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Introduction
Since Hebrew does not have a word to express the idea of "have" (or "don't have"), the idea of possession (or the lack of it) can be expressed by the formula:
- There is to me x (for "I have x")
- There is not to me x (for "I don't have x")
- There is to you x (for "you have x")
- There is not to you x (for "you don't have x")
- and so on
Grammatically, the particles yesh (there is) and ein (there is not) are combined with the Lamed prefix to form these sorts of constructions.
The use of Yesh - There is
The word yesh means "there is," or "there are."
Note that the word yesh functions as a "particle" in Hebrew, and means "there is/are" without regard to gender and number of the other words in the sentence or clause. In other words, when you see yesh you will simply substitute "there is/are."
To indicate possession (in the present tense), yesh is combined with the inseparable preposition Lamed:
In the Scriptures:
Discipline your son, for there is hope (Proverbs 19:18).
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12, KJV).
The use of Ein - There is not
The word ein means "there is not," or "there are not."
Note that the word ein functions as a "particle" in Hebrew, and means "there is/are not," without regard to gender and number of the other words in the sentence or clause. In other words, when you see ein you will simply substitute "there is/are not."
In the Scriptures:
There is none who does good (Psalm 14:3).
Possession in the past and future
Possession in the past can be expressed by the verb hayah combined with the inseparable preposition Lamed:
Possession in the future can likewise be expressed by forms of the verb "to be" with the inseparable preposition Lamed:
Note: The verb "to be" will be covered later in the section on verbs. For now, be familiar with its use in these simple Hebrew constructions.
Section Exercises
- Memorize the section vocabulary (top of the page).
- Understand the basic rules for using yesh and ein.
- Understand the various ways to show possession in Hebrew (construct relation, pronomial suffixes on nouns and pronouns, using yesh and ein, and using forms of the verb "to be").
- Using vocabulary you already know, construct simple sentences (in the present tense) using yesh and ein.
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