הם

See also: ה״מ and Appendix:Variations of "em"

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *šum. Cognate with Arabic هُم (hum). The central sense is “they”; other senses are by extension.

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /him(m)/
• (Samaritan Hebrew) IPA^(key): /im.ma/, [ˈʔim.mæˑ]
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈheːm/, [ˈheː.em]
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈhem/, [ˈheːm]
• (Persian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hem/
• (Iraqi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hem/
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hem/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /hejm/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(h)em/

• Audio (Modern Israeli Hebrew):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -em

Pronoun

הֵם • (hem) m pl

1. they (the third-person masculine plural personal pronoun, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))
2. those, yon (the masculine plural distant demonstrative pronoun, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))

   Synonym: אֵלֶּה (éileh, “these”)

   Antonym: אֵלֶּה (éileh)

3. are (a masculine plural present-tense copula, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))

   Synonym: הינם (hinám)

   Antonym: אינם (einám)

Usage notes

• Like the other personal pronouns, הם is not used as a direct object, as the object of preposition, or as a possessive pronoun; rather, its sense is incorporated into the preceding word (which is usually a preposition, especially in Modern Hebrew), which then appears in its third-person-masculine-plural-personal-pronoun-including form. This applies to its demonstrative-pronoun sense as well, as these senses are not truly distinct.
• Like other masculine plural forms, הם is used both with masculine-only antecedents or referents and with mixed-gender antecedents or referents.
• Like other masculine plural forms with feminine counterparts in -ן (-n), הם is sometimes substituted for its feminine counterpart הן (in which case it takes feminine adjectives and verbs), but this is not usually considered correct.

Related terms

• הוא (hu')
• היא (hi')
• הן (hen)

 

See also

Hebrew personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		אֲנִי (aní), אנוכי / אָנֹכִי (anokhí)	אֲנַחְנוּ (anákhnu), אָנוּ (ánu)
2nd person	m	אַתָּה (atá)	אַתֶּם (atém)
	f	אַתְּ (at)	אַתֶּן (atén)
3rd person	m	הוּא (hu)	הֵם (hem)
	f	הִיא (hi)	הֵן (hen)

Adjective

הֵם • (hem)

1. those, yon (the masculine plural distant demonstrative adjective, masculine plural of הוא (hu'))

   Antonym: אֵלֶּה (éileh, “these”)

Usage notes

• This adjective is nearly always found in its definite form הָהֵם (hahém).

Derived terms

• בימים ההם (bayamím hahém, “formerly, in olden days”)

Related terms

• הוא (hu', “that”)
• היא (hi', “that”)
• הן (hen, “those”)

 

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English heme.

Noun

הם • (him)

1. (biology, medicine) heme.

Further reading

• הם on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Anagrams

• ה״מ, מה