On Shift · במשמרת · HEB-01 · Hebrew

English you want fits everyone. Hebrew has three everyday forms of you, and the verb changes with them.

An all-women table takes אתן רוצות aten rotsot, but most waiters say אתם to every group and nobody minds.

The Hebrew present tense works like an adjective: it agrees in gender and number with whoever does the action. English only does half of this, with number: she wants but they want. Hebrew also marks gender: רוצה rotse (he/m. you), רוצה rotsa (she/f. you), רוצים rotsim (they/you all). The two singulars are spelled alike and differ only in the last vowel.

מה אתם רוצים לשתות?ma atem rotsim lishtot?What would you (all) like to drink?

"To you" is one glued word

English puts to and you side by side. Hebrew attaches the person as a pronoun suffix on the preposition ל־ (to), the way English turns I into me after a verb.

Talking to	to you	In a sentence
one man	לךָ lecha	אני מביא לך מים. I'm bringing you water.
one woman	לךְ lach	אני מביא לך מים. (same spelling, said "lach")
a table	לכם lachem	אני מביא לכם מים. I'm bringing you all water.

"I'll…" is one letter: א־

For promises (I'll bring it, I'll check) Hebrew uses the future tense. With I, the future is marked by a prefix א־ glued to the verb. English needs a whole word, will; Hebrew needs one letter.

The same prefix gives אבדוק evdok (I'll check), אחליף achlif (I'll swap it), אקרא ekra (I'll call).

Hebrew menus read right to left, so the price sits on the left. Prices are in shekels (₪) and already include VAT. The small print at the bottom matters: השירות אינו כלול means service is not included, so customers add a tip.

טבעוני veganצמחוני vegetarianללא גלוטן gluten-freeחריף spicy

Dish names are two nouns glued together

English says corn soup: describer first. Hebrew says מרק תירס marak tiras, literally "soup-of corn", main noun first. This is the construct state (סמיכות). To say the corn soup, put ה on the second noun: מרק התירס. Feminine first nouns change their ending: עוגה → עוגת שוקולד (chocolate cake).

Hebrew builds prices in the same order as English, with one extra word: "and" (ו־ ve-) before the last part.

In speech people say שקל (singular) after any number: ארבעים ושמונה שקל. Signs and the news use שקלים.

Units	Teens	Tens	Hundreds

Which number forms?

Hebrew numbers have masculine and feminine sets. At the register almost everyone uses the "counting" set shown here (שלוש, ארבע, חמש), whatever the noun. Learn this one set first. Agorot (cents) are said as a second number: ₪9.90 = תשע תשעים tesha tish'im.

כמה זה?How much is it?

0 / 0

Each verb belongs to a binyan (בניין), a fixed pattern the root slots into, like sing / sang / sung keeping s-ng. Here you see three: פעל paal plain actions, פיעל piel often active or effortful, הפעיל hifil often "make something happen" (bring = make come). Tap a row to hear it.

Verb	Present: he · she · they	On the job

Service

במשמרת · On Shift

Who are you talking to?Every question to a table starts here

"To you" is one glued word

"I'll…" is one letter: א־

Talking about the foodExplain the kitchen, a sold-out dish, the wait, and your favorite

Phrases for the floorTap the speaker to hear each one. Bracketed forms follow the gender you picked above.

Service craftHow to sound warm, give compliments, and learn from every table

Reading the menuTap any dish to see what it is and hear it

Dish names are two nouns glued together

The customer asksUse the menu above to answer

Saying a priceTens + ve- + units + שקל

Which number forms?

Price drillRead the price, or hear it and find the number

The service questionsWord by word, right to left

Which one fits?Read the situation, pick what you'd say

20 verbs for the restaurantInfinitive, then present tense: he · she · they

Fill the gapChoose the form that agrees with the speaker

On the floorChoose what you say. Customers react, and you get feedback on the Hebrew and the service.

Word listEverything in this lesson