Hebrew Podcasts

Hebrew Corner – Lesson 1 – Diminutive

‫שלום‬
Welcome to our first Hebrew Corner, a short lesson focused on a topic of
grammar, an idiom, a common misuse, or anecdote about the Hebrew
language. Beginning with this Hebrew Corner, the podcast will alternate
between full lessons and Hebrew Corner lessons.
In today’s Hebrew Corner, we’ll discuss the diminutive—a way to form words
that refer to smaller things. In Hebrew it’s called ‫צוּרת הַ קטָ נָה‬
ַ . ‫ הַ קטָ נָה‬is the
action of making something smaller.

Masculine Nouns
Let’s start with an example. A room is ‫חֶ ֶדר‬. A small room is ‫חַ ְדרוֹן‬. See what
we did? By adding the suffix ‫ וֹן‬to ‫ חֶ ֶדר‬we formed a word that means a small
room, ‫חַ ְדרוֹן‬.
Let’s look at some more examples:
A computer is ‫מַ חְ שֵׁ ב‬. A pocket calculator is ‫מַ חְ שְׁ בוֹן‬.
A book is ‫סֵ פֶ ר‬. A booklet is ‫סִ פְ רוֹן‬.
A carpet or a rug is ַ‫שָׁ טִ יח‬. A small carpet, a mat or a throw rug is ‫שְׁ טִ יחוֹן‬.
This pattern created words like: ‫ חֲ זִירוֹן‬for piglet, ‫ ַבּקְ בּוּקוֹן‬is a small bottle,
‫ מִ טְ ָבּחוֹן‬for a kitchenette, ‫ פִּ צְעוֹן‬for a pimple, and ‫ גַּגּוֹן‬for a small roof.

Feminine Nouns
So far those were masculine nouns. To form the diminutive of feminine
nouns we add the suffix ‫ית‬.
A can is ‫פַּ ח‬. A small can such as a soda can is ‫פַּ חִ ית‬.
A plate is ‫צַלַּ חַ ת‬. A saucer is ‫צְלוֹחִ ית‬.
A glass or cup is ‫כּוֹס‬. A small glass such as a wine glass or a shot glass is
‫כּוֹסִ ית‬.
This pattern created words like: ‫ מְ לוֹנִית‬for a motel, ‫ צְנוֹנִית‬for a small radish,
‫ מַ פִּ ית‬for a napkin, ‫ כַּפִּ ית‬for a teaspoon and ‫ שַׂ קִּ ית‬for a small bag.
Adjectives
For adjectives, we can sometimes create the diminutive by repeating a letter
or syllable at the end of the word. For example,
Red is ‫אָד ֹם‬. Reddish is ‫אֲ ַדמְ ַדּם‬.
Bitter is ‫מַ ר‬. A word that can mean “mildly bitter” is ‫מָ ִריר‬. As in ‫שׁוֹקוֹלָ ד מָ ִריר‬.
ָ Tiny is ‫קְ טַ נְטַ ן‬.
Small is ‫קטָ ן‬.
This pattern created words like: ‫ חֶ לְ ִקיק‬for particle, ‫ירי‬ ִ ‫ שַׁ ב ְִר‬for frail or feeble,
‫ חֲ מַ צְמַ ץ‬for slightly sour and ‫ כְּלַ בְלַ ב‬for a small dog.

* learn@hebrewpodcasts.com
© Yedwab, 2018. All rights reserved.
1
 Hebrew Podcasts
Hebrew Corner – Lesson 1 – Diminutive

!‫זהו זה להיום‬
You can review and practice using the lesson guide and flashcards available
on hebrepodcasts.com.
!‫שלום ולהתראות בפעם הבאה‬

* learn@hebrewpodcasts.com
© Yedwab, 2018. All rights reserved.
2