על

Aramaic

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *ʕalay-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʕal/

Preposition

על • (transliteration needed)

1. on, upon
2. over
3. about, concerning

Hebrew

Root
ע־ל־ה (ʿ-l-h)
12 terms

Picture dictionary

על

מעל

תחת

בתוך

לפני

מאחורי

על

ליד

בין

Prepositions of location

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *ʕalay-.

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /al/, [ʔäl]
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /al/, [ʔɑɫ]
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʕal/, [ʕal], /ŋal/, [ŋal]
• (Tiberian Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʕal/, [ʕal]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al

Preposition

עַל • (al)

1. (literally) on, on top of

   אני עומד על חומות ירושלים.

   aní oméd al khomót yerushaláyim.

   I'm standing on the walls of Jerusalem.

2. (figuratively) on
3. about

   על מה אתם מדברים?

   al ma atém medabrím?

   What are y'all talking about?

   (literally, “About what you [all] [are] talking?”)

4. (formal) must [with enclitic pronoun and ל־ (l') ‘to’]

   עליכם להגיש את המבחן תוך שלוש שעות.

   alekhém lehagish et ha mivkhán tokh shalosh sha'ót.

   You must turn the test in in 3 hours.

   • c. 3rd century, "Alenu leshabeach":

     עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל

     alénu l'shabéach la'adón hakól

     We must praise the master of all

     (literally, “It is upon us to praise the master of all”)

Usage notes

• Various verbs are construed with the preposition על; for example, ויתר על (vitér al) means “to give up on”.

Inflection

Inflection table

base form	עַל (al)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	singular		plural
	m	f	m	f
1st person	עליי / עָלַי (alái)		עָלֵינוּ (alénu)
2nd person	עָלֶיךָ (alékha)	עלייך / עָלַיִךְ (aláyikh)	עֲלֵיכֶם (alekhém)	עֲלֵיכֶן (alekhén)
3rd person	עָלָיו (aláv)	עָלֶיהָ (aléha)	עֲלֵיהֶם (alehém)	עֲלֵיהֶן (alehén)

Derived terms

• עַל כֵּן (al ken)
• עַל פִּי (al pi)

References

• H5921 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Prefix

עַל • (ál)

1. Super-: above; more than; larger than.

   מִשְׁפָּחָה (mishpakhá, “family”) → עַל־מִשְׁפָּחָה (ál-mishpakhá, “superfamily”)

   יַבֶּשֶׁת (yabéshet, “continent”) → יַבֶּשֶׁת־עַל (yabéshet-ál, “supercontinent”)

   טִבְעִי (tiv'í, “natural”) → עַל־טִבְעִי (ál-tiv'í, “supernatural”)

Usage notes

• Typically used to form calques from English and other languages.
• Sometimes attached to the following word via a hyphen; otherwise, separated by a space.
• In some compounds, follows the base word as a suffix rather than preceding it as a prefix.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “super-”): תת־ (tát-, “sub-”)

Derived terms

Hebrew terms prefixed with על־

על־משפחה

על קולי

Suffix

עַל • (ál)

1. Alternative form of the prefix; see above.

   גִּבּוֹר (gibór, “hero”) → גִּבּוֹר־עָל (gibór-ál, “superhero”)