זה

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ze"

Hebrew

Etymology

Related to Aramaic דִּי‎ (dī) and Arabic ذُو‎ (ḏū). Compare also the definite form הזה‎ (haze) and Arabic هٰذَا‎ (hāḏā).

Determiner

זֶה • (ze) m

  1. this
    • Birkat Hamazon:
      הָרַחֲמָן הוּא יִשְׁלַח לָנוּ בְּרָכָה מְרֻבָּה בַּבַּיִת הַזֶּה, וְעַל שֻׁלְחָן זֶה שֶׁאָכַלְנוּ עָלָיו.‎
      harakhaman hu yishlakh lanu baracha murubba babbayit hazze, v'al shulkhan ze she'akhalnu alav.
      The Merciful One will send to us a manifold blessing in this house, and on this table upon which we have eaten.

Usage notes

  • There are three ways to use this determiner:
    • הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה (“this thing”): most common overall, especially in Biblical Hebrew and Modern Hebrew
    • דָּבָר זֶה (“this thing”): common in Rabbinic Hebrew from Mishnaic to modern times, and in formal Modern Hebrew
    • זֶה הַדָּבָר (“this thing”): common in some forms of Medieval Hebrew

Pronoun

זֶה • (zé) m (plural אֵלֶּה‎ or אֵלּוּ‎, feminine זֹאת‎ or זוֹ‎)

  1. this, this one.
    ‏זה בחולצה הכחולה.‎‎
    ze bakhultsá hak'khulá.
    The one (male) in the blue shirt.
    ‏זה שאין לנקוב בשמו.‎‎
    ze she'éin linkóv be'shemó.
    He-who-must-not-be-named.
  2. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    ‏לראשונה זה 20 שנה‎ ― larishoná zé 20 shaná ― for the first time in 20 years

Usage notes

  • זה, although translated "this", is often used in circumstances where English speakers would use that. For example, a boy swinging a stick might be told הזהר עם זה, whereas in English he'd be told "be careful with that".
  • Colloquially, זה is often used as a gender-neutral form of "it".
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.