how to say “for” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

בִּשְׁבִיל, ל-, עֲבוּר

How do you say for in Hebrew? Depends on what kind of for you’re referring to.

If it’s for in the sense of designating something for a particular purpose, a good word to use is בשביל
.

For example:

בשביל מה צריך את כל הנייר הזה?

For what do (we) need all this paper?

The prefix -ל
works just as well in this example…

לְמה צריך את כל הנייר הזה?

…but when for involves giving to someone else, the best choice in everyday speech is the prefix -ל, plus an ending that specifies who the recipient is.

For example:

קניתי לכם פלייסטיישן!

I bought you guys a Playstation!

A more formal word for for is עבור
– which also takes an ending, as does בשביל.

For example:

עבורי זו הייתה חוויה מרגשת ביותר.

For me this was a most touching experience.

To learn how to use the endings on these words, watch today’s video.

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