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How do adjectives agree with nouns in Hebrew?
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Semitic languages
Distribution of the Semitic languages.
In Hebrew, as in other Semitic languages, adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in gender and number.1
When an adjective is used, it reflects the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the associated noun. Additionally, Hebrew utilizes a definite article that is shared by both the noun and the adjective to indicate definiteness. For example:1
- Masculine: hā-ʾîš hag-gādôl ("the-man the-great")
- Feminine: hā-ʾiššāh hag-gəḏôlāh ("the-woman the-great-[feminine suffix]")
In these constructions, the adjective follows the noun and takes the appropriate inflectional suffix—such as the feminine -āh—to ensure grammatical agreement.1