how to say “before you” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /]לְפָנֶיךָ

The Hebrew word for before – in the physical sense of being before someone in line as well as on a timeline of before and after – is לפני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /]לומדים לזחול לפני שלומדים ללכת.

(We) learn to crawl before (we) learn to walk.

To say before you in Hebrew, we add a kh sound to the end of the word: before you to a male is לפניך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /] and to a female is לפנייך[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /] (to more than one person of mixed genders is לפניכם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /], and to more than one female is לפניכן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /]).

For example, at the supermarket you might say to a man:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /]סליחה, הייתי לפניך.

Excuse me, I was before you.

If we break down לפני, we see that it means literally to the face of: ל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /] means to, while פני[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /] means face of (פנים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/לפניך-#.m4a” /] means simply face). When we stand before someone, we find ourselves opposite their face.