Shlosha metarim, shalosh shanim: the noun after the number
The English number grabs the word along; here they first ask: what are you, masculine or feminine? And it is not the noun that changes but the numeral itself: shlosha metarim — three meters, but shalosh shanim — three years. The first pair takes shlosha, though meter is masculine. The second takes shalosh, with a feminine noun. For example: “שלושה מטרים ושלוש שנים.” — Three meters and three years. A rule from the…
How it works
The English number grabs the word along; here they first ask: what are you, masculine or feminine? And it is not the noun that changes but the numeral itself: shlosha metarim — three meters, but shalosh shanim — three years. The first pair takes shlosha, though meter is masculine. The second takes shalosh, with a feminine noun.
After the numbers two to ten the noun stands in the plural: shnei metarim, shalosh shanim. From twenty up, words of measure and time — meter, shana, shekel — usually go back to the singular: esrim meter, mea shana. Other nouns stay plural.
From three hundred up, hundreds take two words: the number plus meot, hundreds. With words of measure and time the whole number keeps the singular: shalosh meot meter.
Table
| number | masculine noun | feminine noun | what you hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | מטר אחד — meter echad | שנה אחת — shana achat | as if there were no number |
| 2 | שני מטרים — shnei metarim | שתי שנים — shtei shanim | a special form + plural noun |
| 3 | שלושה מטרים — shlosha metarim | שלוש שנים — shalosh shanim | the numeral changes, not the noun |
| 10 | עשרה מטרים — asara metarim | עשר שנים — eser shanim | the same agreement |
| 20 | עשרים מטר — esrim meter | עשרים שנה — esrim shana | the noun returned to the singular |
| 100 | מאה מטר — mea meter | מאה שנה — mea shana | after a hundred — the singular too |
| 300 | שלוש מאות מטר — shalosh meot meter | שלוש מאות שנה — shalosh meot shana | meot — hundreds, the noun as is |
By example
- שלושה מטרים ושלוש שנים.шлоша метарим ве-шалош шаним.Three meters and three years.
- מאתיים גרם גבינה ומאה גרם לחם.маатайим грам гвина у-меа грам лэхэм.Two hundred grams of cheese and a hundred grams of bread.
- עשרים קילומטר בשעה.эсрим километр би-шаа.Twenty kilometers an hour.
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 three meters in Hebrew?
After the numbers two to ten the noun stands in the plural: shnei metarim, shalosh shanim. From twenty up, words of measure and time — meter, shana, shekel — usually go back to the singular: esrim meter, mea shana. Other nouns stay plural.
The number and the noun in Hebrew?
After the numbers two to ten the noun stands in the plural: shnei metarim, shalosh shanim. From twenty up, words of measure and time — meter, shana, shekel — usually go back to the singular: esrim meter, mea shana. Other nouns stay plural.
The gender of numerals in Hebrew?
After the numbers two to ten the noun stands in the plural: shnei metarim, shalosh shanim. From twenty up, words of measure and time — meter, shana, shekel — usually go back to the singular: esrim meter, mea shana. Other nouns stay plural.
How to say a hundred meters in Hebrew?
After the numbers two to ten the noun stands in the plural: shnei metarim, shalosh shanim. From twenty up, words of measure and time — meter, shana, shekel — usually go back to the singular: esrim meter, mea shana. Other nouns stay plural.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“שלושה מטרים ושלוש שנים.” (шлоша метарим ве-шалош шаним.) — Three meters and three years. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.