1. Nominals in Hebrew include nouns, adjectives, and numbers which share forms and uses. 2. Nominals can be in an absolute or construct state. In the construct state, the nominal loses stress and may change vowels to indicate its syntactic relationship to the following word. 3. Two nominals in a construct chain form a linguistic unit expressing a single meaning, with the first having full stress and the second showing construct state variations.

1. Forms of the Noun

2. Nominals include
substantives (nouns),
adjectives, and numbers.
They are the same in form
and use.

3. Absolute & Construct

4. 1. Absolute State
 The form memorized as vocabulary word
 Fully accented
2. Construct State
 Related closely to the word that follows
 Weakly accented

5. Two or more nominals are moved
so closely to one another that
they form a linguistic unit and at
the same time also express a unit
of meaning.

6. Construct State is a
variation of accent with a
syntactical function.
dwID" !B, Son of David
absolute construct definite determining
state state word word

7. Most of the time we can use
“of” to connect the two
words that make up the
construct chain.

8.  The word in construct state loses its primary stress.
 In the tone syllable, the long vowels qamets (ā) and tsere
(ē) can be shortened to patach (a).
 In the pre-tone syllable, a Schwa or short vowel will
appear.
 Examples:
 ‫דם » דם‬
ָּ ָּ
 ‫דברָּ» ְּדבר‬
 ‫זקן » זְּ קן‬
ָּ ָּ

9. 1. In a construct chain, the nominal in the absolute
state carries the primary stress.
2. The nominal in construct state changes its form
accordingly.
3. When an original short “a” now appears in an
unaccented, closed syllable, it normally changes to
“i” (Chireq).

10. st abs st c st abs st c
antepenultimate antepenultimate
Primary Stress Primary Stress
syllable syllable
‫הב ִרית‬
ְּ ‫דם‬ ‫הביִ ת‬ ‫זְָּּ קן‬
‫דוִ ד‬ ‫ד בר‬
ְָּּ ‫ְָּּ בב האיׁש‬
ִ ‫ל‬
‫דוִ ד‬ ‫ִד ְָּּ רי‬
‫ב‬

11. ‫ָּן‬
‫ב‬ ‫ָּן »‬
‫ב‬ ‫אהֹלהי‬ ‫ָּ‬ ‫אהֹלהים »‬
‫ָּ ִ ָּ‬
‫מ ְָּך‬
‫ֶ֫ ל‬ ‫מ ְָּךָּ»‬
‫ֶ֫ ל‬ ‫ארץ‬
‫ֶָּ֫ ָּ‬ ‫א ָּץ »‬
‫ֶָּ֫ר‬
‫יום‬‫ָּ‬ ‫יום »‬ ‫ָּ‬ ‫איׁש‬ ‫ִָּ‬ ‫איׁש »‬ ‫ִָּ‬
‫בית‬ ‫ביִ תָּ»‬ ‫ראׁש‬
‫ָּ ָּ‬ ‫ראׁשָּ»‬
‫ָּ ָּ‬
‫ָּם‬‫ע‬ ‫ָּם »‬ ‫ע‬ ‫יד‬ ‫ידָּ»‬
‫ְּדבר‬ ‫דבר »‬ ‫עיר‬ ‫ִָּ‬ ‫עירָּ»‬‫ִָּ‬
‫עין‬‫ָּ‬ ‫עיִָּן »‬
‫ֶָּ֫‬ ‫ׁשם (ׁשם־)‬
‫ָּ‬ ‫ָּ‬ ‫ָּם »‬‫ׁש‬
‫ֶ֫נפׁש‬ ‫ֶ֫נפׁש »‬ ‫אחד‬‫ָּ ֶ֫‬ ‫אחדָּ»‬ ‫ָּ‬

13. 1. Singular
2. Plural
3. Dual
 indicating 2 of something
 number and measurement
 parts of the body (or things that occur in pairs)

14. 1. Masculine nouns have no distinct ending in singular.
2. Feminine nouns have 2 different singular endings:
 absolute state: ‫ָה‬
 construct state: ‫ָת‬
‫ּתורה‬ instruction (law)
‫ּתורתָּאהֹלהים‬
ָּ ִ ָּ the instruction (law) of God

15. 1. Dual endings are the same for both genders.
2. Absolute state: ~yI ;ñ
3. Construct state: y e
‫יום‬ ָּ a day
‫יומִָּים‬
ֶ֫ two days
‫*יומי‬ two days of
‫שפה‬ lip
‫שפתִָּים‬
ֶ֫ ְּ (two) lips

16. 1. Masculine
 absolute state: ‫ָים‬
ָּ ִ
 construct state: ‫ָי‬
2. Feminine is same for both: ‫.ות‬

17. ‫סּוס‬ a horse
‫סּוסים‬
ָּ ִ horses
‫סּוסי‬ horses of …
‫סּוסה‬ mare
‫סּוסות‬ mares [or mares of …]

18. masculine feminine
st a st c st a st c Overview of
Nominal Endings
Singular – – h' t;
Dual ~yI ;ñ ye ~yIt;ñ ' yte
Plural ~y i ye tA

19. As a result of a shift in the tone
syllable, the vowels often
change with the addition of
endings on nouns.
See § 10.

20. ‫ב ִנים‬
‫ָּ‬ ‫ָּן »‬
‫ב‬ ‫ימים‬‫ִָּ‬ ‫יום »‬‫ָּ‬
‫אנׁשים‬
‫ָּ ִ ָּ‬ ‫איׁשָּ»‬ ‫ִָּ‬ ‫בּתים‬
‫ִ ָּ‬ ‫ביִ תָּ»‬
‫ידִָּים/ידות‬ ‫ידָּ»‬ ‫אנׁשים‬
‫ָּ ִ ָּ‬ ‫איׁש »‬ ‫ִָּ‬
‫ָּמים‬
‫ע ִ ָּ‬ ‫ָּם »‬ ‫ע‬ ‫ראׁשים‬
‫ָּ ָּ ִ ָּ‬ ‫ראׁשָּ»‬
‫ָּ ָּ‬
‫ָּ ִרים‬
‫ע ָּ‬ ‫עירָּ»‬ ‫ִָּ‬ ‫ׁשמות‬ ‫ָּם »‬‫ׁש‬
‫ְּדב ִרים‬
‫ָּ‬ ‫דבר »‬ ‫לבות‬ ‫ִ‬ ‫לבָּ»‬
‫עינִָּים‬
‫ָּ ֶ֫‬ ‫עיִָּן »‬
‫ֶָּ֫‬ ‫ְּגדולים/ ְּגדלים‬
‫ִ ָּ‬ ‫ִ ָּ‬ ‫גדולָּ»‬
‫בנות‬ ‫ְּ‬ ‫בתָּ»‬ ‫גוִָּים‬ ‫גויָּ»‬

21. ‫בניָּזקן .1‬
‫ָּ‬ ‫ְּ‬
‫ּתורותָּמ ְָּך .2‬
‫ל‬
‫ּתורתָּאהֹלהים .3‬
‫ָּ ִ ָּ‬
‫עבדיָּנביא .4‬
‫ִ‬ ‫ָּ ְּ‬
‫ְּדברָּכהן .5‬
‫ָּ‬
‫ִדבריָּכהן .6‬
‫ָּ‬ ‫ְּ‬
‫בתָּמלכה .7‬
‫ְּ‬