שנה
shaná/ʃaˈna/
The Hebrew word for 'year' is שנה (shaná).
The word refers to the time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun. You can use the phrase shana haba'ah to mean 'next year', or bashanah ha'ba'ah to mean 'in the coming year'.
Meaning: time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
שנה is a feminine noun, which means it must be paired with feminine adjectives and verbs. The plural form of the word is שנים.
How do you pronounce it?
shaná
Did you know?
- The Hebrew calendar is lunisolar, meaning a 'year' can be a regular year or a 'leap year' שנה מעוברת where an entire extra month is added to keep the holidays in the correct season.
- The word שנה is a homonym for the Hebrew word for 'sleep', which is also spelled שנה but pronounced differently.
- The word שנה can also appear as a root meaning 'repeat' or 'change', which is why the word for 'different' is שונה.
Examples in context
- אני הולך כל שנה.I go every year.This sentence shows how to use שנה to describe an annual occurrence.Tatoeba #1285264 by Eldad, translation #322472 by CK
- תום מת לפני שנה.Tom died a year ago.This sentence shows how to use שנה to indicate time passed since an event.Tatoeba #4892054 by fekundulo, translation #4879968 by CK
- זה היה לפני שנה.It was last year.This sentence shows how to use שנה to refer to the previous year.Tatoeba #5454451 by fekundulo, translation #3361982 by CM
- 151 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their future plans.
- איתי Itayאיתי, תלמד אנגלית שנה אחת.Itay, tilmad anglit shana akhat.Itay, study English for one year.
- עגור Adiאני רוצה לנסות שנה אחת.Ani rotze lenasot shana akhat.I want to try for one year.
- איתי Itayזה יעזור לך מאוד בשנה הבאה.Ze yaazor lekha meod bashana haba'a.It will help you a lot next year.
- עגור Adiאת צודקת, עגור.At tzodeket, Agor.You are right, Agor.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry שנה, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
