בן
bén/beːn/
The English phrase "son of" is translated into Hebrew as בן (bén).
בן is a term used to describe a male child in relation to his parent. While בן means 'son', it is also used as a standalone noun to mean 'son' without needing a following noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of 'son of' is בת. Adding the suffix 'i' to 'ben' changes the meaning to 'my son', בני.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /beːn/ (bén).
Did you know?
- In Hebrew, בן is used to express age, such as saying 'a boy of ten' instead of 'ten years old'.
- The name 'Benjamin' is actually a combination of the word for 'son' and a word meaning 'right hand', creating the name בִּנְיָמִין.
- While בן is used to describe offspring, it is also used in Hebrew to indicate a person's membership in a specific group, tribe, or even a specific era.
Examples in context
- הם חשבו שהוא בן השמש.They thought he was the son of the Sun.This sentence uses בן to show a relationship to the Sun.Tatoeba #686162 by Eldad, translation #307329 by Eldad
- טום טען שהוא בן של אדם עשיר.Tom claimed he was the son of a rich man.This sentence uses בן to indicate a relationship to a rich man.Tatoeba #1244939 by Eldad, translation #1026694 by CK
- אני אמא של בן זונה.I'm the mother of a son of a bitch.This sentence uses בן within a vulgar expression.Tatoeba #6600171 by rul, translation #937044 by sacredceltic
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rotem is asking Itay about his family history.
- רוטם Rotemאתה בן של מי?Atah ben shel mi?Whose son are you?
- איתי Itayאני בן של דני.Ani ben shel Dani.I am Danny's son.
- רוטם Rotemהוא בן של מי?Hu ben shel mi?Whose son is he?
- איתי Itayהוא בן של אבא שלי.Hu ben shel aba sheli.He is my father's son.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry בן, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries בן, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
