היה

היה

Hebrew

Root
ה־י־ה‎ (h-y-h)

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(h)aˈja/

Verb

הָיָה • (hayá) (pa'al construction)

1. to be: to exist
   • Genesis 1:3, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     ‏וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי־אוֹר׃‎‎

     vayómer 'elohím y'hí 'ór vay'hí-'ór.

     And God said: 'Let there be light.' And there was light.

2. to be: connects a noun to a prepositional phrase or adjective describing it
   • Leviticus 26:12, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     ‏וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי לְעָם׃‎‎

     v'hithalakhtí b'tokh'khém v'hayíti lakhém lelohím v'atém tihyú-lí l'ám.

     And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people.

   ‏הבית היה אדום‎

   habáyit hayá adóm

   the house was red

3. to happen, take place, occur

   ‏נֵס גָּדוֹל הָיָה שָׁם.‎‎

   nés gadól hayá shám.

   A great miracle happened there.

4. to be: connects a term to its definition
   • 2011, The 52nd International Mathematical Olympiad, problem 5:

     ‏תהא ${\\displaystyle f}$ פונקציה מקבוצת השלמים לקבוצת השלמים החיוביים.‎‎

     Let ${\\displaystyle f}$ be a function from the set of integers to the set of positive integers.

   • 2016, The 57th International Mathematical Olympiad, problem 3:

     ‏יהא ${\\displaystyle P=A_{1}A_{2}...A_{k}}$ מצולע מישורי קמור.‎‎

     Let ${\\displaystyle P=A_{1}A_{2}...A_{k}}$ be a convex polygon in the plane.

5. to be: connects a subject to a role the subject plays
6. to be: indicates ownership, possession, or the like

   ‏אם יהיה לי‎

   im yihyé li

   if I'll have

Usage notes

• The present tense is usually omitted; in some cases a pronoun (such as הוא‎,‎ יש‎, or הינו‎) is used rather than any form of the verb.

Conjugation

Conjugation of הָיָה (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לִהְיוֹת‎
finite forms		masculine singular	feminine singular	masculine plural	feminine plural
past	first person	הָיִיתִי‎		הָיִינוּ‎
	second person	הָיִיתָ‎	הָיִית‎	הֱיִיתֶם‎	הֱיִיתֶן‎
	third person	הָיָה	הייתה \\ הָיְתָה‎	הָיוּ‎
present	all persons	(*הוֹוֶה)‎	(*הוֹוָה)‎	(*הוֹוִים)‎	(*הוֹוֹת)‎
future	first person	אֶהְיֶה‎		נִהְיֶה‎
	second person	תִּהְיֶה‎	תִּהְיִי‎	תּהְיוּ‎	תִּהְיֶינָה‎1
	third person	יִהְיֶה/יְהֵא1	תִּהְיֶה/תְּהֵא1	יִהְיוּ‎	תִּהְיֶינָה‎1
imperative	second person	הֱיֵה	הֲיִי‎	הֱיוּ‎	הֲיֶינָה‎1
notes		Uncommon in modern informal Hebrew, but used in formal speech and writing.

Derived terms

• הָיֹה הָיָה‎ (hayó hayá, “once upon a time”)

References

• H1961 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible