What does "to use" mean in Hebrew?
English "use" does many jobs: "I use a pen," "use your head," "a language in daily use," "it's no use." Hebrew has one main verb for the first of these, the verb להשתמש (lehishtamesh), "to use, to make use of." It names the act of taking a tool, a thing, a word or a method and putting it to work. אני משתמש בטלפון (ani mishtamesh ba-telefon) is "I use the phone."
The first thing a learner must see is that להשתמש does not take a direct object. English says "use the phone," with nothing between the verb and the noun. Hebrew says "make-use with the phone": the thing used comes after the little preposition ב־ (be-), "with, in":
- A thing, a tool or a method: משתמש בטלפון (mishtamesh ba-telefon), "uses the phone"; השתמש במפתח (hishtamesh ba-mafte'akh), "use the key." - A pronoun is built into the preposition: בו (bo), "with it" (masculine); בה (ba), "with it" (feminine); בהם (bahem), "with them." So "I use it" is אני משתמש בו, never "אני משתמש אותו." Section D gives the full set. - A person can be "used" too, and the sense is that of English: "he is using me" is הוא משתמש בי (hu mishtamesh bi), and it is not a compliment.
The verb belongs to the root ש־מ־ש (sh-m-sh), whose old sense is "to serve." The same root gives שימש (shimesh), "he served" or "he acted as" (שימש כמורה, shimesh ke-moreh, "he served as a teacher"); שמש (shamash), "attendant," the name of the sexton of a synagogue and of the helper candle on the Hanukkah menorah; and שימוש (shimush), "use, usage." A simple way to remember the verb: a thing that you use is a thing that serves you. This is only a memory aid and not a claim about how the word was formed. The Bible's own words for "serve" are עבד and שרת. The root שמש in this sense belongs to the Hebrew and Aramaic of the rabbis.
The verb is in the hitpa'el binyan, the pattern with the prefix הת־ (hit-). It shows one rule that every learner of Hebrew meets sooner or later. When the first letter of the root is ש (or ס), the ת of the prefix and that first letter change places. The root שמש plus the prefix הת־ would give "התשמש," and the language says השתמש (hishtamesh). The verb הסתכל (histakel), "to look," from the root ס־כ־ל, does the same. So a ת stands after the ש in the middle of the verb, and the stress falls on the last syllable: hish-ta-MESH.
Do not mix להשתמש with its neighbours:
- לנצל (lenatsel) — "to take advantage of, to exploit": לנצל הזדמנות (lenatsel hizdamnut), "to take an opportunity." Of a person it means "to exploit." - להפעיל (lehaf'il) — "to operate, to switch on": להפעיל מכונה (lehaf'il mekhona), "to operate a machine." - לצרוך (litsrokh) — "to consume": לצרוך חשמל (litsrokh khashmal), "to consume electricity." - להיות רגיל ל־ (lihyot ragil le-) — "to be used to": אני רגיל לזה (ani ragil la-ze), "I'm used to it." English "used to" has nothing to do with this verb.
A note on spelling. The prefix ה־ and the ת are both written, and no vowel letter stands anywhere in the stem. The unpointed past (השתמש, "he used") and the imperative (השתמש, "use!") are therefore the same word on the page, and only the context tells them apart. The present takes the prefix מ־ in place of ה־: משתמש ("uses").
- להשתמש (lehishtamesh) = "to use"; the thing used follows the preposition ב־: משתמש בטלפון - It takes no direct object: "I use it" is אני משתמש בו, and the ending of ב־ carries the pronoun (בו, בה, בהם) - The forms: past השתמש (hishtamesh), present משתמש (mishtamesh), future ישתמש (yishtamesh), infinitive להשתמש (lehishtamesh) - The ת of the prefix comes after the ש: השתמש and not "התשמש"; the stress is on the last syllable - "Do not use": אל תשתמש ב־; on signs: אין להשתמש ב־ - משתמש is also a noun, "user": שם משתמש (shem mishtamesh), "username"; the noun for "use" is שימוש (shimush) - Idiom: להשתמש בראש (lehishtamesh ba-rosh), "to use one's head"
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57.1a אני I משתמש use בטלפון with-the-phone
57.1b ani (a-NEE) I mishtamesh (mish-ta-MESH) use-PRES.M.SG ba-telefon (ba-te-le-FON) with-the-phone-M.SG
57.2a היא she משתמשת uses במחשב with-the-computer
57.2b hi (HEE) she mishtameshet (mish-ta-ME-shet) use-PRES.F.SG ba-makhshev (ba-makh-SHEV) with-the-computer-M.SG
57.3a השתמש use במפתח with-the-key
57.3b hishtamesh (hish-ta-MESH) use-IMP.M.SG ba-mafte'akh (ba-maf-TE-akh) with-the-key-M.SG
57.4a אנחנו we משתמשים use רק only במזומן with-cash
57.4b anakhnu (a-NAKH-nu) we mishtamshim (mish-tam-SHEEM) use-PRES.M.PL rak (RAK) only be-mezuman (be-me-zu-MAN) with-cash-M.SG
57.5a הם they משתמשים use בו with-it כל every יום day
57.5b hem (HEM) they-M mishtamshim (mish-tam-SHEEM) use-PRES.M.PL bo (BO) with-3M.SG kol (KOL) every yom (YOM) day-M.SG
57.6a אנחנו we לא not משתמשים use במכונית with-the-car בעיר in-the-city
57.6b anakhnu (a-NAKH-nu) we lo (LO) not mishtamshim (mish-tam-SHEEM) use-PRES.M.PL ba-mekhonit (ba-me-kho-NEET) with-the-car-F.SG ba-ir (ba-EER) in-the-city-F.SG
57.7a השתמשתי I-used במילון with-the-dictionary כדי in-order להבין to-understand את ACC המילה the-word
57.7b hishtamashti (hish-ta-MASH-ti) use-PAST.1SG ba-milon (ba-mi-LON) with-the-dictionary-M.SG kedei (ke-DEI) in-order lehavin (le-ha-VEEN) to-understand-INF et (ET) ACC ha-mila (ha-mi-LA) the-word-F.SG
57.8a השתמשנו we-used במפה with-the-map ומצאנו and-found את ACC הדרך the-way
57.8b hishtamashnu (hish-ta-MASH-nu) use-PAST.1PL ba-mapa (ba-ma-PA) with-the-map-F.SG u-matsanu (u-ma-TSA-nu) and-find-PAST.1PL et (ET) ACC ha-derekh (ha-DE-rekh) the-way-F.SG
57.9a אם if תשתמש you-will-use בו with-it נכון correctly הוא it לא not יישבר will-break
57.9b im (EEM) if tishtamesh (tish-ta-MESH) use-FUT.2M.SG bo (BO) with-3M.SG nakhon (na-KHON) correctly hu (HOO) it-M lo (LO) not yishaver (yi-sha-VER) break-FUT.3M.SG
57.10a אל don't תשתמש use בטלפון with-the-phone בזמן during הנהיגה the-driving
57.10b al (AL) not tishtamesh (tish-ta-MESH) use-FUT.2M.SG ba-telefon (ba-te-le-FON) with-the-phone-M.SG bi-zman (biz-MAN) at-time-of ha-nehiga (ha-ne-hi-GA) the-driving-F.SG
57.11a היא she משתמשת uses באנגלית with-English בעבודה at-work אבל but בבית at-home היא she מדברת speaks עברית Hebrew
57.11b hi (HEE) she mishtameshet (mish-ta-ME-shet) use-PRES.F.SG be-anglit (be-ang-LEET) with-English-F.SG ba-avoda (ba-a-vo-DA) at-work-F.SG aval (a-VAL) but ba-bayit (ba-BA-yit) in-the-house-M.SG hi (HEE) she medaberet (me-da-BE-ret) speak-PRES.F.SG ivrit (iv-REET) Hebrew-F.SG
57.12a הילדים the-children השתמשו used בכל with-all הצבעים the-colours ועכשיו and-now הנייר the-paper צבעוני colourful
57.12b ha-yeladim (ha-ye-la-DEEM) the-child-M.PL hishtamshu (hish-tam-SHOO) use-PAST.3PL be-khol (be-KHOL) with-all ha-tsva'im (ha-tsva-EEM) the-colour-M.PL ve-akhshav (ve-akh-SHAV) and-now ha-neyar (ha-ne-YAR) the-paper-M.SG tsiv'oni (tsiv-o-NEE) colourful-M.SG
57.13a המורה the-teacher ביקשה asked שנשתמש that-we-will-use במילים with-words שלמדנו that-we-learned השבוע this-week
57.13b ha-mora (ha-mo-RA) the-teacher-F.SG biksha (bik-SHA) ask-PAST.3F.SG she-nishtamesh (she-nish-ta-MESH) that-use-FUT.1PL be-milim (be-mi-LEEM) with-word-F.PL she-lamadnu (she-la-MAD-nu) that-learn-PAST.1PL ha-shavua (ha-sha-VU-a) this-week
57.14a הרבה many אנשים people משתמשים use באפליקציה with-the-app הזאת the-this כי because היא it פשוטה simple וחינמית and-free ואין and-there-is-no צורך need להירשם to-register
57.14b harbe (har-BE) many anashim (a-na-SHEEM) person-M.PL mishtamshim (mish-tam-SHEEM) use-PRES.M.PL ba-aplikatsya (ba-ap-li-KAT-sya) with-the-app-F.SG ha-zot (ha-ZOT) the-this-F.SG ki (KEE) because hi (HEE) it-F pshuta (pshu-TA) simple-F.SG ve-khinamit (ve-khi-na-MEET) and-free-F.SG ve-ein (ve-EIN) and-there-is-no tsorekh (TSO-rekh) need-M.SG lehirashem (le-hi-ra-SHEM) to-register-INF
57.15a אם if נשתמש we-will-use בכוח with-force במקום instead במילים with-words לא not נפתור we-will-solve שום any דבר thing
57.15b im (EEM) if nishtamesh (nish-ta-MESH) use-FUT.1PL be-koakh (be-KO-akh) with-force-M.SG bimkom (bim-KOM) instead-of be-milim (be-mi-LEEM) with-word-F.PL lo (LO) not niftor (nif-TOR) solve-FUT.1PL shum (SHUM) any davar (da-VAR) thing-M.SG
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57.1 אני משתמש בטלפון — ani mishtamesh ba-telefon — "I use the phone." (a man speaking)
57.2 היא משתמשת במחשב — hi mishtameshet ba-makhshev — "She uses the computer."
57.3 השתמש במפתח — hishtamesh ba-mafte'akh — "Use the key." (to a man)
57.4 אנחנו משתמשים רק במזומן — anakhnu mishtamshim rak be-mezuman — "We use only cash."
57.5 הם משתמשים בו כל יום — hem mishtamshim bo kol yom — "They use it every day."
57.6 אנחנו לא משתמשים במכונית בעיר — anakhnu lo mishtamshim ba-mekhonit ba-ir — "We don't use the car in the city."
57.7 השתמשתי במילון כדי להבין את המילה — hishtamashti ba-milon kedei lehavin et ha-mila — "I used the dictionary to understand the word."
57.8 השתמשנו במפה ומצאנו את הדרך — hishtamashnu ba-mapa u-matsanu et ha-derekh — "We used the map and found the way."
57.9 אם תשתמש בו נכון הוא לא יישבר — im tishtamesh bo nakhon hu lo yishaver — "If you use it properly, it won't break." (to a man)
57.10 אל תשתמש בטלפון בזמן הנהיגה — al tishtamesh ba-telefon bi-zman ha-nehiga — "Don't use the phone while driving." (to a man)
57.11 היא משתמשת באנגלית בעבודה אבל בבית היא מדברת עברית — hi mishtameshet be-anglit ba-avoda aval ba-bayit hi medaberet ivrit — "She uses English at work, but at home she speaks Hebrew."
57.12 הילדים השתמשו בכל הצבעים ועכשיו הנייר צבעוני — ha-yeladim hishtamshu be-khol ha-tsva'im ve-akhshav ha-neyar tsiv'oni — "The children used all the colours, and now the paper is colourful."
57.13 המורה ביקשה שנשתמש במילים שלמדנו השבוע — ha-mora biksha she-nishtamesh be-milim she-lamadnu ha-shavua — "The teacher asked us to use the words we learned this week."
57.14 הרבה אנשים משתמשים באפליקציה הזאת כי היא פשוטה וחינמית ואין צורך להירשם — harbe anashim mishtamshim ba-aplikatsya ha-zot ki hi pshuta ve-khinamit ve-ein tsorekh lehirashem — "Many people use this app because it is simple and free, and there is no need to register."
57.15 אם נשתמש בכוח במקום במילים לא נפתור שום דבר — im nishtamesh be-koakh bimkom be-milim lo niftor shum davar — "If we use force instead of words, we won't solve anything."
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57.1 אני משתמש בטלפון
57.2 היא משתמשת במחשב
57.3 השתמש במפתח
57.4 אנחנו משתמשים רק במזומן
57.5 הם משתמשים בו כל יום
57.6 אנחנו לא משתמשים במכונית בעיר
57.7 השתמשתי במילון כדי להבין את המילה
57.8 השתמשנו במפה ומצאנו את הדרך
57.9 אם תשתמש בו נכון הוא לא יישבר
57.10 אל תשתמש בטלפון בזמן הנהיגה
57.11 היא משתמשת באנגלית בעבודה אבל בבית היא מדברת עברית
57.12 הילדים השתמשו בכל הצבעים ועכשיו הנייר צבעוני
57.13 המורה ביקשה שנשתמש במילים שלמדנו השבוע
57.14 הרבה אנשים משתמשים באפליקציה הזאת כי היא פשוטה וחינמית ואין צורך להירשם
57.15 אם נשתמש בכוח במקום במילים לא נפתור שום דבר
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1. What kind of verb it is. להשתמש is a verb of the hitpa'el binyan (הִתְפַּעֵל), root ש־מ־ש. Its infinitive is להשתמש (lehishtamesh); its past, third person masculine, is השתמש (hishtamesh), the form given in dictionaries and the "he" form on which the others are built. The hitpa'el is the binyan of the prefix הת־, often reflexive. Here the sense is "to make use of" and no longer feels reflexive.
2. The ת moves. In the hitpa'el, when the first letter of the root is ש or ס, it changes places with the ת of the prefix: ש־מ־ש gives השתמש (and not "התשמש"), and ס־כ־ל gives הסתכל (histakel), "he looked." This is why the ת stands after the ש in every form of this verb: השתמשתי, משתמש, אשתמש.
3. The thing used takes ב־. The object of להשתמש is introduced by the preposition ב־ (be-), "with, in": משתמש בטלפון (57.1), משתמשת במחשב (57.2), השתמשתי במילון (57.7). The verb is never followed by the direct-object marker את (et): "השתמשתי את המילון" is wrong. The marker את appears in these examples only before the object of a different verb: להבין את המילה (57.7), ומצאנו את הדרך (57.8).
4. ב־ and the article. When the noun is definite, the ה of the article disappears and its vowel passes to the preposition: ב + הטלפון gives בטלפון (ba-telefon), "with the phone." The written word is therefore the same for "with the phone" (ba-telefon) and "with a phone" (be-telefon), and the context decides. The name of a language takes no article: באנגלית (be-anglit), "with English" (57.11). Before a word whose first consonant has no vowel of its own, ב־ becomes bi-: בזמן (bi-zman, 57.10), במקום (bim-kom, 57.15).
5. ב־ with pronouns. The preposition takes endings, as many Hebrew prepositions do:
- בי (bi) — with me - בך (bekha) — with you, to a man - בך (bakh) — with you, to a woman - בו (bo) — with him, with it (masculine) - בה (ba) — with her, with it (feminine) - בנו (banu) — with us - בכם (bakhem) — with you, to men or a mixed group - בכן (bakhen) — with you, to women - בהם (bahem) — with them, masculine or mixed - בהן (bahen) — with them, feminine
The pronoun agrees in gender with the noun it replaces. A phone (טלפון) is masculine and takes בו; an app (אפליקציה) is feminine and takes בה: אני משתמש בה. In everyday speech בכן and בהן are often replaced by בכם and בהם.
6. The past. The endings are those of every Hebrew past tense. The forms (with the stress on the capital syllable) are:
- השתמשתי (hishtamashti, hish-ta-MASH-ti) — I used - השתמשת (hishtamashta, hish-ta-MASH-ta) — you used, to a man - השתמשת (hishtamasht, hish-ta-MASHT) — you used, to a woman - השתמש (hishtamesh, hish-ta-MESH) — he used - השתמשה (hishtamsha, hish-tam-SHA) — she used - השתמשנו (hishtamashnu, hish-ta-MASH-nu) — we used - השתמשתם (hishtamashtem, hish-ta-mash-TEM) — you used, to men or a mixed group - השתמשתן (hishtamashten, hish-ta-mash-TEN) — you used, to women - השתמשו (hishtamshu, hish-tam-SHOO) — they used
The two forms of "you" are written the same way and differ in speech by the ending, -ta (to a man) and -t (to a woman). Hebrew has no separate form for "used to" or "was using": the past stands for both, and the context says which (57.24).
7. The present. The present participle (the "benoni") has four forms, and it is also the form for habit and for the action in progress:
- משתמש (mishtamesh, mish-ta-MESH) — masculine singular (57.1) - משתמשת (mishtameshet, mish-ta-ME-shet) — feminine singular (57.2) - משתמשים (mishtamshim, mish-tam-SHEEM) — masculine plural, or mixed (57.4) - משתמשות (mishtamshot, mish-tam-SHOT) — feminine plural
The masculine plural is also the impersonal "one": איך משתמשים בו (57.21), "how one uses it." Hebrew has no continuous form: אני משתמש in 57.1 is both "I use" and "I am using." The same participle is a noun, משתמש, "a user," and its feminine is משתמשת: שם משתמש (shem mishtamesh), "username."
8. The future. The future has the prefixes of the hitpa'el, and the vowel before the last letter is the same as in the infinitive:
- אשתמש (eshtamesh, esh-ta-MESH) — I will use (57.19) - תשתמש (tishtamesh, tish-ta-MESH) — you will use, to a man (57.9); or she will use - תשתמשי (tishtamshi, tish-tam-SHEE) — you will use, to a woman (57.29) - ישתמש (yishtamesh, yish-ta-MESH) — he will use - נשתמש (nishtamesh, nish-ta-MESH) — we will use (57.13, 57.15) - תשתמשו (tishtamshu, tish-tam-SHOO) — you will use, plural - ישתמשו (yishtamshu, yish-tam-SHOO) — they will use
Women addressed or spoken of in the plural take the same forms as men (תשתמשו, ישתמשו) in everyday speech.
9. The imperative and the prohibition. The positive command has the form of the past, third person masculine: השתמש (hishtamesh, "use!", 57.3); to a woman השתמשי (hishtamshi); in the plural השתמשו (hishtamshu). The negative command never uses it. It takes אל (al) and the future: אל תשתמש בטלפון (57.10), "don't use the phone"; אל תשתמשי בו (57.29), to a woman. Notices and rules use the bare infinitive with אין (ein): אין להשתמש בטלפון, "the phone is not to be used"; and with אסור (asur), "forbidden," and מותר (mutar), "allowed": אסור להשתמש בו, מותר להשתמש בו.
10. The infinitive. The infinitive להשתמש goes with the verbs and words that take an infinitive: רוצה להשתמש (rotse lehishtamesh), "wants to use"; צריך להשתמש (tsarikh lehishtamesh), "needs to use"; אפשר להשתמש (efshar lehishtamesh), "it is possible to use"; למדה להשתמש (lamda lehishtamesh), "learned to use" (57.26); תתחילי להשתמש (tatkhili lehishtamesh), "start using" (57.18). English "using" has no word-for-word Hebrew form after most verbs. Hebrew says "start to use" (להתחיל להשתמש), and for "by using" it says בעזרת (be-ezrat), "with the help of," or על ידי שימוש ב־ (al yedei shimush be-), "by means of the use of."
11. "Use X for Y," "use X as Y." The purpose follows with כדי ל־ (kedei le-), "in order to," and the infinitive: השתמשתי במילון כדי להבין (57.7), השתמשה בו כדי לענות (57.22). The role is introduced by כ־ (ke-), "as": הוא משתמש בקופסה כשולחן (hu mishtamesh ba-kufsa ke-shulkhan), "he uses the box as a table."
12. The family of the root.
- שימוש (shimush) — "use, usage." Plural: שימושים (shimushim). It also takes ב־: שימוש בכוח (shimush be-koakh), "the use of force." - שימושי (shimushi) — "useful, practical": ספר שימושי (sefer shimushi), "a practical book." Another word for "useful, helpful" is מועיל (mo'il). - משתמש (mishtamesh) — "user"; שם משתמש (shem mishtamesh), "username"; תנאי שימוש (tna'ei shimush), "terms of use." - הוראות שימוש (hora'ot shimush) — "instructions for use" - בשימוש (be-shimush) — "in use" - משומש (meshumash) — "used, second-hand": מכונית משומשת (mekhonit meshumeshet), "a used car." - השתמשות (hishtamshut) — a rarer noun for the act of using; speech prefers שימוש.
13. The verb that serves. The old sense of the root, "to serve," lives on in שימש (shimesh), the pi'el: שימש כ־ (shimesh ke-) means "served as, acted as": הוא שימש כמורה, "he served as a teacher." In the hitpa'el the verb with ב־ means "use," and in the pi'el with כ־ it means "serve as." Compare: הקופסה שימשה כשולחן (ha-kufsa shimsha ke-shulkhan), "the box served as a table."
14. "This week." The word השבוע (ha-shavua), literally "the week," means "this week" (57.13), as היום (ha-yom), "the day," means "today." The article marks the week or the day that is now.
- A direct object. "השתמשתי את הטלפון" is wrong. Say השתמשתי בטלפון, and with a pronoun השתמשתי בו. - The wrong preposition. The object does not take ל־ ("to") or על ("on"): "משתמש לטלפון" is wrong. The preposition is ב־. - The ת in the wrong place. The verb is השתמש, with the ת after the ש. "התשמש" is not a Hebrew word. - A negative command in the past. "אל השתמש" is wrong. Say אל תשתמש (the future) or, on a sign, אין להשתמש. - A pronoun after the verb. "I use it" is אני משתמש בו, not "אני משתמש אותו" and not "אני משתמש הוא." - The wrong gender of the pronoun. The ending follows the noun: בו for the phone (masculine), בה for the app (feminine). - English "used to." "I used to live there" is גרתי שם, and "I'm used to it" is אני רגיל לזה. Neither takes להשתמש. - "Useful." The adjective is שימושי or מועיל, and not "משתמש," which is the present participle ("uses") or the noun "user." - Mixing the binyanim. The pi'el שימש (shimesh) is "served as." The hitpa'el השתמש (hishtamesh) is "used." Keep the pair apart.
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The verb is a common one in speech and in writing. It is neutral in register and is heard in the home, at work and on the screen alike. The notice style with אין להשתמש (ein lehishtamesh) and the noun שימוש belong to the written language of signs, labels and rules.
The noun of this lesson is found wherever Hebrew gives instructions. Medicine boxes and appliances carry הוראות שימוש (hora'ot shimush), "instructions for use." Websites ask the visitor to accept תנאי שימוש (tna'ei shimush), "terms of use." A signed-in visitor has a שם משתמש (shem mishtamesh), "username," and a סיסמה (sisma), "password." In a building, a safety notice of the kind "in case of fire, do not use the lift" says אין להשתמש במעלית (ein lehishtamesh ba-ma'alit), and uses the form of rule 9.
The best-known idiom is להשתמש בראש (lehishtamesh ba-rosh), "to use one's head," that is, to think before acting. A parent or a friend says תשתמש בראש (tishtamesh ba-rosh), "use your head," as the English would. It is the closing joke of the story in the Genre Section.
With a person as the object, להשתמש ב־ keeps the meaning of "exploit." משתמשים בי (mishtamshim bi), "they are using me," is a complaint, and the person who is used feels it as one. The noun has the same shade in שימוש לרעה (shimush le-ra'a), "misuse, abuse," as in "abuse of power." For the neutral sense of "taking advantage of a chance" Hebrew uses another verb, לנצל (see the Introduction).
אין לי שימוש בזה (ein li shimush ba-ze) is "I have no use for this," a polite way of declining something offered.
The root's old meaning, "to serve," is seen at Hanukkah. The Hanukkah menorah has eight lights for the eight days and a ninth, set apart from the rest, that is used to light the others. It is called the שמש (shamash), "the attendant." A synagogue's sexton, who looks after the building and the services, bears the same name. Both are "the one who serves," and the candle is a good picture of the verb of this lesson: a thing is put to use, and it is called by the work it does.
- להשתמש בראש (lehishtamesh ba-rosh) — "to use one's head" - הוראות שימוש (hora'ot shimush) — "instructions for use" - תנאי שימוש (tna'ei shimush) — "terms of use" - שם משתמש (shem mishtamesh) — "username" - שימוש לרעה (shimush le-ra'a) — "misuse, abuse" - אין לי שימוש בזה (ein li shimush ba-ze) — "I have no use for this" - בשימוש (be-shimush) — "in use" - משומש (meshumash) — "used, second-hand" - שימש כ־ (shimesh ke-) — "served as"
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The citation is from the Mishnah, tractate Avot ("Sayings of the Fathers"), chapter 1, mishnah 13: the last clause of a four-part saying of Hillel, the sage of the late first century BCE. The saying is in Aramaic and not in Hebrew, and its verb אשתמש (ishtamesh) is the Aramaic form of the verb of this lesson. The clause warns against using learning for one's own ends. The text is the consonantal text, which is the same in the printed editions that were checked, Sefaria's edition and the Hebrew Wikisource edition. The vowel signs are omitted because the two editions vowel two of the words differently. Of the four clauses, only the last is quoted here.
F.1a ודאשתמש and-whoever-uses
F.1b u-de-ishtamesh (ud-ish-ta-MESH) and-who-use-3M.SG
F.2a בתגא with-the-crown
F.2b be-taga (be-ta-GA) with-crown-DEF
F.3a חלף passes-away
F.3b khalef (kha-LEF) pass-away-3M.SG
ודאשתמש בתגא חלף
u-de-ishtamesh be-taga khalef
"And whoever makes use of the crown passes away."
— Mishnah Avot 1:13 (translation: Latinum Institute, kept close to the Aramaic)
ודאשתמש בתגא חלף
The clause has three words, and each shows something about the language of the lesson:
- ודאשתמש (u-de-ishtamesh). It is three small parts joined into one word: ו (u-), "and"; ד (de-), the Aramaic word for "who, that"; and אשתמש (ishtamesh), "makes use." The verb is the Aramaic relative of the Hebrew השתמש. The Hebrew prefix ה־ (ha-) corresponds to the Aramaic prefix א־ (i-), and the shape of the rest is the same: ש־ת־מ־ש with the ת after the first ש, exactly the order of rule 2 in Section D. The Hebrew verb השתמש is its counterpart, and it too belongs to the language of the rabbis, long before the Hebrew of modern Israel. - בתגא (be-taga). The preposition ב־ (be-), "with," stands before the thing used, exactly as in 57.1: use with the crown. The word תגא (taga) is the Aramaic "crown." The final -א (-a) is the Aramaic definite article, which stands where Hebrew puts ה־ in front: "the crown," Hebrew הכתר (ha-keter). - חלף (khalef). "He passes away, he is gone." It is the verb of the end of the clause, and the Aramaic form is the same as the Hebrew חלף (khalaf), "passed."
A learner can read in this clause the construction of the whole lesson: a verb of "using," the little preposition ב־, and then the thing used.
The "crown" in Hillel's saying is the learning of the Torah, and the clause warns the scholar against wearing it as a decoration. In the same tractate, Avot 4:5, Rabbi Zadok says (in the sense of the Sefaria English) that the words of the Torah are not to be made a crown for self-exaltation, nor a spade to dig with, and he adds that Hillel used to say the same clause. Learning that is used for one's own profit or glory is a misuse of it. Commentators read the "crown" in other ways as well, and the clause has been explained as a warning against misusing sacred things, but the main line is plain.
For the learner of modern Hebrew, the clause shows an old example of the sense that Section E calls "being used." The verb already means more than "pick up a tool." To use a thing is to make it serve one's own purpose, and a thing that is made to serve a purpose that does not belong to it is misused. That is why "he is using me" in the modern language is a complaint, and why the same root gives "served" and "used."
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57.16a סבתא grandma רחל Rachel אף any פעם time לא not השתמשה used בטלפון with-phone חכם smart
57.16b sabta (SAV-ta) grandma-F.SG rakhel (ra-KHEL) Rachel af (AF) any pa'am (PA-am) time-F.SG lo (LO) not hishtamsha (hish-tam-SHA) use-PAST.3F.SG be-telefon (be-te-le-FON) with-phone-M.SG khakham (kha-KHAM) smart-M.SG
57.17a נועם Noam הנכד the-grandson שלה of-her רצה wanted ללמד to-teach אותה her להשתמש to-use בו with-it
57.17b no'am (NO-am) Noam ha-nekhed (ha-NE-khed) the-grandson-M.SG shela (she-LA) of-3F.SG ratsa (ra-TSA) want-PAST.3M.SG lelamed (le-la-MED) to-teach-INF ota (o-TA) her-ACC.3F.SG lehishtamesh (le-hish-ta-MESH) to-use-INF bo (BO) with-3M.SG
57.18a הוא he אמר said סבתא grandma תתחילי start להשתמש to-use בו with-it ותראי and-you-will-see שזה that-it קל easy
57.18b hu (HOO) he amar (a-MAR) say-PAST.3M.SG sabta (SAV-ta) grandma-F.SG tatkhili (tat-khi-LEE) start-FUT.2F.SG lehishtamesh (le-hish-ta-MESH) to-use-INF bo (BO) with-3M.SG ve-tir'i (ve-tir-EE) and-see-FUT.2F.SG she-ze (she-ZE) that-this kal (KAL) easy-M.SG
57.19a סבתא grandma פחדה was-afraid ואמרה and-said אני I זקנה old איך how אשתמש I-will-use במכשיר with-device כזה like-this
57.19b sabta (SAV-ta) grandma-F.SG pakhada (pa-kha-DA) fear-PAST.3F.SG ve-amra (ve-am-RA) and-say-PAST.3F.SG ani (a-NEE) I zkena (zke-NA) old-F.SG ekh (EKH) how eshtamesh (esh-ta-MESH) use-FUT.1SG be-makhshir (be-makh-SHEER) with-device-M.SG kaze (ka-ZE) like-this
57.20a נועם Noam חייך smiled ואמר and-said זה it כמו like להשתמש to-use בטלפון with-the-phone הישן the-old שלך of-you רק only בלי without חוט cord
57.20b no'am (NO-am) Noam khiyekh (khi-YEKH) smile-PAST.3M.SG ve-amar (ve-a-MAR) and-say-PAST.3M.SG ze (ZE) this kmo (KMO) like lehishtamesh (le-hish-ta-MESH) to-use-INF ba-telefon (ba-te-le-FON) with-the-phone-M.SG ha-yashan (ha-ya-SHAN) the-old-M.SG shelakh (she-LAKH) of-2F.SG rak (RAK) only bli (BLEE) without khut (KHUT) cord-M.SG
57.21a הוא he הראה showed לה to-her איך how משתמשים one-uses בו with-it לוחצים one-presses כאן here ומדברים and-one-speaks
57.21b hu (HOO) he hir'a (hir-A) show-PAST.3M.SG la (LA) to-3F.SG ekh (EKH) how mishtamshim (mish-tam-SHEEM) use-PRES.M.PL.IMPERS bo (BO) with-3M.SG lokhatsim (lo-kha-TSEEM) press-PRES.M.PL.IMPERS kan (KAN) here u-medabrim (u-me-dab-REEM) and-speak-PRES.M.PL.IMPERS
57.22a ביום on-the-day הראשון the-first היא she השתמשה used בו with-it רק only כדי in-order לענות to-answer לשיחות to-calls
57.22b ba-yom (ba-YOM) on-the-day-M.SG ha-rishon (ha-ree-SHON) the-first-M.SG hi (HEE) she hishtamsha (hish-tam-SHA) use-PAST.3F.SG bo (BO) with-3M.SG rak (RAK) only kedei (ke-DEI) in-order la'anot (la-a-NOT) to-answer-INF le-sikhot (le-si-KHOT) to-call-F.PL
57.23a ביום on-the-day השני the-second היא she השתמשה used במצלמה with-the-camera וצילמה and-photographed את ACC הגינה the-garden
57.23b ba-yom (ba-YOM) on-the-day-M.SG ha-sheni (ha-she-NEE) the-second-M.SG hi (HEE) she hishtamsha (hish-tam-SHA) use-PAST.3F.SG ba-matslema (ba-mats-le-MA) with-the-camera-F.SG ve-tsilma (ve-tsil-MA) and-photograph-PAST.3F.SG et (ET) ACC ha-gina (ha-gee-NA) the-garden-F.SG
57.24a אחרי after שבוע week היא she כבר already השתמשה used בו with-it כל all היום the-day
57.24b akhrei (a-kha-REI) after shavua (sha-VU-a) week-M.SG hi (HEE) she kvar (KVAR) already hishtamsha (hish-tam-SHA) use-PAST.3F.SG bo (BO) with-3M.SG kol (KOL) all-M.SG.CONSTR ha-yom (ha-YOM) the-day-M.SG
57.25a היא she השתמשה used בו with-it כדי in-order לדבר to-speak עם with השכנות the-neighbours
57.25b hi (HEE) she hishtamsha (hish-tam-SHA) use-PAST.3F.SG bo (BO) with-3M.SG kedei (ke-DEI) in-order ledaber (le-da-BER) to-speak-INF im (EEM) with ha-shkhenot (ha-shkhe-NOT) the-neighbour-F.PL
57.26a היא she אפילו even למדה learned להשתמש to-use בו with-it כדי in-order להזמין to-order מונית taxi
57.26b hi (HEE) she afilu (a-fee-LOO) even lamda (lam-DA) learn-PAST.3F.SG lehishtamesh (le-hish-ta-MESH) to-use-INF bo (BO) with-3M.SG kedei (ke-DEI) in-order lehazmin (le-haz-MEEN) to-order-INF monit (mo-NEET) taxi-F.SG
57.27a יום day אחד one נועם Noam התקשר phoned ושאל and-asked סבתא grandma את you משתמשת use בו with-it
57.27b yom (YOM) day-M.SG ekhad (e-KHAD) one-M.SG no'am (NO-am) Noam hitkasher (hit-ka-SHER) phone-PAST.3M.SG ve-sha'al (ve-sha-AL) and-ask-PAST.3M.SG sabta (SAV-ta) grandma-F.SG at (AT) you-F.SG mishtameshet (mish-ta-ME-shet) use-PRES.F.SG bo (BO) with-3M.SG
57.28a היא she ענתה answered אני I משתמשת use בו with-it יותר more ממך than-you אז so תן give לי to-me לסיים to-finish את ACC השיחה the-conversation
57.28b hi (HEE) she anta (an-TA) answer-PAST.3F.SG ani (a-NEE) I mishtameshet (mish-ta-ME-shet) use-PRES.F.SG bo (BO) with-3M.SG yoter (yo-TER) more mimkha (mim-KHA) than-2M.SG az (AZ) so ten (TEN) give-IMP.M.SG li (LEE) to-1SG lesayem (le-sa-YEM) to-finish-INF et (ET) ACC ha-sikha (ha-si-KHA) the-conversation-F.SG
57.29a נועם Noam צחק laughed ואמר and-said רק only אל don't תשתמשי use בו with-it כשאת when-you חוצה cross את ACC הכביש the-road
57.29b no'am (NO-am) Noam tsakhak (tsa-KHAK) laugh-PAST.3M.SG ve-amar (ve-a-MAR) and-say-PAST.3M.SG rak (RAK) only al (AL) not tishtamshi (tish-tam-SHEE) use-FUT.2F.SG bo (BO) with-3M.SG kshe-at (kshe-AT) when-you-F.SG khotsa (kho-TSA) cross-PRES.F.SG et (ET) ACC ha-kvish (ha-KVEESH) the-road-M.SG
57.30a היא she אמרה said אל don't תדאג worry מי who שמשתמש that-uses בראש with-the-head משתמש uses גם also בטלפון with-the-phone כמו like שצריך that-needed
57.30b hi (HEE) she amra (am-RA) say-PAST.3F.SG al (AL) not tid'ag (tid-AG) worry-FUT.2M.SG mi (MEE) who she-mishtamesh (she-mish-ta-MESH) that-use-PRES.M.SG ba-rosh (ba-ROSH) with-the-head-M.SG mishtamesh (mish-ta-MESH) use-PRES.M.SG gam (GAM) also ba-telefon (ba-te-le-FON) with-the-phone-M.SG kmo (KMO) like she-tsarikh (she-tsa-REEKH) that-necessary-M.SG
57.16 סבתא רחל אף פעם לא השתמשה בטלפון חכם — sabta rakhel af pa'am lo hishtamsha be-telefon khakham — "Grandma Rachel had never used a smartphone."
57.17 נועם, הנכד שלה, רצה ללמד אותה להשתמש בו — no'am, ha-nekhed shela, ratsa lelamed ota lehishtamesh bo — "Noam, her grandson, wanted to teach her to use it."
57.18 הוא אמר: ״סבתא, תתחילי להשתמש בו ותראי שזה קל״ — hu amar: sabta, tatkhili lehishtamesh bo ve-tir'i she-ze kal — "He said: 'Grandma, start using it, and you'll see that it's easy.'"
57.19 סבתא פחדה ואמרה: ״אני זקנה, איך אשתמש במכשיר כזה?״ — sabta pakhada ve-amra: ani zkena, ekh eshtamesh be-makhshir kaze? — "Grandma was afraid and said: 'I'm old. How will I use a device like this?'"
57.20 נועם חייך ואמר: ״זה כמו להשתמש בטלפון הישן שלך, רק בלי חוט״ — no'am khiyekh ve-amar: ze kmo lehishtamesh ba-telefon ha-yashan shelakh, rak bli khut — "Noam smiled and said: 'It's like using your old phone, only without a cord.'"
57.21 הוא הראה לה איך משתמשים בו: לוחצים כאן ומדברים — hu hir'a la ekh mishtamshim bo: lokhatsim kan u-medabrim — "He showed her how one uses it: you press here and talk."
57.22 ביום הראשון היא השתמשה בו רק כדי לענות לשיחות — ba-yom ha-rishon hi hishtamsha bo rak kedei la'anot le-sikhot — "On the first day she used it only to answer calls."
57.23 ביום השני היא השתמשה במצלמה וצילמה את הגינה — ba-yom ha-sheni hi hishtamsha ba-matslema ve-tsilma et ha-gina — "On the second day she used the camera and photographed the garden."
57.24 אחרי שבוע היא כבר השתמשה בו כל היום — akhrei shavua hi kvar hishtamsha bo kol ha-yom — "After a week she was already using it all day."
57.25 היא השתמשה בו כדי לדבר עם השכנות — hi hishtamsha bo kedei ledaber im ha-shkhenot — "She used it to talk with the neighbours."
57.26 היא אפילו למדה להשתמש בו כדי להזמין מונית — hi afilu lamda lehishtamesh bo kedei lehazmin monit — "She even learned to use it to order a taxi."
57.27 יום אחד נועם התקשר ושאל: ״סבתא, את משתמשת בו?״ — yom ekhad no'am hitkasher ve-sha'al: sabta, at mishtameshet bo? — "One day Noam phoned and asked: 'Grandma, do you use it?'"
57.28 היא ענתה: ״אני משתמשת בו יותר ממך, אז תן לי לסיים את השיחה״ — hi anta: ani mishtameshet bo yoter mimkha, az ten li lesayem et ha-sikha — "She answered: 'I use it more than you do, so let me finish my conversation.'"
57.29 נועם צחק ואמר: ״רק אל תשתמשי בו כשאת חוצה את הכביש״ — no'am tsakhak ve-amar: rak al tishtamshi bo kshe-at khotsa et ha-kvish — "Noam laughed and said: 'Only don't use it when you're crossing the road.'"
57.30 היא אמרה: ״אל תדאג, מי שמשתמש בראש משתמש גם בטלפון כמו שצריך״ — hi amra: al tid'ag, mi she-mishtamesh ba-rosh mishtamesh gam ba-telefon kmo she-tsarikh — "She said: 'Don't worry. Whoever uses his head uses the phone properly too.'"
57.16 סבתא רחל אף פעם לא השתמשה בטלפון חכם
57.17 נועם, הנכד שלה, רצה ללמד אותה להשתמש בו
57.18 הוא אמר: ״סבתא, תתחילי להשתמש בו ותראי שזה קל״
57.19 סבתא פחדה ואמרה: ״אני זקנה, איך אשתמש במכשיר כזה?״
57.20 נועם חייך ואמר: ״זה כמו להשתמש בטלפון הישן שלך, רק בלי חוט״
57.21 הוא הראה לה איך משתמשים בו: לוחצים כאן ומדברים
57.22 ביום הראשון היא השתמשה בו רק כדי לענות לשיחות
57.23 ביום השני היא השתמשה במצלמה וצילמה את הגינה
57.24 אחרי שבוע היא כבר השתמשה בו כל היום
57.25 היא השתמשה בו כדי לדבר עם השכנות
57.26 היא אפילו למדה להשתמש בו כדי להזמין מונית
57.27 יום אחד נועם התקשר ושאל: ״סבתא, את משתמשת בו?״
57.28 היא ענתה: ״אני משתמשת בו יותר ממך, אז תן לי לסיים את השיחה״
57.29 נועם צחק ואמר: ״רק אל תשתמשי בו כשאת חוצה את הכביש״
57.30 היא אמרה: ״אל תדאג, מי שמשתמש בראש משתמש גם בטלפון כמו שצריך״
- The thing is "it" (57.17 to 57.29). After the first sentence the smartphone is mostly called "it." The pronoun is בו, "with it," masculine, because טלפון is masculine. In 57.23 the story changes to a new noun, מצלמה (a camera, feminine), and the preposition takes the article: במצלמה. - No direct object (57.23). In "she photographed the garden," the verb וצילמה takes את הגינה, because צילם is an ordinary verb. In "she used the camera" the verb takes ב־. The two verbs stand in the same sentence and keep their own constructions. - Start to use (57.18). תתחילי להשתמש is the future form used as a command. The grandson speaks to a woman, so the ending is -י: תתחילי, ותראי. A formal imperative, התחילי, exists, but it is not what the family says at home. - The future (57.19). "How will I use?" is איך אשתמש, with the first-person future. The question asks about the future, so the verb is in the future. - Like using (57.20). כמו להשתמש is "like to use" in Hebrew, and "like using" in English. The infinitive follows כמו (kmo). The word שלך is the feminine "your," because the grandmother is addressed. - The impersonal plural (57.21). איך משתמשים בו, לוחצים כאן, ומדברים: the masculine plural participle without a subject is the way Hebrew says "one" or "you" in instructions. - The past for a sequence (57.22 to 57.26). The past tense השתמשה stands for the story of the days, and the words ביום הראשון, ביום השני, אחרי שבוע tell us when. Hebrew has no separate "had used" or "was using." - Never (57.16). "Never" is אף פעם לא, "any time not," with the negative after אף פעם. The sentence is "she had never used a smartphone" and the Hebrew past stands for the English past perfect. - Purpose (57.22, 57.25, 57.26). כדי followed by an infinitive says "in order to": כדי לענות, כדי לדבר, כדי להזמין. In 57.26 the infinitive after למדה is להשתמש, and the purpose follows it. - The comparison (57.28). יותר ממך is "more than you." The word מ־ with the ending -ך, "you" (to a man), is ממך (mimkha). A woman speaking to a man says תן לי, the masculine imperative of לתת (latet), "to give." - The prohibition (57.29, 57.30). The woman is addressed with אל תשתמשי בו, with the feminine ending, and the man with אל תדאג, "don't worry," with none. Both use אל and the future, as in rule 9. - The idiom (57.30). מי שמשתמש בראש is "he who uses his head." The article in בראש is not "his": the Hebrew says "with the head." The closing words כמו שצריך, literally "like that which is needed," mean "as it should be, properly."
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- IPA: /lehiʃtaˈmeʃ/, four syllables, stress on the last: le-hish-ta-MESH. - ל (lamed) with the vowel /e/ is the infinitive prefix: le-. - ה (he) at the start of the stem carries the vowel /i/: hi-. It is pronounced in the infinitive (le-hish-), as it does not drop out after the prefix. - ש (shin) = /ʃ/, as in English shop. It occurs twice in the word, at the end of the second syllable and at the end of the word. - ת (tav) = /t/ and the מ (mem) = /m/. After the ש, the cluster is sh-t: hish-ta, with no vowel between the sh and the t. - The vowel before the last letter is /e/ (-mesh), as in English mesh. The stress falls on it in the infinitive and in all the forms that have no ending.
- השתמש (hishtamesh) /hiʃtaˈmeʃ/ — hish-ta-MESH - השתמשתי (hishtamashti) /hiʃtaˈmaʃti/ — hish-ta-MASH-ti - השתמשה (hishtamsha) /hiʃtamˈʃa/ — hish-tam-SHA - השתמשו (hishtamshu) /hiʃtamˈʃu/ — hish-tam-SHOO - משתמש (mishtamesh) /miʃtaˈmeʃ/ — mish-ta-MESH - משתמשת (mishtameshet) /miʃtaˈmeʃet/ — mish-ta-ME-shet - משתמשים (mishtamshim) /miʃtamˈʃim/ — mish-tam-SHEEM - אשתמש (eshtamesh) /eʃtaˈmeʃ/ — esh-ta-MESH - תשתמשי (tishtamshi) /tiʃtamˈʃi/ — tish-tam-SHEE - שימוש (shimush) /ʃiˈmuʃ/ — shi-MUSH - שימושי (shimushi) /ʃimuˈʃi/ — shi-mu-SHEE - משומש (meshumash) /meʃuˈmaʃ/ — me-shu-MASH - בו (bo) /bo/ — BO; בה (ba) /ba/ — BA; בהם (bahem) /baˈhem/ — ba-HEM
- ח (khet) in חכם, חוט, פחדה, חייך, חוצה, צחק: /χ/, the rough sound of the ch in Scottish loch. - ר (resh) in רחל, הראשון, ראש, אחרי, עברית: a uvular /ʁ/, made at the back of the throat, close to the French r. - צ (tsadi) in חוצה, צחק, שצריך, מצלמה, וצילמה, צבעים: /ts/, as in English cats. - ע and א between vowels in פעם, שאל, לענות, נועם, בכוח: a light break between the vowels, marked ' in the transliteration (pa'am, sha'al, la'anot, no'am). - The clusters. Hebrew allows two consonants together at the start of a word, as in שכנות (shkhenot), זקנה (zkena), פשוטה (pshuta) and צבעים (tsva'im). - Final stress. Most of the verb forms of this lesson are stressed on the last syllable: hish-ta-MESH, mish-ta-MESH, esh-ta-MESH, hish-tam-SHA. The exceptions are the forms with the endings -ti, -nu and -et: hish-ta-MASH-ti, hish-ta-MASH-nu, mish-ta-ME-shet.
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