Be in Hebrew is הָיָה (hayá).
It can also be said הוא, היא, or הם, depending on the meaning. Below are the vowel points, how each word is said, its gender and its plural.
be
/ˈbiː/
The stress falls on the vowel in colour.
These are the Hebrew words for be as a verb.
used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by an adjective
- הָיָההיהhayá
- הוּאהואhumasculineIn the Hebrew dictionary
- הִיאהיאhifeminineIn the Hebrew dictionary
- הֵםהםhemmasculineplural
- הֵןהןhenfeminineplural
intransitive, non-copulative (usually literary in English): to exist; to have real existence
- הָיָההיהhayá
to occupy a place
- הָיָההיהhayá
to occur, take place
- הָיָההיהhayá
This is more about the Hebrew word הָיָה.
- Written with vowel points
- הָיָה
- Written without vowel points
- היה
- Said
- hayá
- Its meanings in English
- be, to be
These English words share a Hebrew word with be.
These words come before and after be in the list.
These are the questions people ask about be in Hebrew.
How do you say be in Hebrew?
be in Hebrew is הָיָה, said hayá. Without vowel points it is written היה.
What are other Hebrew words for be?
Besides היה, be can be said הוּא (hu), הִיא (hi), הֵם (hem), or הֵן (hen), depending on the meaning.
What else does היה mean in English?
Besides be, היה can mean to be.
How is be pronounced in English?
be is pronounced /ˈbiː/.
The Hebrew translations, transliterations, genders and plurals on this page are adapted from Wiktionary's entry be and its entries for the Hebrew words, read on 5 November 2026, and are shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.