The Hebrew word for the singular word “sister” is אָחוֹת, pronounced /ACHOT/.
Typically, to pluralize a feminine noun in Hebrew, you add the suffix –וֹת, pronounced /OT/.
The word ACHOT already has an -OT ending though, in its singular form – so how do we pluralize it to say “sisters” in Hebrew? Is it ACHOTOT? ACHOTIM? ACHOTIS? I’ve seen all of these, and more – but none of them are correct. Don’t worry, in just a minute you’ll learn how to say sisters in Hebrew, and have a better understanding of the “why” behind it. Prefer to watch? Check out the 60-second Hebrew video version below.
Generally, when you have a Hebrew word that ends in a ת’’ו (Tav), it means: (1) the noun is probably feminine, and (2) to pluralize it, you’ll remove the final Tav, and add a יוֹת (-YOT) suffix. It’s not a perfect science, but it comes pretty close. For instance:
- TOCHNIT (תכנית) – plan; TOCHNIYOT (תכניות) – plans
- HIZDAMNUT (הזדמנות) – opportunity; HIZDAMNUYOT (הזדמנויות) – opportunities
- ACHYANIT (אחיינית) – niece; ACHYANIYOT (אחייניות) – nieces
- YADIT (ידית) – handle; YADIYOT (ידיות) – handles
So how DO you say sisters in Hebrew? It’s ACHAYOT (אחיות). There’s a slight change in the second vowel sound – from O to A (remember I said it’s not a perfect science?), but our -YOT suffix is there!
👇🏾Pin this handy Hebrew cheat sheet👇🏾
Are there other Hebrew words whose plurals you’re unsure of? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for the video!!!
Will you please add the English spelling under the Hebrew spelling on your video. Thank you!
Shalom Ramona, you’re welcome! Adding English subtitles is something I really want to be able to do, so it’s one of my Patreon goals; consider signing up, and please share the link with others! https://www.patreon.com/thekefar
Learning IN a Community of Hebrew is amazing I do look forward to engaging more,thanks
I want to study Hebrew,
Every history’s has written based in Hebrew.So,I have more interesting to the language.
Here’s a link to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/thelahbendan.
I also teach a free class every month that teaches the Hebrew letters and sounds, you can find it and register here: https://thekefar.as.me/schedule.php