היא
hi/hiːʔ/
In Hebrew, the English phrase "she" is expressed as היא (hi).
Meaning: person (pron)
Which one should you use?
The feminine pronoun היא (hi) is contrasted with the masculine pronoun הוא (hu) for 'he'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is romanized as hi and pronounced /hiːʔ/.
Did you know?
- In some traditional prayers or poetic texts, היא may refer to the 'Shekhinah', the feminine aspect of the Divine presence in Judaism.
- In Hebrew, almost all inanimate objects have a gender, so you might find yourself using היא to refer to a table, a car, or even a specific idea.
- In modern slang, the word היא can be used emphatically to describe a woman who is 'the one' or 'the real deal' without needing an adjective.
Examples in context
- היא עוד לא כאן.She is not here yet.This sentence shows how to use היא to indicate someone is not present yet.Tatoeba #613676 by Eldad, translation #312221 by CK
- היא אמרה את זה?Did she say that?This sentence uses היא to form a question about a female's speech.Tatoeba #1105815 by Eldad, translation #1105707 by CM
- מה היא לחשה לך?What did she whisper to you?This sentence uses היא within a question about something a female whispered.Tatoeba #1433762 by Eldad, translation #310263 by CH
- אני לא רואה אותה.I don't see her.
- 4571 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maya and Noam are talking about a female friend.
- מאיה Mayaהיא באה אלינו היום?hi ba'a elenu hayom?Is she coming to us today?
- נועם Noamכן, היא תגיע בערב.ken, hi tagia ba'erev.Yes, she will arrive in the evening.
- מאיה Mayaהיא נשמעת נחמדה מאוד.hi nishma'at nechmada me'od.She sounds very nice.
- נועם Noamהיא באמת חברה טובה.hi be'emet chavera tova.She really is a good friend.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry היא, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
