Hebrew word of the day · Core vocabulary
אֶתet
(marks the direct object)
One tiny word decides if you sound like a tourist or a neighbour: אֶת
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אֶת זֶה
ani ohev et ze
I love this
How Israelis use et
אֶת
(et, marks the direct object). You don't translate it into English. You place it.
✗The beginner sentence
אֲנִי אוֹהֵב זֶה (ani ohev ze) An Israeli hears a sentence missing a piece.
✓The real sentence
אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אֶת זֶה (ani ohev et ze, I love this)
When it shows up
Only before something specific: the thing, this, a name. Anything general gets nothing.
No et here
אֲנִי רוֹצֶה קָפֶה (ani rotse kafe, I want coffee) Any coffee, so no et.
Street version
אֶת הַבַּיִת (et habayit, the house) Out loud it comes out glued: tabayit. Same with takesef, takafe.
Say it tonight
Point at your plate and say ani ohev et ze. Which sentence gets your first אֶת?
The mistake English speakers make
Israelis never say "I met Dani" without one tiny word before Dani.
אֶת
(et) No English translation. It sits in front of a specific thing and points at it.
✗The sentence with a hole
פָּגַשְׁתִּי דָּנִי (pagashti Dani) An Israeli hears a sentence that stopped halfway.
✓The sentence that lands
פָּגַשְׁתִּי אֶת דָּנִי (pagashti et Dani, I met Dani)
Why
When the thing you acted on is specific, a name or a word with the, Hebrew puts one word in front of it.
The other half of the rule
קָנִיתִי לֶחֶם (kaniti lekhem, I bought bread) Any bread, nothing specific, so it stays bare.
Say it tonight
Looking for your keys out loud: אֲנִי מְחַפֵּשׂ אֶת הַמַּפְתְּחוֹת (ani mekhapes et hamaftekhot, I'm looking for the keys)
Your turn
One sentence with a name, one with a general word. Which one still comes out wrong in your mouth?
Three sentences you'll hear today
One tiny word before 'the', and אותי when it's you.
אֶפְשָׁר אֶת הַחֶשְׁבּוֹן, בְּבַקָּשָׁה?
efshar et hakheshbon, bevakasha?
Can we get the bill, please?
at a cafe, before leaving
שָׁמַעְתִּי אֶת הַהוֹדָעָה שֶׁלְּךָ.
shamati et hahodaa shelkha.
I heard your message.
on the phone, calling back
תּוֹרִיד אוֹתִי אַחֲרֵי הָרַמְזוֹר.
torid oti akharei haramzor.
Drop me off after the light.
in a taxi, almost home
Quick check: which one is right?
I love this song
- Aאֲנִי אוֹהֵב אֶת הַשִּׁיר הַזֶּה (ani ohev et hashir haze)
- Bאֲנִי אוֹהֵב הַשִּׁיר הַזֶּה (ani ohev hashir haze)
The answer: A
אֲנִי אוֹהֵב אֶת הַשִּׁיר הַזֶּה
A definite object needs אֶת (et). Here the object is הַשִּׁיר הַזֶּה (hashir haze).
Today's Hebrew challenges
Hebrew challenge #11
בָּא לִי קָפֶה
ba li kafe
What does it mean?
- AA. Coffee is coming to me
- BB. I turned into coffee
- CC. I want coffee, I'm craving a coffee
The answer
Cבָּא לִי (ba li) is how Israelis say I want something, I have a craving for it.
Hebrew challenge #12
אֲנִי גָּר ___ חֵיפָה
ani gar ___ Haifa
Which word is missing?
- Aלְ (le)
- Bבְּ (be)
- Cעַל (al)
The answer
BLiving somewhere takes בְּ (be, in). לְ is movement toward. עַל means on top of it.
Published 23 September 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.