Modern Hebrew Grammar - Nouns - Number: Singular, Plural, and Dual

Number: Singular, Plural, and Dual

Hebrew nouns are inflected for grammatical number; as in English, count nouns have a singular form for referring to one object and a plural form for referring to more than one. Unlike in English, some count nouns also have separate dual forms, for referring to two objects; see below.

Masculine nouns generally form their plural by adding the suffix ים /-im/:

• מחשב /maħˈʃev/ (computer) → מחשבים /maħʃeˈvim/ (computers)

The addition of the extra syllable usually causes the vowel in the first syllable to shorten if it is Kamatz:

• דָּבָר /daˈvar/ (thing) → דְּבָרִים /dvaˈrim/ (things)

Many common two-syllable masculine nouns accented on the penultimate syllable (often called segolates, because many (but not all) of them have the vowel /seˈɡol/ (/-e-/) in the last syllable), undergo more drastic characteristic vowel changes in the plural:

• יֶלֶד /ˈjeled/ (boy) → יְלָדִים /jelaˈdim/ (boys, children)
• בֹּקֶר /ˈboker/ (morning) → בְּקָרִים /bkaˈrim/ (mornings)
• חֶדֶר /ˈħeder/ (room) → חֲדָרִים /ħadaˈrim/ (rooms)

Feminine nouns ending in /-a/ or /-at/ generally drop this ending and add /-ot/, usually without any vowel changes:

• מיטה /miˈta/ (bed) → מיטות /miˈtot/ (beds)
• מסעדה /misʕaˈda/ (restaurant) → מסעדות /misʕaˈdot/ (restaurants)
• צלחת /t͡saˈlaħat/ (plate) → צלחות /t͡salaˈħot/ (plates)

Nouns ending in /-e-et/ also replace this ending with /-ot/, with an /-e-/ in the preceding syllable usually changing to /-a-/:

• מחברת /maħˈberet/ (notebook) → מחברות /maħbaˈrot/ (notebooks)

Nouns ending in /-ut/ and /-it/ replace these endings with /-ujot/ and /-ijot/, respectively:

• חנות /ħaˈnut/ (store) → חנויות /ħanuˈjot/ (stores)
• אשכולית /eʃkoˈlit/ (grapefruit) → אשכוליות /eʃkoliˈjot/ (grapefruits)