Hebrew word of the day · Core vocabulary
שֶׁלshel
of / belonging to
Hebrew says it backwards: the book of Danny, never Danny's book.
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי
hasefer shel dani
Danny's book
How Israelis use shel
שֶׁל (shel)
of / belonging to. Two letters, and they hold up half of spoken Hebrew.
The sentence
הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי (hasefer shel dani, Danny's book). Thing first, then of, then owner.
The mistake
English starts with the owner, so people open with the name and stall. Start with the thing: הַסֵּפֶר (hasefer, the book).
Glue it to a person
שֶׁלִּי (sheli, mine), שֶׁלְּךָ (shelkha, yours to a man), שֶׁלָּךְ (shelakh, yours to a woman).
Register note
סִפְרוֹ שֶׁל דָּנִי (sifro shel dani) is news and book jackets. In a kitchen, nobody says it.
Use it this week
שֶׁל מִי זֶה? (shel mi ze, whose is this?) Works for a jacket, a bag, a coffee cup.
Your turn
Which did you learn first, שֶׁלִּי or שֶׁלְּךָ? Tell me in the comments.
The mistake English speakers make
"Danny's book" in Hebrew needs one extra letter, and almost nobody adds it.
✗The wrong version
סֵפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי (sefer shel dani). An Israeli hears "a book of Danny's".
✓The right version
הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי (hasefer shel dani, Danny's book).
Why
Hebrew says "the book of Danny". First the thing, with its הַ (ha, the). Then the owner, after שֶׁל (shel, of).
Say it tonight
הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁלִּי (hatelefon sheli, my phone). Which one did you say first?
Three sentences you'll hear today
One tiny word that makes anything yours, hers, or his
זֶה שֶׁלִּי אוֹ שֶׁלָּךְ?
ze sheli o shelach?
Is this mine or yours?
cafe, two identical cups
זֶה הַטֶּלֶפוֹן שֶׁל דָּנָה?
ze ha-telefon shel Dana?
Is this Dana's phone?
phone call, wrong number
הַתִּיק שֶׁלִּי בְּתָא הַמִּטְעָן.
ha-tik sheli be-ta ha-mit'an.
My bag is in the trunk.
taxi, before you pay
Quick check: which one is right?
You want to say: Dani's book
- Aהַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי (ha-sefer shel Dani)
- Bדָּנִי שֶׁל הַסֵּפֶר (Dani shel ha-sefer)
- Answer: Aהַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי (ha-sefer shel Dani). In Hebrew the thing owned comes first, then שֶׁל (shel, of), then the owner.
The answer: A
הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנִי ha-sefer shel Dani
Hebrew flips the English order: first the thing, then the owner, with one small word between them: שֶׁל (shel, of).
Published 16 September 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.