סבא
sába/ˈsaba/masculine
The Hebrew word for "grandpa" is סבא (sába).
סבא is a masculine noun used to refer to a grandfather.
Meaning: grandfather (informal) (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the word is סבתא, which means grandma.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is sába (/ˈsaba/).
Did you know?
- If you are looking for a more formal or respectful way to address an elderly man who is not your relative, you would rarely use סבא, opting instead for אדוני (my lord/sir).
- The word סבא is used in the popular Hebrew slang expression סבא של כולם, meaning someone who is the 'grandfather of everyone' or a venerable figure.
- Hebrew lacks a single word for 'great-grandfather' and instead combines סבא with the word for 'great' to create סבא רבא.
Examples in context
- איפה גר סבא שלך?Where does your grandpa live?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of your סבא.Tatoeba #1090285 by Eldad, translation #394891 by Dorenda
- יום הולדת שמח, סבא.Happy birthday, Grandpa.This sentence is useful for wishing your סבא a happy birthday.Tatoeba #3047640 by fekundulo, translation #2650908 by meerkat
- סבא הביא את זה בשבילי.Grandpa bought it for me!This sentence is useful for saying that your סבא bought something for you.Tatoeba #1840076 by MrShoval, translation #73932 by CK
- סָבָא, איך אתה היום?Grandpa, how are you today?
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A girl is showing her father a photo of her grandfather.
- עגור Adiתראה, זה סבא שלי בצעירותו.Tireh, ze saba sheli b'tseirutav.Look, this is my grandpa in his youth.
- איתי Itayהוא נראה צעיר מאוד שם.Hu nir'eh tza'ir me'od sham.He looks very young there.
- עגור Adiכן, סבא תמיד מספר סיפורים על התקופה הזאת.Ken, saba tamid mesaper sipurim al hatkufa hazot.Yes, grandpa always tells stories about that era.
- איתי Itayזה נשמע מרתק.Ze nishma mertak.That sounds fascinating.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandpa” translations and entries סבא, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
