Demonstrative Pronouns in Hebrew

In Brief

Hebrew demonstratives agree with the gender and number of the person or thing they point to: זה for masculine singular, זאת or זו for feminine singular, and אלה or אלו for plural. When a demonstrative modifies a noun, it normally comes after a definite noun: הספר הזה (“this book”), literally “the-book the-this.”

Overview

Demonstratives are pointing words: English this, that, these, and those. In Hebrew they can stand by themselves, as in מה זה? (“What is this?”), or identify a noun, as in הילדה הזאת (“this girl”). The form changes according to grammatical gender—whether a noun belongs to the masculine or feminine class—and number, singular or plural.

This is an A1 topic because these forms appear constantly in introductions, shopping, directions, and simple questions. To use them accurately, you need to know the gender of the noun. Hebrew does not have the English contrast between singular this and that as its only concern: it also marks masculine and feminine, a distinction English demonstratives do not make.

The easiest beginner system is זה / זאת / אלה for “this/these,” followed by ההוא / ההיא / ההם / ההן for more distant “that/those.” Spoken Hebrew often uses זה more broadly than the neat written rules suggest, but learning agreement first gives you a reliable foundation.

How It Works

The core forms

Hebrew	English	Note
זה	this; this one	Masculine singular
זאת	this; this one	Feminine singular; very common
זו	this; this one	Feminine singular alternative
אלה	these; these ones	All genders in the plural
אלו	these; these ones	Plural alternative, frequent in careful or formal usage
ההוא	that; that one	Masculine singular
ההיא	that; that one	Feminine singular
ההם	those; those ones	Masculine or mixed plural
ההן	those; those ones	Feminine plural

זאת and זו usually do the same grammatical job. זאת is especially natural in everyday speech; זו is also standard and is common in writing and more formal speech. Likewise, אלה is the ordinary everyday plural, while אלו often sounds somewhat more formal, though both are normal Hebrew.

Standing alone: “this is” and “these are”

A demonstrative pronoun stands in place of a noun or points to something without directly modifying a following noun. A pronoun is simply a word that can stand for a noun or noun phrase.

• זה הספר שלי. — This is my book.
• זאת הבעיה. — This is the problem.
• אלה החברים שלי. — These are my friends.

Hebrew normally has no separate word for present-tense “is” or “are” in sentences like these. זה הספר שלי is literally closer to “this—the book of mine.” Do not try to insert a form of “to be.”

In careful usage, the demonstrative commonly agrees with what is being identified:

• זה שולחן. — This is a table. (שולחן is masculine.)
• זאת דלת. — This is a door. (דלת is feminine.)
• אלה ספרים. — These are books. (plural)

Modifying a noun: “this book”

A demonstrative adjective directly identifies a noun: this book, that woman, these keys. An adjective is a word that describes or identifies a noun. In this use, Hebrew follows a pattern that differs sharply from English:

ה־ + noun + ה־ + demonstrative

Hebrew phrase	English	Agreement
הספר הזה	this book	Masculine singular
הילדה הזאת	this girl	Feminine singular
המכונית הזו	this car	Feminine singular with זו
הספרים האלה	these books	Plural
הנשים האלו	these women	Plural with אלו
הבית ההוא	that house	Masculine singular
החנות ההיא	that shop	Feminine singular
הילדים ההם	those children	Masculine/mixed plural
הילדות ההן	those girls	Feminine plural

The noun is definite—it means the book, not a book—and the demonstrative is definite too. That is why both parts have ה־ in הספר הזה. The pointing word also comes after the noun. English habits can therefore cause two errors at once: putting the demonstrative first and leaving off the definite article.

Compare the two structures:

• זה הספר. — This is the book. (The demonstrative stands separately.)
• הספר הזה מעניין. — This book is interesting. (The demonstrative modifies הספר.)

The pause in the English translation can help: “this is the book” is an identifying sentence, while “this book” is one noun phrase.

Gender and number agreement

Agreement means that related words take matching grammatical forms. Match the demonstrative to the noun’s grammatical gender, not merely to whether the object seems male or female.

• ספר (“book”) is masculine → הספר הזה
• בעיה (“problem”) is feminine → הבעיה הזאת
• דלת (“door”) is feminine → הדלת הזאת
• ספרים (“books”) is plural → הספרים האלה

Noun endings provide clues, but not certainty. Many feminine nouns end in ־ה or ־ת, yet words such as לילה (“night”) are masculine. Learn a noun together with a matching demonstrative: לילה טוב / הלילה הזה.

Examples in Context

Hebrew	English	Note
מה זה?	What is this?	Fixed, extremely common question
מי זאת?	Who is this?	Refers to a woman or girl
זה הספר שלי.	This is my book.	Independent masculine זה
זאת הבעיה.	This is the problem.	Independent feminine זאת
אלה החברים שלי.	These are my friends.	Independent plural אלה
אני רוצה את החולצה הזאת.	I want this shirt.	Feminine noun; demonstrative follows it
כמה עולה התיק הזה?	How much does this bag cost?	Masculine singular phrase
המסעדה הזאת טובה מאוד.	This restaurant is very good.	Both demonstrative and adjective are feminine
איפה קנית את הנעליים האלה?	Where did you buy these shoes?	Plural האלה for a feminine plural noun too
הבית ההוא גדול.	That house is big.	Distal masculine singular
אני מכירה את האישה ההיא.	I know that woman.	Distal feminine singular; female speaker
הילדים האלה לומדים עברית.	These children are learning Hebrew.	Masculine plural agreement elsewhere in the sentence
הימים ההם היו יפים.	Those days were beautiful.	Distal masculine plural
מי האנשים האלה?	Who are these people?	Common identifying question
זה לא מה שביקשתי.	This is not what I asked for.	זה points to a whole situation or result

Common Mistakes

Putting the demonstrative before the noun

• Wrong: זה הספר מעניין. (intended: “This book is interesting.”)
• Right: הספר הזה מעניין.
• Why: A demonstrative that modifies a noun follows it. זה הספר normally starts the different structure “This is the book.”

Leaving the noun indefinite

• Wrong: ספר הזה
• Right: הספר הזה
• Why: In the standard “this noun” pattern, both the noun and demonstrative are definite. Add ה־ to the noun as well.

Ignoring gender

• Wrong: הבעיה הזה
• Right: הבעיה הזאת or הבעיה הזו
• Why: בעיה is feminine, so it takes a feminine singular demonstrative.

Using a singular form with a plural noun

• Wrong: הספרים הזה
• Right: הספרים האלה
• Why: Use אלה/אלו with plural nouns. The same basic plural form works with masculine and feminine nouns.

Adding a present-tense “to be”

• Wrong: Trying to build זה + “is” + הספר on the English model.
• Right: זה הספר שלי.
• Why: Hebrew usually omits the linking verb—the verb connecting “this” with “my book”—in the present tense.

Treating זה and הזה as interchangeable

• Wrong: הספר זה in careful standard Hebrew
• Right: הספר הזה
• Why: Independent זה means “this/this is”; after a definite noun, use definite הזה.

Usage Notes

Everyday זה has a wider reach

In informal Israeli Hebrew, זה often works as a general pointing or identifying word, even when the following idea is feminine, plural, or an entire situation. You will hear sentences such as זה בעיה (“That’s a problem”) in casual speech. Careful standard Hebrew prefers זאת בעיה, matching the feminine noun.

This does not make the agreement system unimportant. Use matching forms in planned speech and writing, and learn to recognise broader colloquial זה when listening.

מה זה? is a fixed everyday question

Use מה זה? for “What is this/that?” The form זה remains normal when the speaker does not yet know what the object is or is asking about an idea. For a person, use מי (“who”) and agreement when appropriate: מי זה? for a man or boy and מי זאת? for a woman or girl.

Distance is flexible

הזה / הזאת / האלה usually present something as “this/these,” while ההוא / ההיא / ההם / ההן point to something more distant in space, time, or attention. Real conversation also depends on gesture and context. Hebrew speakers may use the nearer set for something already under discussion, even if it is not physically close.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master every nuance at A1, but several patterns will become useful later.

First, זה can point to a whole statement, action, or situation rather than a noun: ללמוד כל יום—זה חשוב (“Studying every day—that is important”). Here there is no particular masculine object. זה acts as a neutral, general pointer, much like English “this” or “that” when referring to an idea.

Second, demonstratives can carry emotional distance. האיש הזה may simply mean “this man,” but in the right tone it can sound like “this man here.” האיש ההוא places the man farther away physically or mentally. Context and voice determine whether that distance is neutral, admiring, dismissive, or nostalgic.

Third, the distal plural forms preserve gender: הספרים ההם (“those books”) but הנשים ההן (“those women”). This contrasts with אלה/אלו, whose plural form does not change for gender. In less formal contemporary speech, speakers do not always maintain every textbook contrast consistently, but the standard forms remain important in writing.

Finally, זו appears in a formal relative construction meaning “which/that,” especially in writing: הדרך שבה... and constructions with זו ש־ may not be ordinary demonstrative uses. Do not assume every written זו simply means “this”; examine the whole sentence. That belongs to later study of relative clauses.

Practice Tips

1. Learn nouns in mini-phrases. Instead of memorising only דלת (“door”), say הדלת הזאת. This makes noun gender and demonstrative agreement one memory.
2. Practise two sentence frames. Point to objects and alternate זה הספר (“This is the book”) with הספר הזה חדש (“This book is new”). The contrast trains both meaning and word order.
3. Use a room scan. Name five nearby things with הזה/הזאת/האלה, then five more distant or remembered things with ההוא/ההיא/ההם/ההן. Say each phrase aloud.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Noun Gender — explains why Hebrew nouns and their demonstratives use masculine or feminine forms.