Lesson 11: Where Is It?
Sooner or later you’ll need to ask where something is. The key word is אֵיפֹה (eifo, “where”), plus a handful of little place words.
Asking the way
סְלִיחָה, אֵיפֹה הַשֵּׁרוּתִים?
slicha, eifo hasherutim?
Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
הַשֵּׁרוּתִים שָׁם, לְיַד הַדֶּלֶת.
hasherutim sham, leyad hadelet.
The bathroom is over there, next to the door.
תּוֹדָה! וְאֵיפֹה הַתַּחֲנָה?
toda! ve’eifo hatachana?
Thanks! And where is the station?
הַתַּחֲנָה קְרוֹבָה. יָשָׁר, וְאָז יָמִינָה.
hatachana krova. yashar, ve’az yamina.
The station is close. Straight ahead, then right.
תּוֹדָה רַבָּה!
toda raba!
Thank you very much!
Grammar: place words and “where”
To ask where something is: אֵיפֹה (eifo)
- the thing (usually with “the”):
- אֵיפֹה הַתַּחֲנָה? eifo hatachana? — “Where is the station?”
There’s no word for “is” — eifo hatachana is literally “where the‑station”.
The small place words tell you the location:
| Hebrew | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
| פֹּה / כָּאן | po / kan | here |
| שָׁם | sham | there |
| לְיַד | leyad | next to |
| עַל | al | on |
| בְּ־ | be‑ | in / at |
Tip: For directions, יָמִינָה (yamina, “to the right”) and שְׂמֹאלָה (smola, “to the left”) end in ‑a, which adds the sense of motion toward that side.
Vocabulary
Places
| שֵׁרוּתִים | sherutim | bathroom / toilets |
| תַּחֲנָה | tachana | station |
| דֶּלֶת | delet | door |
Place & direction words
| פֹּה / כָּאן | po / kan | here |
| שָׁם | sham | there |
| לְיַד | leyad | next to |
| יָשָׁר | yashar | straight ahead |
| יָמִינָה | yamina | to the right |
| שְׂמֹאלָה | smola | to the left |
Question words
| אֵיפֹה | eifo | where |
Expressions
| סְלִיחָה | slicha | excuse me / sorry |
| אָז | az | then, so |