בוא
bo
The Hebrew word for 'come' is בוא (bo).
The verb describes the action of arriving or appearing.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperative forms change based on who you are addressing: use בוא (bo) for a masculine singular subject, בואי (bo'i) for a feminine singular subject and בואו (bo'u) for a plural subject. The present tense masculine singular form is בא (ba).
How do you pronounce it?
bo
Did you know?
- In biblical Hebrew, the word בוא can be used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse, a linguistic pattern found in many ancient languages to avoid explicit terms.
- In modern Israeli Hebrew, בוא (bo) is often used as a filler word or a way to say 'look' or 'listen' when starting a sentence to get someone's attention, even if no one is actually moving.
- In Hebrew, you can use בוא to mean 'come on' in an argumentative sense, such as בוא, לא הגיוני (bo, lo hegioni), meaning 'come on, that's not logical'.
Examples in context
- בואו גם אתם מחר!You come tomorrow as well!This example shows how to use the plural imperative בואו to invite others.Tatoeba #1929432 by fekundulo, translation #9344973 by Alkrasnov
- בוא, אם אתה יכול.Come if you can.This example demonstrates the masculine singular imperative בוא in a conditional phrase.Tatoeba #1407930 by MrShoval, translation #450074 by CK
- בוא, אם זה אפשרי.Come if possible.Tatoeba #1407932 by MrShoval, translation #30573 by CM
- Bo'i kan (בואי כאן)Come here.
- 266 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ido is inviting Maya to join him at a cafe.
- עידו Idoבוא לכאן רגע, מאיה.Bo lekan rega, Maya.Come here for a moment, Maya.
- מאיה Mayaאני כבר בדרך אליך.Ani kvar baderech elecha.I am already on my way to you.
- עידו Idoבוא מהר, הקפה קר.Bo maher, hakaffe kar.Come quickly, the coffee is cold.
- מאיה Mayaאני מגיעה עכשיו!Ani megi'a achshav!I'm arriving now!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
