Negation: לֹא, אֵין, אַל
Three words for “no” and when to use each
לֹא is the all-purpose “not” before a verb, adjective or noun, and the answer “no”. אֵין means “there is no”: it negates existence and possession (אֵין לִי), and in formal style also present-tense verbs. אַל is “don't” in commands, used only with the future tense.
| Hebrew | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| לֹאlo | before a verb in any tense, an adjective or a noun; the answer “no” | אֲנִי לֹא יוֹדֵעַ. זֶה לֹא נָכוֹן. לֹא, תּוֹדָה.ani lo yodea. ze lo nachon. lo, toda.I don't know. That's not right. No, thank you. |
| אֵיןein | “there is no”: existence and possession; in formal style, present-tense verbs | אֵין זְמַן. אֵין לִי כֶּסֶף. אֵין בְּעָיָה.ein zman. ein li kesef. ein be'aya.There's no time. I have no money. No problem. |
| אַלal | prohibition, negative command: only with the future tense | אַל תִּדְאַג. אַל תְּדַבְּרוּ.al tid'ag. al tedabru.Don't worry. Don't talk. |
The opposite of אֵין is יֵשׁ (there is): יֵשׁ זְמַן / אֵין זְמַן. In the past and future both are replaced by forms of לִהְיוֹת: לֹא הָיָה זְמַן, לֹא יִהְיֶה זְמַן.
| Hebrew | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| אַף פַּעַם לֹאaf pa'am lo | never | אֲנִי אַף פַּעַם לֹא מְאַחֵרani af pa'am lo me'acherI'm never late |
| אַף אֶחָד לֹאaf echad lo | nobody | אַף אֶחָד לֹא בָּאaf echad lo banobody came |
| שׁוּם דָּבָר לֹא / כְּלוּםshum davar lo / klum | nothing | לֹא קָרָה כְּלוּםlo kara klumnothing happened |
| בְּשׁוּם מָקוֹםbeshum makom | nowhere | |
| שׁוּםshum | no, not any | אֵין שׁוּם בְּעָיָהein shum be'ayathere's no problem at all |
| עוֹד לֹאod lo | not yet | עוֹד לֹא אָכַלְתִּיod lo achaltiI haven't eaten yet |
| כְּבָר לֹאkvar lo | no longer | הוּא כְּבָר לֹא גָּר פֹּהhu kvar lo gar pohe doesn't live here anymore |
| לֹא… וְלֹא…lo… velo… | neither… nor… | |
| בִּלְתִּיbilti | un-, in- (with adjectives) | בִּלְתִּי אֶפְשָׁרִיbilti efshariimpossible |
| אִיi | non-, in- (with nouns) | אִי הֲבָנָהi havanamisunderstanding |
Double negation is required: אַף אֶחָד לֹא בָּא — literally “nobody didn't come”; the sentence needs the לֹא.
| Person | Hebrew | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| I | אֵינֶנִּי / אֵינִיeineni / eini | I am not |
| you (m) | אֵינְךָeincha | you are not |
| you (f) | אֵינֵךְeinech | you are not |
| he | אֵינוֹ / אֵינֶנּוּeino / einenu | he is not |
| she | אֵינָהּ / אֵינֶנָּהeina / einena | she is not |
| we | אֵינֶנּוּeinenu | we are not |
| you (m pl) | אֵינְכֶםeinchem | you are not |
| you (f pl) | אֵינְכֶןeinchen | you are not |
| they (m) | אֵינָםeinam | they are not |
| they (f) | אֵינָןeinan | they are not |
Found in news, notices and official texts: הַמִּשְׂרָד אֵינוֹ פָּתוּחַ בְּשַׁבָּת — the office is not open on Saturday. In speech it's simply לֹא: הַמִּשְׂרָד לֹא פָּתוּחַ.
Practise it in the app. Shoresh has conjugation, tense and binyan trainers, and the dictionary shows the forms of any word.
