לְיַד
leyád
The English phrase "next to" can be translated into Hebrew as לְיַד (leyád), עַל יַד or לצד.
Meaning: beside, alongside (prep)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| לְיַד | leyád |
| עַל יַד | 'al yad |
| לצד | l'tsad |
All these forms express the meaning of being beside or alongside something or someone.
What does it mean word for word?
The word לְיַד is literally composed of the preposition ל (to/at) and the noun יָד (hand).
Which one should you use?
עַל יַד is another way to express the same concept. לצד is often used in more formal or literary contexts to describe things being side-by-side or occurring alongside one another.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form לצד can be combined with possessive suffixes to indicate who the person is next to, such as לצדי (next to me), לצדך (next to you masculine singular), לצדו (next to him), לצדה (next to her), לצדנו (next to us), לצדכם (next to you masculine plural) and לצדן (next to them).
How do you pronounce it?
leyád
Did you know?
- The phrase עַל יַד is sometimes used in legal or formal Hebrew to mean 'on behalf of' or 'via', rather than just physical location.
- The word יָד is so central to Hebrew that the phrase for 'next to' is related to expressions for 'power' and 'influence', as having someone 'at your hand' meant they were under your control.
- In modern Hebrew, לצד is used to describe things that are 'alongside' each other, but in biblical texts, the root צד often refers to the 'side' of a mountain or a valley.
Examples in context
- אני יכול לשבת לצדך?May I sit next to you?The first sentence uses לצד to ask permission to sit next to someone.Tatoeba #1714313 by MrShoval, translation #325934 by CK
- זירי נהגה לצד רימה.Ziri drove up next to Rima.The second sentence uses לצד to describe one vehicle driving up alongside another.Tatoeba #12209247 by fekundulo, translation #11233762 by Amastan
- היה לי ברור שאתה לצדי.It was clear to me that you were next to me.The third sentence uses לצד to describe someone being next to the speaker.Tatoeba #1431132 by MrShoval, translation #12916891 by rul
- המסעדה נמצאת ליד המלוןThe restaurant is next to the hotel
- החניה נמצאת בסמוך לקניוןThe parking lot is close to the mall
- הגינה צמודה לבניין החדשThe garden is next to the new building
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maya and Noam are looking for a seat in a crowded cafe.
- מאיה Mayaנועם, יש מקום פנוי לְיַד השולחן ההוא?Noam, yesh makom panuy le-yad ha-shul-khan ha-o?Noam, is there an empty seat next to that table?
- נועם Noamכן, המקום לְיַד הגבר פנוי.Ken, ha-makom le-yad ha-ge-ver pa-nu-i.Yes, the spot next to the man is free.
- מאיה Mayaמעולה, בוא נשב שם.Me-u-le, bo ne-shev sham.Great, let's sit there.
- נועם Noamבטח, זה שולחן מצוין.Be-tekh, ze shul-khan me-tsuyan.Sure, it's an excellent table.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “next to” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
