LESSON VII

• Nouns - Hebrew nouns are divided into three classes

• Primitive nouns are those for which no known derivation exists (e.g. - bf) )

• The vast majority of Hebrew nouns are derived from verbs.

• A few Hebrew nouns are derived from other nouns.

 

• Gender

• Nouns referring to female persons or animals will be feminine.

• Noun ending in hf  will normally be feminine in gender.

• A few nouns are made feminine by the addition of hf  to the masculine form of the noun.

• Nouns ending in t will ordinarily be feminine.

• Nouns that refer to parts of the body that exist in pairs are usually feminine.
  

• Number

• Masculine Plural Endings

• Most masculine nouns have plurals that end in {yi

• A few masculine nouns have plurals that end in tO which is the ending normally used for feminine plurals.

 

• Feminine Plural Endings

• Most feminine nouns have plurals that end in tO

• A few feminine nouns have plurals that end {yi in which is the ending normally used for the masculine plurals.

 

• Dual Nouns

• The dual ending is normally written as {iya

• For reasons that are no longer clear, some nouns appear to have a dual ending but without any dual meaning.

VOCABULARY