Lesson 5: Plurals, More on Adjectives, More on the Definite Article

Adjectives and Plurals

If you have studied the above lists, you will notice that the masculine nouns and adjectives are generally pluralized by adding to the singular form, while feminine nouns and adjectives are generally pluralized by dropping the final and replacing it with .

Notice, too, that the adjective always follows the noun it modifies and that it always matches the noun it modifies in both number and gender.

There are some common exceptions to these general observations, and you will simply have to memorize these exceptions, which are listed below. These exceptions are called irregular plurals (an example of an irregular plural in English would be children as the plural of child).

Dual Form

A less common form of the plural is called the dual number. It is used most often for members of the body (eyes, hands, feet, and ears) that come in pairs. For now, simply understand that it is an alternate form of the standard plural, and does not imply anything more or less than plurality. To call it dual is thus something of a misnomer, since it does NOT mean that there are only two of the given items. We will cover the dual in greater detail in Lesson 15

The Definite Article

The definite article in front of ע ,א, and ר is formed thus: -הָ. No daggesh is placed in the following letters, since the ע ,א, and ר cannot take a daggesh. Therefore, the pattah that one would expect under the ה is replaced with a qamatz. The qamatz is considered a long vowel, and thus compensates for the inability to double the following consonent.

Reading

Please read pages 53-57 in Biblical Hebrew Step-by-Step.

Exercises

1. Memorize the vocabulary.

2. Do the Exercises on pages 57-58.