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Hebrew Question Words: Who, What, Where, When, Why & How (Full Guide)
Grammar
HebrewGlot Team

Hebrew Question Words: Who, What, Where, When, Why & How (Full Guide)

Master all Hebrew question words โ€” ืžื”, ืžื™, ืื™ืคื”, ืžืชื™, ืœืžื” and more. Learn word order, yes/no questions, and 20 essential phrases for every situation.

Hebrew Question Words: Who, What, Where, When, Why & How (Full Guide)

Picture this: you've just landed at Ben Gurion Airport. A friendly local asks you something in rapid Hebrew. You smile, nod politely โ€” and have absolutely no idea what they just said. Two weeks into your Israel trip, you still haven't had a real conversation because you can't ask the most basic question: where is the bus stop?

Questions are the skeleton key of any language. They let you unlock information, start conversations, and โ€” crucially โ€” figure out what on earth is going on around you. The good news? Hebrew question words are short, punchy, and once you learn them, they stick.

In this guide, we'll cover every Hebrew question word you need, how to use them in sentences, the quirks of Hebrew word order in questions, and give you 20 essential questions you can actually use from day one.

Key takeaway: Hebrew has about 10 core question words. Learn them, and you can build hundreds of useful questions by combining them with vocabulary you already know.

The Complete Table of Hebrew Question Words

Let's start with the full picture. Here are all the main Hebrew question words with transliteration and examples:

EnglishHebrewTransliterationExampleTranslation
Whatืžึทื” / ืžึธื”maืžื” ื–ื”?What is this?
Whoืžึดื™miืžื™ ืืชื”?Who are you?
Whereืึตื™ืคึนื”eifoืื™ืคื” ื”ืชื—ื ื”?Where is the station?
Whenืžึธืชึทื™mataiืžืชื™ ื”ืจื›ื‘ืช?When is the train?
Whyืœึธืžึธึผื” / ืžึทื“ึผื•ึผืขึทlama / maduaืœืžื” ืืชื” ืขืฆื•ื‘?Why are you sad?
Howืึตื™ืšึฐeichืื™ืš ืžื’ื™ืขื™ื ืœืฉื?How do you get there?
How much/manyื›ึทึผืžึธึผื”kamaื›ืžื” ื–ื” ืขื•ืœื”?How much does it cost?
Whichืึตื™ื–ึถื” (m) / ืึตื™ื–ื•ึน (f)eize / eizoืื™ื–ื” ืื•ื˜ื•ื‘ื•ืก?Which bus?
From whereืžึตืึทื™ึดืŸ / ืžึตืึตื™ืคึนื”me'ain / me'eifoืžืื™ืคื” ืืชื”?Where are you from?
To whereืœึฐืึธืŸle'anืœืืŸ ืืชื” ื”ื•ืœืš?Where are you going?

Notice that Hebrew distinguishes between where (static location โ€” ืื™ืคื”), from where (ืžืื™ืคื”), and to where (ืœืืŸ). This is more precise than English, and once you get used to it, it actually makes a lot of sense.

Word Order in Hebrew Questions

Here's where Hebrew gets refreshingly simple: question words almost always come first.

Unlike English (where you sometimes flip the subject and verb: "Are you ready?"), Hebrew questions usually keep the same word order as statements โ€” you just slap the question word at the front.

Statement: ื”ื•ื ื’ืจ ื‘ืชืœ-ืื‘ื™ื‘ โ€” He lives in Tel Aviv.
Question: ืื™ืคื” ื”ื•ื ื’ืจ? โ€” Where does he live?

Statement: ื”ืื•ื˜ื•ื‘ื•ืก ืžื’ื™ืข ื‘ืฉืขื” ืฉืœื•ืฉ โ€” The bus arrives at three.
Question: ืžืชื™ ื”ืื•ื˜ื•ื‘ื•ืก ืžื’ื™ืข? โ€” When does the bus arrive?

Simple, right? The question word is like a spotlight at the beginning of the sentence โ€” it tells the listener immediately what information you're looking for.

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: In spoken Hebrew, rising intonation alone can turn any statement into a question. "ืืชื” ืžื“ื‘ืจ ืื ื’ืœื™ืช?" (ata medaber anglit?) can mean "Do you speak English?" just from the rising tone โ€” no special structure needed.

Yes/No Questions in Hebrew

For yes/no questions, you have two options:

1. ื”ึทืึดื (ha-im) โ€” The Formal Way

ื”ึทืึดื (ha-im) is a formal question particle that you'll see in written Hebrew, news broadcasts, and official contexts. It turns any statement into a yes/no question:

  • ื”ึทืึดื ืึทืชึธึผื” ืžึฐื“ึทื‘ึตึผืจ ืขึดื‘ึฐืจึดื™ืช? โ€” Do you speak Hebrew?
  • ื”ึทืึดื ื™ึตืฉื ืžึธืงื•ึนื ืคึธึผื ื•ึผื™? โ€” Is there a free seat?

2. Rising Intonation โ€” The Everyday Way

In daily conversation, most Israelis simply use rising intonation at the end of a statement:

  • ืึทืชึธึผื” ืžึฐื“ึทื‘ึตึผืจ ืึทื ึฐื’ึฐึผืœึดื™ืช? โ€” You speak English? (Do you speak English?)
  • ื™ึตืฉื ืœึฐืšึธ ื–ึฐืžึทืŸ? โ€” You have time? (Do you have time?)

Honestly, in real life, you'll rarely hear ha-im unless someone is being very formal or writing something official. Stick with rising intonation and you'll sound natural immediately.

Deep Dive: Each Question Word

ืžึทื” (ma) โ€” What

The most common question word in Hebrew, by far. ืžื” is used to ask about things, actions, and general "what" situations.

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืžื” ื–ื”?ma ze?What is this/that?
ืžื” ืฉืžืš?ma shimcha? (m) / ma shmech? (f)What is your name?
ืžื” ืงื•ืจื”?ma kore?What's happening? / What's going on?
ืžื” ื ืฉืžืข?ma nishma?What's up? (literally: what's heard?)
ืžื” ืืชื” ืขื•ืฉื”?ma ata ose?What are you doing?
ืžื” ื”ื‘ืขื™ื”?ma habeaya?What's the problem?

๐Ÿ’ก Cultural tip: ืžื” ื ืฉืžืข? (ma nishma?) is one of the most common Hebrew greetings. Israelis use it the same way English speakers say "what's up?" โ€” not as a serious question about life, but as a casual hello. The standard reply is ืกื‘ื‘ื” (sababa โ€” cool/great) or ื‘ืกื“ืจ (beseder โ€” okay/fine).

ืžึดื™ (mi) โ€” Who

ืžื™ is short, simple, and always refers to people.

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืžื™ ืืชื”?mi ata?Who are you?
ืžื™ ื–ื”?mi ze?Who is this/that?
ืขื ืžื™?im mi?With whom?
ืขืœ ืžื™?al mi?About whom?
ืžื™ ื™ื•ื“ืข?mi yodea?Who knows?

The last one โ€” ืžื™ ื™ื•ื“ืข? โ€” is a classic Israeli expression meaning roughly "who knows?" or "beats me." You'll hear it constantly, often with a shrug.

ืึตื™ืคึนื” (eifo) โ€” Where

Your most-needed tourist phrase. Master this one first.

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืื™ืคื” ื”ืฉื™ืจื•ืชื™ื?eifo hasherutim?Where is the bathroom?
ืื™ืคื” ื”ืชื—ื ื”?eifo hatahana?Where is the station/stop?
ืื™ืคื” ื”ืื•ื›ืœ?eifo ha'ochel?Where is the food?
ืื™ืคื” ื”ื‘ื ืง?eifo habank?Where is the bank?
ืื™ืคื” ืืชื” ื’ืจ?eifo ata gar?Where do you live?

ืžึธืชึทื™ (matai) โ€” When

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืžืชื™ ื–ื” ืžืชื—ื™ืœ?matai ze matchil?When does this start?
ืžืชื™ ืืชื” ื‘ื?matai ata ba?When are you coming?
ืžืชื™ ื”ืกืจื˜?matai haseret?When is the movie?
ืžืชื™ ื”ืฉื•ืง ืคืชื•ื—?matai hashuk patuach?When is the market open?

ืœึธืžึธึผื” / ืžึทื“ึผื•ึผืขึท (lama / madua) โ€” Why

Both words mean "why," but they have different registers:

  • ืœืžื” (lama) โ€” casual, everyday conversation
  • ืžื“ื•ืข (madua) โ€” formal, written, or when you want to sound serious

In daily speech, you'll almost exclusively hear ืœืžื”.

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืœืžื” ืœื?lama lo?Why not?
ืœืžื” ืืชื” ืฆื•ื—ืง?lama ata tzochek?Why are you laughing?
ืœืžื” ืืชื” ืžืื—ืจ?lama ata me'acher?Why are you late?
ืœืžื” ื–ื” ืงื•ืจื”?lama ze kore?Why is this happening?

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: ืœืžื” ืœื? (lama lo?) โ€” "Why not?" โ€” is practically the Israeli national motto. When someone suggests something slightly crazy (a beach trip at midnight, a road trip to Eilat), the expected Israeli response is an enthusiastic "ืœืžื” ืœื?!"

ืึตื™ืšึฐ (eich) โ€” How

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืื™ืš ืืชื”?eich ata?How are you?
ืื™ืš ืžื’ื™ืขื™ื ืœ...?eich magi'im le...?How do you get to...?
ืื™ืš ืื•ืžืจื™ื...?eich omrim...?How do you say...?
ืื™ืš ื–ื” ืขื•ื‘ื“?eich ze oved?How does this work?
ืื™ืš ืงื•ืจืื™ื ืœืš?eich kor'im lecha?What is your name? (lit: how do they call you?)

That last one is particularly useful โ€” ืื™ืš ืงื•ืจืื™ื ืœืš? is actually the most natural way to ask someone's name in Hebrew (rather than ืžื” ืฉืžืš?, though both work).

ื›ึทึผืžึธึผื” (kama) โ€” How Much / How Many

The word you'll use in every market, taxi, and shop.

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ื›ืžื” ื–ื” ืขื•ืœื”?kama ze oleh?How much does it cost?
ื›ืžื” ื–ืžืŸ?kama zman?How long? (how much time?)
ื›ืžื” ืื ืฉื™ื?kama anashim?How many people?
ื›ืžื” ื–ื”?kama ze?How much is this?
ื›ืžื” ืงื™ืœื•ืžื˜ืจื™ื?kama kilometrim?How many kilometers?

ืึตื™ื–ึถื” / ืึตื™ื–ื•ึน (eize / eizo) โ€” Which

Hebrew adjectives agree with the noun they modify in gender. ืึตื™ื–ึถื” (eize) is used with masculine nouns, ืึตื™ื–ื•ึน (eizo) with feminine.

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืื™ื–ื” ืฆื‘ืข?eize tzeva?Which color?
ืื™ื–ื” ืื•ื˜ื•ื‘ื•ืก?eize otobus?Which bus?
ืื™ื–ื• ืฉืคื”?eizo safa?Which language?
ืื™ื–ื” ื™ื•ื?eize yom?Which day?

๐Ÿ’ก Tip: Don't stress too much about eize vs eizo in conversation. Israelis will understand you either way, and even native speakers sometimes mix them up in casual speech.

ืžึตืึทื™ึดืŸ / ืžึตืึตื™ืคึนื” (me'ain / me'eifo) โ€” From Where

Both forms are correct. ืžืื™ืคื” is more colloquial and widely used.

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืžืื™ืคื” ืืชื”?me'eifo ata?Where are you from?
ืžืื™ืคื” ื”ืจื›ื‘ืช ื‘ืื”?me'eifo harakevet ba'a?Where does the train come from?
ืžืื™ืคื” ืืชื” ืžื›ื™ืจ ืื•ืชื•?me'eifo ata makir oto?How do you know him? (from where?)

ืœึฐืึธืŸ (le'an) โ€” To Where / Where (going)

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืœืืŸ ืืชื” ื”ื•ืœืš?le'an ata holech?Where are you going?
ืœืืŸ ื”ื‘ืืก ื ื•ืกืข?le'an ha'otobus nose'a?Where is the bus going?
ืœืืŸ ืื ื—ื ื•?le'an anachnu?Where are we going? (casual)

Questions with Prepositions

In Hebrew, prepositions attach to question words to create more specific questions. This is very common in spoken Hebrew:

HebrewTransliterationEnglish
ืขื ืžื™?im mi?With whom?
ืขืœ ืžื”?al ma?About what?
ื‘ืฉื‘ื™ืœ ืžื™?bishvil mi?For whom?
ืžืชื™ ืขื“?matai ad?Until when?
ืžืื™ืคื” ืœ...?me'eifo le...?From where to...?
ื‘ื›ืžื”?bechama?For how much? (price)

20 Essential Questions for Every Situation

Print these out, save them in your phone โ€” these are the questions that will carry you through Israel:

SituationHebrewTransliterationEnglish
Meeting someoneืžื” ืฉืžืš?ma shimcha?What's your name?
Getting aroundืื™ืคื” ื”ืชื—ื ื”?eifo hatahana?Where's the station?
Transportืื™ื–ื” ืงื•?eize kav?Which line?
Shoppingื›ืžื” ื–ื” ืขื•ืœื”?kama ze oleh?How much is this?
Directionsืื™ืš ืžื’ื™ืขื™ื ืœ...?eich magi'im le...?How do you get to...?
Timeื›ืžื” ื”ืฉืขื”?kama hash'a?What time is it?
Languageืื™ืš ืื•ืžืจื™ื...?eich omrim...?How do you say...?
Understandingืžื” ื–ื” ืื•ืžืจ?ma ze omer?What does this mean?
Ordering foodืžื” ืžื•ืžืœืฅ?ma mumlatz?What's recommended?
Helpืืคืฉืจ ืœืขื–ื•ืจ?efshar la'azor?Can you help?
Confirmationื”ืื ื–ื” ื ื›ื•ืŸ?ha-im ze nachon?Is this correct?
Repetitionืชื•ื›ืœ ืœื—ื–ื•ืจ?tuchรกl lachazor?Can you repeat that?
Slowing downืชื•ื›ืœ ืœื“ื‘ืจ ืœืื˜?tuchรกl ledaber le'at?Can you speak slowly?
Englishืืชื” ืžื“ื‘ืจ ืื ื’ืœื™ืช?ata medaber anglit?Do you speak English?
Bathroomืื™ืคื” ื”ืฉื™ืจื•ืชื™ื?eifo hasherutim?Where's the bathroom?
Open/Closedืžืชื™ ืคืชื•ื—?matai patuach?When is it open?
Priceื™ืฉ ื”ื ื—ื”?yesh hanacha?Is there a discount?
Availabilityื™ืฉ ืžืงื•ื?yesh makom?Is there space/availability?
Recommendationืžื” ืžื•ืžืœืฅ ืœืจืื•ืช?ma mumlatz lirot?What's worth seeing?
Greetingืžื” ื ืฉืžืข?ma nishma?What's up?

Mini Dialogues Using Question Words

At the Market

You: ื›ืžื” ืขื•ืœื” ื”ื“ื’? (kama oleh hadag?)
How much is the fish?

Seller: ืฉืœื•ืฉื™ื ืฉืงืœ. (shloshim shekel)
Thirty shekels.

You: ื™ืงืจ ืžื“ื™! ืืคืฉืจ ืขืฉืจื™ื? (yakar midai! efshar esrim?)
Too expensive! Is twenty possible?

Seller: ื‘ืกื“ืจ. (beseder)
Okay.

Asking for Directions

You: ืกืœื™ื—ื”, ืื™ืคื” ื”ืจื›ื‘ืช? (slicha, eifo harakevet?)
Excuse me, where's the train?

Local: ืื™ื–ื• ืจื›ื‘ืช? ืœืืŸ ืืชื” ื”ื•ืœืš? (eizo rakevet? le'an ata holech?)
Which train? Where are you going?

You: ืœืชืœ-ืื‘ื™ื‘. (leTel-Aviv)
To Tel Aviv.

Local: ืชืคื ื” ื™ืžื™ื ื” ื•ืื– ื™ืฉืจ. (tifne yamina ve'az yashar)
Turn right and then straight.

Making Friends

Local: ืžืื™ืคื” ืืชื”? (me'eifo ata?)
Where are you from?

You: ืžืื ื’ืœื™ื”. ื•ืืชื”? (me'Anglia. ve'ata?)
From England. And you?

Local: ืžืชืœ-ืื‘ื™ื‘. ื›ืžื” ื–ืžืŸ ืืชื” ื›ืืŸ? (mi Tel-Aviv. kama zman ata kan?)
From Tel Aviv. How long are you here?

You: ืฉื‘ื•ืข. (shavua)
A week.

Local: ืžื” ืืชื” ืขื•ืฉื” ื”ืขืจื‘? (ma ata ose ha'erev?)
What are you doing tonight?

Colloquial Shortcuts

Real-spoken Hebrew has some shortcuts worth knowing:

  • ืืชื” ื™ื•ื“ืข ืžื”? (ata yodea ma?) โ€” "You know what?" โ€” used to introduce a point
  • ื•ืื– ืžื”? (ve'az ma?) โ€” "So what?" โ€” can be dismissive or genuinely curious depending on tone
  • ื‘ืฉื‘ื™ืœ ืžื”? (bishvil ma?) โ€” "What for?" โ€” a casual why
  • ื•ืžื” ืขื...? (uma im...?) โ€” "And what about...?" โ€” useful for bringing up related topics

Cultural Note: Israelis Use Questions as Greetings

One of the most endearing things about Israeli culture is how questions double as greetings and expressions of care.

  • ืžื” ื ืฉืžืข? (ma nishma?) โ€” literally "what's heard?" โ€” means "what's up?" It's said constantly, sometimes three times in one conversation.
  • ื”ื›ืœ ื‘ืกื“ืจ? (hakol beseder?) โ€” "Everything okay?" โ€” a common check-in
  • ืžื” ืื™ืชืš? (ma itcha?) โ€” "What's with you?" โ€” means "how are you doing?"

Don't be alarmed if an Israeli stranger at the bus stop asks ืžื” ื ืฉืžืข? โ€” they're not being nosy, they're just being Israeli. The expected response is a casual ื‘ืกื“ืจ or ืกื‘ื‘ื” (both mean "fine/good/cool").

Practice Tips

  1. Start with just five: Memorize ืžื”, ืžื™, ืื™ืคื”, ืžืชื™, and ื›ืžื” first. These five cover the vast majority of situations.

  2. Use the formula: [question word] + [noun/verb] = instant question. Eifo + hashuk = "Where is the market?" It really is that simple.

  3. Make it personal: Create 5 questions about your own life. Eifo ata gar? (Where do you live?) Kama shanim yesh lecha? (How old are you?)

  4. Listen for them: When watching Israeli TV or YouTube, try to catch the question words. They stick out clearly.

What's Next

#hebrewgrammar #questionwords #learnhebrew #hebrewphrases #israeliheritage

#hebrew question words#questions in hebrew#how to ask questions hebrew#ืžื” ืžื™ ืื™ืคื” ืžืชื™#hebrew grammar questions

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Hebrew Articles Explained: When to Use ื” and ืืช

Complete guide to Hebrew articles: when to use ื” (the definite article) and ืืช (accusative marker). Rules, examples, and common mistakes explained.

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Hebrew Construct State (Smichut): "Teacher's House" Without Saying "His"

Master Hebrew smichut (construct state): how it's formed, why it exists, chained constructs, examples like ื‘ื™ืช ื”ืกืคืจ, and the difference from ืฉืœ.

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Hebrew Question Words: Who, What, Where, When, Why & How (Full Guide)