Lesson 2

Ask who and what

Class has just begun when a man walks in with a bag. Dan, Dana and Ron whisper about who he is, and Noa asks whether he is the teacher. Ask who and what, and answer yes or no.

A1 · Unit 1 · Meet people · 24 steps · about 20 minutes

What you will practice

• Ask who a person is and what a thing is
• Ask and answer yes-or-no questions

What you will notice

Ask who and what

מי means who and asks about a person. מה means what and asks about a thing. The question word comes first, and Hebrew needs no word for is. זה means this or that here; lesson 4 explains it fully. For now it appears only in מי זה and מה זה, with masculine things. Asking a stranger מי אתה is blunt, so these questions are about other people and things.

• מי זה?Who is that?
• מה זה?What is this?
• מי הוא?Who is he?
• מי היא?Who is she?
• זה דן.That is Dan.
• זה שולחן.This is a table.

Ask and answer yes or no

A yes-or-no question uses the same words as a statement, and the voice rises at the end. Writing shows it only with a question mark. Answer כן for yes or לא for no, then say the fact. לא stands right before the word it denies. A short כן or לא alone is a complete reply.

• יוסי מורה?Is Yossi a teacher?
• כן, הוא מורה.Yes, he is a teacher.
• דן מורה?Is Dan a teacher?
• לא, הוא לא מורה.No, he is not a teacher.
• לא, הוא תלמיד.No, he is a student.
• כן.Yes.

Words in this lesson

• מיwho
• מהwhat
• מורהteacher
• כןyes
• שולחןtable
• כיסאchair
• יוסיYossi (a name)