | a loyalty card |
By example
- התיק מעור אמיתי, הכובע מצמר.ха-тик ме-ор амити, ха-кова ме-цемер.A bag of natural leather, a hat of wool.
- מכונת כביסה חדשה עולה הרבה כסף.мехонат квиса хадаша оле арбе кесеф.The new washing machine costs a lot of money.
- אריזת מתנה יפה — חצי מהמתנה.аризат матана яфа — хеци ме-ха-матана.Beautiful gift wrapping is half the gift.
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 washing machine in Hebrew?
For a compound name, two nouns go side by side and stick together. Mapat shulchan is a tablecloth, literally "cloth of table". Mechonat kvisa is a washing machine, kartis moadon a loyalty card. This pairing is called smichut.
What is smichut in Hebrew?
For a compound name, two nouns go side by side and stick together. Mapat shulchan is a tablecloth, literally "cloth of table". Mechonat kvisa is a washing machine, kartis moadon a loyalty card. This pairing is called smichut.
How to say made of wool in Hebrew?
What a thing is made of takes me-, from: me-or — of leather, me-tzemer — of wool. The material adjective works too: tzemeri — woolen.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“התיק מעור אמיתי, הכובע מצמר.” (ха-тик ме-ор амити, ха-кова ме-цемер.) — A bag of natural leather, a hat of wool. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.