Lesson 66: Belonging — Shel and the Construct
The everyday way to say “of” is שֶׁל (shel). A tighter, more formal way joins two nouns directly — the construct, or סְמִיכוּת (smichut). Tap any line to hear it.
Using shel
הַסֵּפֶר שֶׁל דָּנָה.
hasefer shel dana.
Dana’s book.
הַמְּכוֹנִית שֶׁלִּי חֲדָשָׁה.
hamechonit sheli chadasha.
My car is new.
זֶה הַתּוֹר שֶׁלְּךָ.
ze hator shelcha.
It’s your turn.
The construct (smichut)
בֵּית סֵפֶר.
beit sefer.
A school. (literally “house of book”)
עוּגַת שׁוֹקוֹלָד.
ugat shokolad.
A chocolate cake. (literally “cake of chocolate”)
תַּחֲנַת אוֹטוֹבּוּס.
tachanat otobus.
A bus stop.
Both together
זֶה חֲדַר הַיְלָדִים שֶׁלָּנוּ.
ze chadar hayeladim shelanu.
This is our children’s room.