יש
yésh/jeʃ/
To have in Hebrew is יש (yésh).
Meaning: to possess (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word יש literally means "there is" or "there are".
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "I have", you use the construction יש לי (yésh li). To say "you have", you use יש לך (yésh lekh'a) for a male or יש לך (yésh lakh) for a female.
How do you pronounce it?
yésh
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget that יש functions as "there is/are" and requires a prepositional pronoun (like "me", "you" or "him") to indicate possession.
Did you know?
- While English uses the verb 'have' for obligations like 'I have to go', Hebrew uses צריך (tsarikh), which means 'it is necessary'.
- Because יש literally means 'there is', the phrase יש לי (yésh li) translates to 'there is to me'. This mirrors how possession is expressed in Arabic and other Semitic languages.
- The word יש is closely related to the Aramaic word אִית, which shares a common Semitic root used to denote existence.
Examples in context
- מה יש לך שם?What do you have there?This sentence is useful for asking what someone has in a specific location.Tatoeba #4670553 by fekundulo, translation #2645657 by CK
- יש לי כאב גב.I have a backache.This sentence shows how to use the phrase to describe a physical sensation.Tatoeba #1091564 by Eldad, translation #436619 by lukaszpp
- יש לי כסף רב.I have plenty of money.This sentence demonstrates expressing possession of an object or resource.Tatoeba #1435138 by MrShoval, translation #2360212 by CK
- יֵשׁ לִי חֲבֵרִים טוֹבִים.I have good friends.
- יֵשׁ לִי סֵפֶרI have a book
- לִי כֶּלֶבI have a dog
- 2053 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rotem and Ido are talking about a lost umbrella.
- רוטם Rotemעידו, יש לך מטריה?Ido, yesh lecha mitriya?Ido, do you have an umbrella?
- עידו Idoלא, אין לי מטריה.Lo, ein li mitriya.No, I don't have an umbrella.
- רוטם Rotemחבל, יש לי רק אחת.Haval, yesh li rak achat.Too bad, I only have one.
- עידו Idoאולי יש אחת במכונית.Ulai yesh achat bamechonit.Maybe there is one in the car.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry יש, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries יש, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
