Hebrew Adjectives: Agreement, Placement & the 4 Forms You Need
If you learned Spanish or French, you already know the plot twist: in Hebrew, adjectives come after the noun, not before it. So instead of "big house," Hebrew says the equivalent of "house big" — בַּיִת גָּדוֹל (bayit gadol). Get used to this early, because it will feel backwards for a while and then suddenly feel completely natural.
But there's more. Hebrew adjectives don't just follow the noun — they have to agree with the noun in three ways: gender (masculine or feminine), number (singular or plural), and definiteness (does the noun have "the" in front of it?). This means every adjective has four basic forms, and you need all four.
The good news? Once you learn those four forms for one adjective, the pattern applies to almost all adjectives. Hebrew adjectives are remarkably regular — much more so than Hebrew verbs. Master a few, and you've essentially mastered them all.
Key takeaway: Hebrew adjectives follow the noun, agree in gender and number, and must take the definite article הַ when the noun is definite — giving each adjective four standard forms.
The 4 Forms of a Hebrew Adjective
Every Hebrew adjective has (at minimum) these four forms:
| Form | Pattern | Example (גָּדוֹל, gadol — big) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | base form | גָּדוֹל (gadol) |
| Feminine singular | base + ‑ה | גְּדוֹלָה (gdola) |
| Masculine plural | base + ‑ים | גְּדוֹלִים (gdolim) |
| Feminine plural | base + ‑וֹת | גְּדוֹלוֹת (gdolot) |
Let's see this in sentences:
- בַּיִת גָּדוֹל (bayit gadol) — a big house (m.sg)
- עִיר גְּדוֹלָה (ir gdola) — a big city (f.sg)
- בָּתִּים גְּדוֹלִים (batim gdolim) — big houses (m.pl)
- עָרִים גְּדוֹלוֹת (arim gdolot) — big cities (f.pl)
💡 Tip: Notice that the vowels in the adjective often shift slightly in the feminine and plural forms, similar to how noun vowels shift in plurals. This is normal and becomes intuitive with exposure.
Adjective Placement: After the Noun
In Hebrew, adjectives always follow the noun they describe. This is the opposite of English:
| English | Hebrew |
|---|---|
| a big house | בַּיִת גָּדוֹל (bayit gadol) — house big |
| an interesting book | סֵפֶר מְעַנְיֵן (sefer me'anyen) — book interesting |
| a beautiful city | עִיר יָפָה (ir yafa) — city beautiful |
| good friends | חֲבֵרִים טוֹבִים (khaverim tovim) — friends good |
This feels unnatural at first, but there's a helpful mnemonic: think of it like a title — "coffee shop" in English becomes "house coffee" (בֵּית קָפֶה, beit kafe) in Hebrew. Hebrew describes from the whole to the detail.
Definiteness: When Both Noun and Adjective Take הַ
Here's the rule that catches almost every beginner: when a noun is definite (it has "the" = הַ in front of it), the adjective also needs הַ. You can't just put הַ on the noun and leave the adjective bare.
| Indefinite (no "the") | Definite (with "the") |
|---|---|
| בַּיִת גָּדוֹל (bayit gadol) — a big house | הַבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל (ha-bayit ha-gadol) — the big house |
| עִיר יָפָה (ir yafa) — a beautiful city | הָעִיר הַיָּפָה (ha-ir ha-yafa) — the beautiful city |
| כֶּלֶב קָטָן (kelev katan) — a small dog | הַכֶּלֶב הַקָּטָן (ha-kelev ha-katan) — the small dog |
| סֵפֶר טוֹב (sefer tov) — a good book | הַסֵּפֶר הַטּוֹב (ha-sefer ha-tov) — the good book |
💡 Tip: Think of the הַ as a magnet that pulls along the adjective. If the noun has הַ, the adjective must too. One הַ alone on the noun + no הַ on the adjective = predicative construction ("the house is big"), not attributive ("the big house").
Indefinite vs. Predicate
This means you can distinguish between "a big house" and "the house is big" purely through the article:
- בַּיִת גָּדוֹל → a big house (indefinite attributive)
- הַבַּיִת הַגָּדוֹל → the big house (definite attributive)
- הַבַּיִת גָּדוֹל → The house is big (predicative — no copula needed in present tense!)
That third construction — הַבַּיִת גָּדוֹל — is also how you say "the house is big" in Hebrew. No verb needed. The absence of הַ on the adjective signals a predicate.
Big Table: Common Hebrew Adjectives (All 4 Forms)
| Meaning | M.Sg | F.Sg | M.Pl | F.Pl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| big | גָּדוֹל (gadol) | גְּדוֹלָה (gdola) | גְּדוֹלִים (gdolim) | גְּדוֹלוֹת (gdolot) |
| small | קָטָן (katan) | קְטַנָּה (ktana) | קְטַנִּים (ktanim) | קְטַנּוֹת (ktanot) |
| good | טוֹב (tov) | טוֹבָה (tova) | טוֹבִים (tovim) | טוֹבוֹת (tovot) |
| bad | רַע (ra) | רָעָה (ra'a) | רָעִים (ra'im) | רָעוֹת (ra'ot) |
| new | חָדָשׁ (khadash) | חֲדָשָׁה (khadasha) | חֲדָשִׁים (khadashim) | חֲדָשׁוֹת (khadashot) |
| old | יָשָׁן (yashan) | יְשָׁנָה (yshana) | יְשָׁנִים (yshanim) | יְשָׁנוֹת (yshanot) |
| beautiful | יָפֶה (yafe) | יָפָה (yafa) | יָפִים (yafim) | יָפוֹת (yafot) |
| ugly | מְכֹעָר (mekho'ar) | מְכֹעֶרֶת (mekho'eret) | מְכֹעָרִים (mekho'arim) | מְכֹעָרוֹת (mekho'arot) |
| interesting | מְעַנְיֵן (me'anyen) | מְעַנְיֶנֶת (me'anyenet) | מְעַנְיְנִים (me'anyenim) | מְעַנְיְנוֹת (me'anyenot) |
| boring | מְשַׁעֲמֵם (mesha'amem) | מְשַׁעֲמֶמֶת (mesha'amemet) | מְשַׁעֲמְמִים (mesha'ammim) | מְשַׁעֲמְמוֹת (mesha'ammot) |
| difficult | קָשֶׁה (kashe) | קָשָׁה (kasha) | קָשִׁים (kashim) | קָשׁוֹת (kashot) |
| easy | קַל (kal) | קַלָּה (kala) | קַלִּים (kalim) | קַלּוֹת (kalot) |
| hot | חַם (kham) | חַמָּה (khama) | חַמִּים (khamim) | חַמּוֹת (khamot) |
| cold | קַר (kar) | קָרָה (kara) | קָרִים (karim) | קָרוֹת (karot) |
| fast | מָהִיר (mahir) | מְהִירָה (mehira) | מְהִירִים (mehirim) | מְהִירוֹת (mehirot) |
| slow | אִטִּי (iti) | אִטִּית (itit) | אִטִּיִּים (itiim) | אִטִּיּוֹת (itiiot) |
| important | חָשׁוּב (khashuv) | חֲשׁוּבָה (khshuva) | חֲשׁוּבִים (kshuvim) | חֲשׁוּבוֹת (kshuvot) |
| happy | שָׂמֵחַ (sameakh) | שְׂמֵחָה (smekha) | שְׂמֵחִים (smekhim) | שְׂמֵחוֹת (smekhot) |
| tired | עָיֵף (ayef) | עֲיֵפָה (ayefa) | עֲיֵפִים (ayefim) | עֲיֵפוֹת (ayefot) |
Comparative and Superlative
Comparative: "more than" — יוֹתֵר ... מ
Hebrew forms comparatives analytically — no special adjective ending. Use יוֹתֵר (yoter, more) + adjective + מ (mi-, than):
- הוּא יוֹתֵר גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנִּי (hu yoter gadol mimeni) — He is bigger than me
- הַסֵּפֶר יוֹתֵר מְעַנְיֵן מֵהַסֶּרֶט (ha-sefer yoter me'anyen me-ha-seret) — The book is more interesting than the movie
- תֵּל אָבִיב יוֹתֵר גְּדוֹלָה מֵחֵיפָה (Tel Aviv yoter gdola me-Kheifa) — Tel Aviv is bigger than Haifa
Superlative: "the most" — הֲכִי / הַכִּי / הֲכִי
For "the most," Hebrew uses הֲכִי (hakhi) or הַכִּי (the "the-most" marker):
- הוּא הֲכִי חָכָם (hu hakhi khakham) — He is the smartest
- זוֹ הֲכִי טוֹבָה (zo hakhi tova) — She is the best
- זֶה הֲכִי קָשֶׁה (ze hakhi kashe) — This is the hardest
Alternatively, especially in written Hebrew, you'll see the construction הַ + adjective in superlative contexts, or ב + adjective + ביותר (be-... be-yoter):
- הוּא הַחָכָם בְּיוֹתֵר (hu ha-khakham be-yoter) — He is the wisest (the wise-est)
💡 Tip: In daily spoken Hebrew, הֲכִי is by far the most common way to say "the most." It's simple and versatile — just slap it before any adjective.
Adjective Agreement in Practice
Let's look at some full sentences that show agreement across different contexts:
Masculine singular:
הַכֶּלֶב הַקָּטָן שֶׁלִּי חָכָם מְאוֹד. (Ha-kelev ha-katan sheli khakham me'od.) My small dog is very smart.
Feminine singular:
הַמַּחְלָקָה הַחֲדָשָׁה מְעַנְיֶנֶת. (Ha-makhlaka ha-khadasha me'anyenet.) The new department is interesting.
Masculine plural:
הַסְּפָרִים הַיְּשָׁנִים מַצּוּיִם בַּמַּרְתֵּף. (Ha-sfarim ha-yshanim matsuim ba-martef.) The old books are in the basement.
Feminine plural:
הָעָרִים הַגְּדוֹלוֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. (Ha-arim ha-gdolot be-Yisra'el.) The big cities in Israel.
FAQ
What if an adjective modifies a plural noun of mixed gender?
Use masculine plural. In Hebrew, masculine plural is the default when referring to mixed-gender groups: יְלָדִים טוֹבִים can refer to a group of boys and girls.
Can adjectives come before the noun for emphasis?
Rarely, in poetry or very emphatic speech. In standard modern Hebrew, adjectives come after the noun. Period.
What about the adjective טוֹב (good) — is it irregular?
טוֹב is very regular in its agreement forms (טוֹבָה, טוֹבִים, טוֹבוֹת). However, as an adverb meaning "well," it doesn't change: הוּא שָׁר טוֹב (hu shar tov — he sings well).
Are there adjectives that don't follow the 4-form pattern?
Some loanword adjectives are indeclinable — like אוֹקֵי (okay). And some adjectives derived from nouns use a different pattern. But the vast majority follow the standard 4-form system.
What's Next
- Hebrew Gender Nouns — adjective agreement starts with knowing noun gender
- Hebrew Plural Forms — the plural patterns of adjectives mirror noun plurals
- Hebrew Verb Conjugation — verbs also agree by gender in past tense
- HebrewGlot Trainer — practice adjective agreement in context
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