די: Definite Article, Plural
| Singular |
Plural |
דער ראָבאָט איז רײן.
Der robot iz reyn.
The robot is clean. |
די ראָבאָטן זײַנען רײן.
Di robotn zaynen reyn.
The robots are clean. |
די באַנאַנע איז געשמאַק
Di banane iz geshmak.
The banana is delicious.
|
די באַנאַנעס זײַנען געשמאַק.
Di bananes zaynen geshmak.
The bananas are delicious.
|
דאָס מײדל איז הונגעריק.
Dos meydl iz hungerik.
The girl is hungry.
|
די מײדלעך זײַנען הונגעריק.
Di meydlekh zaynen hungerik.
The girls are hungry. |
The articles די ,דער and דאָס are used for talking about one thing (with singular nouns). The article די is used for talking about more than one thing (with plural nouns)
| Articles |
| Singular |
Plural |
| דער |
די |
| די |
די |
| דאָס |
די |
אַ/אַן: The Indefinite Article
-
אַ באַנאַנע און אַן עפּל
a banane un an epl
a banana and an apple
אַ is used before a word that begins with a consonant and אַן is used before a word that begins with a vowel (אַ אָ או אױ אי אײ אײַ ע).
|
אַ
|
באַנאַנע – banane
װײַנטרױב – vayntroyb
שוך – shukh
מײדל – meydl
ייִנגל – yingl
ראָבאָט – robot |
אַן
|
עפּל – epl |
איז דאָ / זײַנען דאָ (iz do / zaynen do)
-
ס׳איז דאָ מילך. װיפֿל מילך איז דאָ? ס׳איז דאָ אַ ביסל מילך.
S'iz do milkh. Vifl milkh iz do? S’iz do a bisl milkh.
There is milk. How much milk is there? There’s a little milk.
-
עס זײַנען דאָ באַנאַנעס. װיפֿל באַנאַנעס זײַנען דאָ? עס זײַנען דאָ פֿינף באַנאַנעס.
Es zaynen do bananes. Vifl bananes zaynen do? Es zaynen do finf bananes.
There are bananas. How many bananas are there? There are five bananas.
The phrase זײַנען דאָ / איז דאָ (iz do / zaynen do) indicates existence or presence. איז דאָ is used with a singular noun; זײַנען דאָ is used with a plural noun.
If a sentence has no other word before זײַנען דאָ / איז דאָ, the word עס (es) is placed in the initial position:
ס׳איז (s'iz) is a contraction of עס איז (es iz). The contraction is used frequently, both in speaking and in writing.
איז דאָ
iz do |
זײַנען דאָ
zaynen do |
ס׳איז דאָ אַ שוך.
S'iz do a shukh.
There is a shoe.
|
עס זײַנען דאָ שיך.
Es zaynen do shikh.
There are shoes.
|
ס׳איז דאָ 1 באַנאַנע.
S'iz do eyn banane.
There is 1 banana.
|
עס זײַנען דאָ 5 באַנאַנעס.
Es zaynen do finf bananes.
There are 5 bananas.
|
ס׳איז דאָ אַ סך אײַזקרעם.
S'iz do a sakh ayzkrem.
There is a lot of ice cream.
|
עס זײַנען דאָ אַ סך װײַנטרױבן.
Es zaynen do a sakh vayntroybn.
There are a lot of grapes.
|
װיפֿל אײַזקרעם איז דאָ?
Vifl ayzkrem iz do?
How much ice cream is there?
|
װיפֿל באַנאַנעס זײַנען דאָ?
Vifl bananes zaynen do?
How many bananas are there?
|
More information about this use of עס can be found in נאָך פּרטים 4.1, “Expletive עס”.
Note:
The word דאָ (indicating presence) in the idiomatic expression איז/זײַנען דאָ should be distinguished from the word דאָ (meaning "here") that we learned in lesson one. Both uses of דאָ can appear in the same sentence:
-
ס׳איז דאָ דאָ אַן עפּל.
S'iz do do an epl.
There is an apple here.
Numbers 1–10
| Numbers 1–10 |
| eyns |
אײנס |
1 |
| tsvey |
צװײ |
2 |
| dray |
דרײַ |
3 |
| fir |
פֿיר |
4 |
| finf |
פֿינף |
5 |
| zeks |
זעקס |
6 |
| zibn* |
זיבן |
7 |
| akht |
אַכט |
8 |
| nayn |
נײַן |
9 |
| tsen |
צען |
10 |
*In the word זיבן (zibn), the pronunciation of the letter ן (n) is that of an m. (Listen to the pronunciation in the lesson features.)
אײן/אײנס (eyn/eyns)
-
אײן באַנאַנע, אײן שוך, אײן ראָבאָט
eyn banane, eyn shukh, eyn robot
one banana, one shoe, one robot
-
אײנס, צװײ, דרײַ...
eyns, tsvey, dray...
one, two, three...
-
װיפֿל באַנאַנעס זײַנען דאָ? – אײנס. ס׳איז דאָ אײן באַנאַנע.
– Vifl bananes zaynen do? – Eyns. S'iz do eyn banane.
– How many bananas are there? – One. There is one banana.
The form אײנס (eyns) is used when no noun comes directly after the number.
The form אײן (eyn) is used in the construction אײן + noun, when the noun is explicitly mentioned.
| אײן/אײנס |
| אײנס. |
אײן [עפּל/באַנאַנע/שוך…] |
