היה

Hebrew

Root
ה־י־ה (h-y-h)
2 terms

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *hwy (“to fall, happen, be, become”).

Pronunciation

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

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

הָיָה • (hayá) (pa'al construction)

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

        וְהִתְהַלַּכְתִּי בְּתוֹכְכֶם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי לְעָם׃

        v'hit'halakhtí 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.

      • הַבַּיִת הָיָה אָדוֹם

        habáyit hayá adóm

        the house was red

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

        תהא $f$ פונקציה מקבוצת השלמים לקבוצת השלמים החיוביים.

        Let $f$ be a function from the set of integers to the set of positive integers.

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

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

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

   4. connects a subject to a role the subject plays
   5. (before preposition ל־: indicates ownership, possession, or the like)

      אִם יִהְיֶה לִי

      im yihyé li

      if I'll have

2. to happen, take place, occur

   נֵס גָּדוֹל הָיָה שָׁם.

   nés gadól hayá shám.

   A great miracle happened there.

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

Inflection of היה

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לִהְיוֹת
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	הָיִיתִי		הָיִינוּ
	second	הָיִיתָ	הָיִית	הֱיִיתֶם	הֱיִיתֶן
	third	הָיָה	הייתה \ הָיְתָה	הָיוּ
present		(הוֹוֶה)	(הוֹוָה)	(הוֹוִים)	(הוֹוֺת)
future	first	אֶהְיֶה		נִהְיֶה
	second	תִּהְיֶה	תִּהְיִי	תִּהְיוּ	תִּהְיֶינָה1
	third	יִהְיֶה/יְהֵא	תִּהְיֶה/תְּהֵא	יִהְיוּ	תִּהְיֶינָה1
imperative	positive	הֱיֵה	הֲיִי	הֱיוּ	הֲיֶינָה1
	negative	אַל + Second person future tense

¹ Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Derived terms

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

References

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