The Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

There are two classifications of Personal Pronouns, the subject pronoun and the object pronoun.

The subject personal Pronouns

The subject personal pronouns are distinct words and are called Separate Forms.

The subject personal Pronouns

The object pronouns are of two types.
The first type is attached to a noun. It indicates a genitive relation. The form of these pronouns and their meanings will be studied in later lessons.
The other type is attached to a verb. It indicates an accusative association. This kind may be attached to the particle אֵת and the inseparable prepositions. This will be studied in later lessons.

Separate Forms

Singular Plural
אֲנִי I נַ֣חְנוּ We
אָֽנֹכִי אֲנַ֣חְנוּ
אַתּה You (m) אַתֶּם You all (m)
אֵתְּ You (f) אַתֵּ֣נָה You all (f)
הוּא He הֵ֣מָּה They (m)
הֵם
הִיא She הֵ֣נָּה They (f)
הֵן
The separate forms are rarely used apart from the participles. The verb form contains the pronominal subject (מָשַׁל he rules); therefore, the separate form is used for stress. The writer uses the subject pronoun as a casus pendens (more emphatic) to express the subject-nominative more emphatically. הוּא מָשַׁל “He, on his part, he rules.”

The Demonstratives

Singular Plural
This masculine זֶה These common אֵ֣לֶּה
feminine זאֹת
That masculine הוּא Those masculine הֵם, הֵ֣מָּה
feminine הִיא feminine הֵן, הֵ֣נָּה
These pronouns conform to the same rules as the adjective with regard to the article. They may take the article when qualifying, but never when predicative.
זֶה אִישׁ טוֹב this (is) a good man
זֶה הָאִישׁ הַטּוֹב this (is) the good man
הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה this man

The Relative

אֲשֶׁר “who, which, what, that” is the one relative pronoun. It is invariable for all genders, numbers, and cases. שֶׁ and שֵׁ are occasionally found for אֲשֶׁר.

The Interrogatives

מִי “who”, refers to persons, מִי אַתּה who are you?
מָה “what” refers to things, מָה־הִיא what is it?

The pointing of מָה varies according to the consonant which follows it.
מַה plus daghesh forte
מַה before ח and ה
מָה before א, ע, and ר
מֶה before gutturals with ”a”
מַה־לָּךְ what to you?
מַה־הִיא what (is) that?
מָה־אֵ֣לֶּה what (are) these?
מֶה־עָשִׂ֣יתִי what (have) I done?
אִי “where” plus the demonstrative אִי־זֶה may be used as an interrogative, אִי־זֶה הַדֶּ֣רֶךְ “which way?”.
The pronoun מִי stands alone, while מָה is always joined to the following word by a makkeph.