להיות
The Hebrew phrase for 'to be' is להיות.
Which one should you use?
While להיות is the verb 'to be', the word אין is used to express the non-existence of something (the negative of 'there is').
How does it change in a sentence?
The past tense of 'to be' is היה for masculine singular and היו for plural subjects. The future tense for masculine singular is יהיה.
Did you know?
- In Hebrew, you cannot use the verb להיות to say 'I am 20 years old'. Instead, you use a phrase that translates to 'I have 20 years'.
- In the present tense, Hebrew often omits the verb 'to be' entirely. For example, to say 'the boy is big', you simply say הילד גדול without using a verb.
- While להיות is the infinitive, the word for 'existence' itself is קיום, which comes from a completely different root meaning 'to stand' or 'to sustain'.
Examples in context
- איך זה להיות אל?What is it like to be a god?Tatoeba #5456502 by fekundulo, translation #2552159 by AlanF_US
- תום רצה להיות שם.Tom wanted to be there.Tatoeba #4794404 by fekundulo, translation #2645744 by CK
- לא כיף להיות אתה.It sucks to be you.Tatoeba #6064561 by fekundulo, translation #4718766 by Ooneykcall
- 734 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rotem and Noam are discussing dreams during a coffee break.
- רוטם Rotemקשה להיות רופא.Kashe lihyot rofe.It is hard to be a doctor.
- נועם Noamאני רוצה להיות מוזיקאי.Ani rotze lihyot muzikay.I want to be a musician.
- רוטם Rotemזה חלום נהדר.Ze chalom nehedar.That is a wonderful dream.
- נועם Noamתודה, רוטם.Toda, Rotem.Thanks, Rotem.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
