Numbers 1–10 & Counting Things
Both number forms, why gender flips, and counting everyday objects.
Hebrew numbers are simple at first, but they have a twist: every number from 1 to 10 has two forms — one for counting masculine nouns and one for counting feminine nouns. The "gender" of the number is the opposite of the noun it counts.
The two number forms
| Number | Masculine form (counts feminine nouns) | Feminine form (counts masculine nouns) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | אֶחָד (ekhad) | אַחַת (akhat) |
| 2 | שְׁנַיִם (shnayim) | שְׁתַּיִם (shtayim) |
| 3 | שְׁלוֹשָׁה (shlosha) | שָׁלוֹשׁ (shalosh) |
| 4 | אַרְבָּעָה (arba'a) | אַרְבַּע (arba) |
| 5 | חֲמִשָּׁה (khamisha) | חָמֵשׁ (khamesh) |
| 6 | שִׁשָּׁה (shisha) | שֵׁשׁ (shesh) |
| 7 | שִׁבְעָה (shiv'a) | שֶׁבַע (sheva) |
| 8 | שְׁמוֹנָה (shmona) | שְׁמוֹנֶה (shmone) |
| 9 | תִּשְׁעָה (tish'a) | תֵּשַׁע (tesha) |
| 10 | עֲשָׂרָה (asara) | עֶשֶׂר (eser) |
🤯 Why the flip? Historically, Hebrew numbers had their own gender. The "masculine" number form happens to agree with feminine nouns, and the "feminine" form agrees with masculine nouns. It is backwards from what you expect — just memorize it.
Counting objects
Use the masculine number form with feminine nouns, and the feminine number form with masculine nouns:
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| שָׁלוֹשׁ סְפָרִים | shalosh sfarim | three books (books are masculine) |
| שְׁלוֹשָׁה דְּלָתוֹת | shlosha dlatot | three doors (doors are feminine) |
| חֲמִשָּׁה תַּלְמִידוֹת | khamisha talmidot | five students (f.) |
| חָמֵשׁ תַּלְמִידִים | khamesh talmidim | five students (m.) |
Numbers 11–19
These are built as "ten-and-X" or "X-and-ten." They also agree with the counted noun:
| Number | Masculine form | Feminine form |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | אֲחַד עָשָׂר (akhad asar) | אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה (akhat esre) |
| 12 | שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר (shneim asar) | שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה (shteim esre) |
| 13 | שְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר (shlosha asar) | שָׁלוֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה (shalosh esre) |
| 20 | עֶשְׂרִים (esrim) | — |
For everyday purposes, 1–10 cover most beginner needs. We will expand to higher numbers as you grow.
Tens
| Number | Hebrew | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | עֶשְׂרִים | esrim |
| 30 | שְׁלוֹשִׁים | shloshim |
| 40 | אַרְבָּעִים | arba'im |
| 50 | חֲמִשִּׁים | khamishim |
Tens are one form only — no gender flip.
How to say "first," "second," "third"
Hebrew uses the same number roots for ordinals, but they behave like adjectives and agree with the noun:
| Ordinal | Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | רִאשׁוֹן (rishon) | רִאשׁוֹנָה (rishona) | first |
| 2nd | שֵׁנִי (sheni) | שְׁנִיָּה (shniya) | second |
| 3rd | שְׁלִישִׁי (shlishi) | שְׁלִישִׁית (shlishit) | third |
Examples:
- הַשָּׁבוּעַ הָרִאשׁוֹן (ha-shavua ha-rishon) — the first week
- הַמִּלָּה הַשְּׁנִיָּה (ha-mila ha-shniya) — the second word
✅ Key takeaways
- Numbers 1–10 have masculine and feminine forms.
- Use the opposite-gender number form for the noun you are counting.
- Masculine noun → feminine number form; feminine noun → masculine number form.
- Tens (20, 30, 40...) have one form, no flip.
- Ordinals behave like agreeing adjectives.
✏️ Practice
- How do you say "three" when counting books (masculine)?
- How do you say "five" when counting doors (feminine)?
- What is the rule for choosing which number form to use?
- Write "the first student (m.)" in Hebrew.
- Translate: שְׁמוֹנָה תַּלְמִידוֹת.
Answers
- שָׁלוֹשׁ (shalosh) — the feminine number form.
- חֲמִשָּׁה (khamisha) — the masculine number form.
- Use the number form of the opposite gender from the noun.
- הַתַּלְמִיד הָרִאשׁוֹן (ha-talmid ha-rishon).
- "Eight students (f.)."