Hebrew word of the day · Core vocabulary
לֹאlo
no / not
In Hebrew the little no stands right before the verb: לֹא
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ
ani lo yode'a
I don't know
How Israelis use lo
לֹא
(lo, no / not) One short syllable. Not loh, not lowww.
✗The usual mistake
אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ לֹא (ani yode'a lo) An Israeli hears a sentence that was cut and pasted wrong.
✓Say it like this
אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ (ani lo yode'a, I don't know)
Why it's easy
The word for not always stands right in front of the verb. Same spot, every sentence, no exceptions to memorise.
Say it tonight
Someone asks when the bus comes. אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ (ani lo yode'a, I don't know)
The part an app skips
At the end of a sentence it becomes right? בָּא לְךָ קָפֶה, לֹא? (ba lekha kafe, lo? you want coffee, right?)
Your turn
Which one will you use first today, the one before the verb or the one at the end?
The mistake English speakers make
לֹא comes before the verb, always. English speakers put it after.
אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ
(ani lo yode'a, I don't know) The negation word stands right before the verb.
✗the usual mistake
אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ לֹא (ani yode'a lo) An Israeli hears a sentence that stopped halfway.
✓say it like this
אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ (ani lo yode'a, I don't know) One small word, one step to the left.
why
Hebrew has no helper word like do. The little word before the verb does the whole job alone.
same shape, more verbs
אֲנִי לֹא רוֹצֶה (ani lo rotse, I don't want) Swap the verb, keep the order.
say it tonight
Someone talks too fast at dinner, and you answer: אֲנִי לֹא מֵבִין (ani lo mevin, I don't understand)
your turn
Which sentence came out backwards for you first? Write it in the comments the wrong way and the right way.
Today's Hebrew challenge
Hebrew challenge #31
יִהְיֶה בְּסֵדֶר
yihye beseder
What does it mean?
- AEverything is in order
- BIt'll be fine
- CPlease stand in line
The answer
BIt's the national answer to any problem: don't worry, it'll work out, יִהְיֶה בְּסֵדֶר.
Published 19 October 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.