Hebrew Language - Hebrew Grammar

Hebrew Grammar

Hebrew grammar is partly analytic, expressing such forms as dative, ablative, and accusative using prepositional particles rather than grammatical cases. However, inflection plays a decisive role in the formation of the verbs and nouns. E.g. nouns have a construct state, called "smikhut", to denote the relationship of "belonging to": this is the converse of the genitive case of more inflected languages. Words in smikhut are often combined with hyphens. In modern speech, the use of the construct is sometimes interchangeable with the preposition "shel", meaning "of". There are many cases, however, where older declined forms are retained (especially in idiomatic expressions and the like), and "person"-enclitics are widely used to "decline" prepositions.

Read more about this topic:  Hebrew Language

Famous quotes containing the words hebrew and/or grammar:

    Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
    —Bible: Hebrew Proverbs, 4:7.

    The old saying of Buffon’s that style is the man himself is as near the truth as we can get—but then most men mistake grammar for style, as they mistake correct spelling for words or schooling for education.
    Samuel Butler (1835–1902)