הם
See also: ה״מ and Appendix:Variations of "em"
Hebrew
editEtymology 1
editInherited from Proto-Semitic *šum. Cognate with Arabic هُم (hum). The central sense is “they”; other senses are by extension.
Pronunciation
edit- (Biblical Hebrew) IPA(key): /him(m)/
- (Samaritan Hebrew) IPA(key): /im.ma/[nt. 1], [ˈʔim.mæˑ]
- (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA(key): /ˈheːm/, [ˈheː.em]
- (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA(key): /ˈhem/, [ˈheːm]
- (Persian Hebrew) IPA(key): /hem/
- (Iraqi Hebrew) IPA(key): /hem/
- (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA(key): /hem/
- (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA(key): /hejm/
- (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA(key): /(h)em/
Audio (Modern Israeli Hebrew): (file) - Rhymes: -em
Pronoun
editהֵם • (hem) m pl
- they (the third-person masculine plural personal pronoun, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))
- those, yon (the masculine plural distant demonstrative pronoun, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))
- are (a masculine plural present-tense copula, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))
Usage notes
edit- Like the other personal pronouns, הם is not used as a direct object, as the object of preposition, or as a possessive pronoun; rather, its sense is incorporated into the preceding word (which is usually a preposition, especially in Modern Hebrew), which then appears in its third-person-masculine-plural-personal-pronoun-including form. This applies to its demonstrative-pronoun sense as well, as these senses are not truly distinct.
- Like other masculine plural forms, הם is used both with masculine-only antecedents or referents and with mixed-gender antecedents or referents.
- Like other masculine plural forms with feminine counterparts in -ן (-n), הם is sometimes substituted for its feminine counterpart הן (in which case it takes feminine adjectives and verbs), but this is not usually considered correct.
Related terms
editSee also
editHebrew personal pronouns
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1st person | אֲנִי (aní), אנוכי / אָנֹכִי (anokhí)[PP 1] |
אֲנַחְנוּ (anákhnu), אָנוּ (ánu)[PP 2] | ||
2nd person | m | אַתָּה (atá) | אַתֶּם (atém) | |
f | אַתְּ (at) | אַתֶּן (atén) | ||
3rd person | m | הוּא (hu) | הֵם (hem)[PP 3] | |
f | הִיא (hi) | הֵן (hen)[PP 3] | ||
|
Adjective
editהֵם • (hem)
- those, yon (the masculine plural distant demonstrative adjective, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))
- Antonym: אֵלֶּה (éileh, “these”)
Usage notes
edit- This adjective is nearly always found in its definite form הָהֵם (hahém).
Derived terms
edit- בימים ההם (bayamím hahém, “formerly, in olden days”)
Related terms
editEtymology 2
editNoun
editהם • (him)
Further reading
edit- הם on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia he
Anagrams
editCategories:
- Hebrew terms inherited from Proto-Semitic
- Hebrew terms derived from Proto-Semitic
- Hebrew terms with IPA pronunciation
- Hebrew terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:Hebrew/em
- Rhymes:Hebrew/em/1 syllable
- Hebrew lemmas
- Hebrew pronouns
- Hebrew adjectives
- Hebrew terms borrowed from English
- Hebrew terms derived from English
- Hebrew nouns
- he:Biology
- he:Medicine
- Hebrew personal pronouns