QUESTIONS WHEN DISCOVERING
QUESTIONS WHEN DISCOVERING
A. Griber
In this lesson, you will learn how to use the question word מה (ma) when introducing people.
?מַה שִמךָ
(ma shimha?)
“What is your name (m. R.)?”
The word שִמךָ (shimkhA) consists of a singular masculine noun שֵם (shem) - “name (of a person; reputation)” and a pronominal suffix of a single object ךָ (-хА; the letter “haf sofIt” with the vowel “kamAtz”), which corresponds to a personal the pronoun of the 2nd person masculine singular אַתָה (atA) - “you (m. R.)”.
Notice that in Russian the question is "What's your name?", while in Hebrew it's "What's your name?".
.שמִי דָוִיד
(shmi david)
"My name is David."
The word שמִי (shmi) consists of a singular masculine noun שֵם (shem) and a pronominal singular object suffix ִ י (-I; vowel "khirik" and the letter "yud").
.נָעִים מְאוֹד
(naim meod.)
"Very nice".
The word נָעִים (naim) – “pleasant” – is a singular masculine adjective.
Adjectives in Hebrew often function as adverbs.
The word מְאוֹד (meOd) is translated into Russian with the words “very, very”.
?וּמַה שמֵךְ
(u-ma shmeh?)
“What is your name (female)?”
The word שמֵךְ (shmekh) consists of a singular masculine noun שֵם (shem) and a pronominal singular object suffix ֵ ךְ (-Eh; vowel "tserE", letter "haf-sofit" with vowel "shva"), which corresponds to the personal pronoun 2 th person feminine singular אַת (at) – “you (female)”.
.שמִי רוּתִי
(shmi ruti.)
"My name is Ruthie."
?מַה שמוֹ
(ma shmo?)
"What is his name?"
The word שמוֹ (shmo) consists of a singular masculine noun שֵם (shem) and a pronominal singular object suffix וֹ (-О; the letter “vav” with the vowel “holAm”), which corresponds to the 3rd person personal pronoun of the masculine singular הוּא (hu) - "he".
.שמוֹ יוֹסֵף
(shmo yosEf.)
"His name is Yosef."
?מַה שמָה
(ma shma?)
"What is her name?"
The word שמָה (shma) consists of a singular masculine noun שֵם (shem) and a pronominal singular object suffix ָ ה (-A; vowel "kamAts" and the unpronounceable letter "hey"), which corresponds to the personal pronoun of the 3rd person feminine singular numbers הִיא (hi) - "she".
.שמָה שָׂרָה
(shma sara.)
"Her name is Sarah."
?יוסֵף — שֵם עִברִי
(yosEf - Shem Ivri?)
Is Yosef a Hebrew name?
The word עִברִי (Hebrew) - "Jewish, Hebrew" - is a singular masculine adjective.
.כֵּן, גַם שָׂרָה – שֵם עִברִי
(ken, gam sara - shem Ivri.)
"Yes, Sarah is also a Jewish name."
The word גַם (gam) is translated into Russian by the words "also, too, and".
.שָׂרָה וְיוֹסֵף – שֵמוֹת עִברִייִם
(sarah ve-yosEf - shemFrom HebrewIm.)
Sarah and Yosef are Hebrew names.
The word שֵמוֹת (shemot) is a plural masculine noun, which is derived from the singular masculine noun שֵם (shem) - "name".
The word עִברִייִם (HebrewIm) is the plural form of the singular masculine adjective עִברִי (Hebrew).
?מַה שֵם הַיֶלֶד
(ma shem ha-yeled?)
“What is the name of (given) boy?”
.שמוֹ דָנִי
(shmo dani.)
"His name is Dani."
?שֵם הַיֶלֶד דָנִי
(shem ha-yeled dani?)
"The (given) boy's name is Dani?"
.כֵּן, הַשֵם שֶל הַיֶלֶד דָנִי
(ken, ha-shem shal ha-yEled dani.)
"Yes, the (given) name of the (given) boy is Dani."
The word שֶל (shel) is a preposition that indicates ownership or quality.
I just want to add that:
- this preposition indicates a person or thing to which another person or thing belongs. For instance,
אַבָּא שֶל הַיַלדָה (Aba shel ha-yalda) – “girl’s father”;
הַבַּיִת שֶל הַיֶלֶד (ha-bayit shel ha-yEled) – “the boy’s house”;
The word בַּיִת (bayit) – “house (building); dynasty; stanza, verse" is a masculine singular noun.
דֶלֶת שֶל חֶדֶר (delet shal heder) - "room door".
The word דֶלֶת (delet) - "door (slab)" - is a feminine singular noun.
The word חֶדֶר (heder) – “room; Jewish Primary School" is a masculine singular noun.
- this preposition denotes the subject who performs the action. For instance,
עֲבוֹדָה שֶל פּוֹעֵל (avodA shel poel) – “worker’s labor”;
The word עֲבוֹדָה (avodA) – “work, labor (activity)” is a feminine singular noun.
The word פּוֹעֵל (poEl) – “worker (person); worker (pertaining to work), acting” is a masculine singular noun.
יְשִיבָה שֶל וַעֲדָה (yeshiva shel vaadA) – “commission meeting”.
The word יְשִיבָה (yeshiva) - “meeting; seat; residence, residence; religious educational institution" is a feminine singular noun.
The word וַעֲדָה (vaadA) – “a commission (a group of persons, an institution) is a singular feminine noun.
- This preposition denotes a qualitative characteristic of an object. For instance,
אָרוֹן שֶל בֶּגֶד (ArOn shel beged) – “wardrobe /for/ clothes”.
The word אָרוֹן (arOn) – “cupboard” – is a singular masculine noun.
The word בֶּגֶד (beged) - "clothes" - is a masculine singular noun.
- this preposition indicates the material from which the object is made. For instance,
כִּיסֵא שֶל עֵץ (kisE shel etz) – “chair made of wood”.
The word עֵץ (etz) - "tree (plant), wood (tissue of woody plants)" is a masculine singular noun.
- This preposition denotes the object of action. For instance,
קרִיאָה שֶל סֵפֶר (kriA shel sEfer) – “reading a book”.
The word קרִיאָה (kriA) is “reading; exclamation, exclamation, remark; call, call" is a feminine singular noun.
This preposition refers to the content of something. For instance,
חָבִית שֶל דבַש (havit shel dvash) – “a barrel of honey”.
The word חָבִית (havIt) is “barrel (receptacle), tub; barrel (of oil)" is a feminine singular noun.
The word דבַש (dvash) - "honey" - is a masculine singular noun.
- This preposition indicates the purpose of the object. For instance,
מַכשִיר שֶל ספּוֹרט (mahshir shel sport) – “a device for sports”.
The word מַכשִיר (mahshir) - “apparatus, device, device, fixture (tool)” is a masculine singular noun.
The word ספּוֹרט (sport) – “sport” is a singular masculine noun.
This preposition denotes possessiveness. For instance,
סִידרָה שֶל ספָרִים (sidra shel sfarim) – “a series of books”.
The word סִידרָה (sidra) – “series (series); row (sequence); progression (mat.); television series" is a feminine singular noun.
So, in this lesson, you got acquainted with the use of the interrogative word מה (ma) when meeting, and also learned:
- which personal pronouns of the masculine and feminine singular number do the corresponding pronominal suffixes refer to;
- what are the meanings of the preposition שֶל (shel).