את

See also: Appendix:Variations of "at" and Appendix:Variations of "ot"

Aramaic

Etymology 1

Pronoun

אַתְּ • (ʾatt) m sg (plural אַתּוּן (ʾattūn), feminine אַתִּי (ʾattī) or אַתְּ (ʾatt), feminine plural אַתֵּין (ʾattēn))

1. Alternative form of אַנְתְּ (ʾant)

Etymology 2

Pronoun

אַתְּ • (ʾatt) f sg

1. feminine singular of אַתְּ (ʾatt)

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Related to Phoenician 𐤀𐤉𐤕 (ʾyt), Punic 𐤀𐤕 (ʾt), and Aramaic ית.

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /et/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /eɪs/, /ɛs/
• (Sephardi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /et/
• (Italian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ed/
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /eθ/

• Audio (IL)

  (file)

Preposition

אֵת, אֶת־ • (et, et-)

1. Used to introduce a semantically definite direct object.
   • Tanach, Genesis 1:1, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ:

     bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve'et ha'aretz.

     In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

   • Tanach, Deuteronomy 6:5, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָֽבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ:

     veahávta et adonái elohéycha b'chól levavechá ub'chól nafshechá ub'chól meodécha

     And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

   • 1994, The Lion King, spoken by Scar (Eli Gorenstein):

     אני הרגתי את מופסה!

     Aní harágti et Mufása!

     I killed Mufasa!

   • 2019 October 31, Naomi Niddam, Local Call‎^[1]:

     את ספרו החשוב הראשון פירסם בישראל בשנות ה-70, ובחר לכתוב אותו בערבית ספרותית

     He published his first important book in Israel in the 70s, and chose to write it in Literary Arabic.

Usage notes

• In the event of a semantically indefinite direct object, את is not used; no other preposition is used instead. In general, את is used when the direct object is a proper noun, a personal pronoun (in which case it is incorporated into the form of את), a noun phrase beginning with ה־ (ha-, “the”), or a noun phrase headed by a noun compound ending in one of these.

Inflection

Inflection table (direct object marker)

Non-personal-pronoun-including form				אֵת (et)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
First person	אוֹתִי (otí)		אוֹתָנוּ (otánu)
Second person	אוֹתְךָ (otkhá)	אוֹתָךְ (otákh)	אֶתְכֶם (etkhém), אוֹתְכֶם (otkhém)1	אֶתְכֶן (etkhén), אוֹתְכֶן (otkhén)1
Third person	אוֹתוֹ (otó)	אוֹתׇהּ (otáh)	אוֹתָם (otám)	אוֹתָן (otán)
Notes	1. The forms etkhém and etkhén are considered more correct, but the forms otkhém and otkhén are more common in everyday usage.

Further reading

H853 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Etymology 2

Cognate with Akkadian 𒀉𒋾 (itti, “with”).

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /et/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /eɪs/, /ɛs/

Preposition

אֵת, אֶת־ • (et, et-) [pattern: קֵטֶל]

1. (archaic) To, with.
   • 2015 September 29, Ran Boker, “לונדון את קירשנבאום תשודר כמו בימי חייו של מוטי (“London et Kirschenbaum will be broadcasted like [the way it was] in the lifetime of Moti”)”, in ynet:
   • Tanach, Genesis 39:2, with translation of the King James Version:

     וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת יוֹסֵף

     vayhi YHWH et Yosef

     And the Lord was with Joseph

Usage notes

• The inflected forms of the otherwise archaic sense “to” or “with” are still used, but now belong to the (suppletive) preposition עִם (im, “with”).
• In modern sources, the separate use of אֵת as meaning 'with', is influenced more by Romance et. (see quote above)

Inflection

Inflection table (archaic sense “to” or “with”)

Non-personal-pronoun-including form				עִם (im), אֵת, אֶת־ (et, et-)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
First person	איתי / אִתִּי (ití)		איתנו / אִתָּנוּ (itánu)
Second person	איתך / אִתְּךָ (itkhá)	איתך / אִתָּךְ (itákh)	איתכם / אִתְּכֶם (itkhém)	איתכן / אִתְּכֶן (itkhén)
Third person	איתו / אִתּוֹ (itó)	איתה / אִתָּהּ (itáh)	איתם / אִתָּם (itám)	איתן / אִתָּן (itán)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Semitic *ʔanti.

Pronunciation

• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔatti/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔat/

Pronoun

אַתְּ • (át) f (Biblical Hebrew pausal form אָתְּ)

1. You, thou: (the feminine singular second-person personal pronoun).

Usage notes

• In Mishnaic sources, the second-person masculine singular is inflected exactly as the feminine singular should be.

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)

Etymology 4

Noun

אֹת • (ot) m (plural אֹתֹת or אֹתוֹת)

1. (rare, Biblical Hebrew) defective spelling of אוֹת: sign.

Etymology 5

Noun

אֵת • (et) m (plural indefinite אִתִּים, singular construct אֵת־, plural construct אִתֵּי־)

1. shovel
2. spade

Usage notes

• in addition to the pronunciation אִתִּים (itím) the plural is also pronounced אֵתִים (etím)

Anagrams

• תא, ת״א