Hebrew word of the day · Core vocabulary
לְ־le
to
Hebrew refuses to say "to the". The two words melt into one sound.
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לְבֵית סֵפֶר
ani holekh l'veit sefer
I'm going to school
How Israelis use le
אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לְבֵית סֵפֶר
(ani holekh le beit sefer, I'm going to school). לְ־ (le, to) never stands alone.
✗the beginner sentence
אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לְהַיָּם (ani holekh lehayam) An Israeli hears a word that doesn't exist.
✓what Israelis say
אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לַיָּם (ani holekh layam, I'm going to the sea)
Why
"To" and "the" can't sit next to each other here. They melt into one sound: la.
Say it tonight
Leaving the house tomorrow morning: אֲנִי נוֹסֵעַ לַעֲבוֹדָה (ani nosea laavoda, I'm going to work)
One word breaks the rule
"Home" has its own form: אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ הַבַּיְתָה (ani holekh habayta, I'm going home)
Your turn
Where are you going today? Free starter course in the caption. Write it in the comments with לַ־
The mistake English speakers make
Hebrew has no word for "to". It has one letter, and it sticks.
לְ
(le, to) It never stands alone. It leans on the word right after it.
✗the pause
אֲנִי נוֹסֵעַ לְ הַיָּם (ani nosea le hayam) Two beats. An Israeli hears a textbook being read out loud.
✓one breath
אֲנִי נוֹסֵעַ לַיָּם (ani nosea layam, I'm driving to the sea) This is what you hear on the phone.
Why
The letter le and the word for "the" melt into one sound, la. Nothing is dropped, it just fuses.
No "the", no melting
It stays le: אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לְבֵית סֵפֶר (ani holekh leveit sefer, I'm going to school)
Say it tonight
Leaving the house? Say: אֲנִי הוֹלֵךְ לַסּוּפֶּר (ani holekh lasuper, I'm going to the supermarket)
Your turn
Which place are you putting after la first, the sea, the market or work? Tell me in the comments.
Published 28 September 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.