For autodidact students of Yiddish, the first word is "the," and in Yiddish "the" is not one word but four forms of one: דער (der), די (di), דאָס (dos) and דעם (dem). Which one you write depends on the noun it stands before. Every Yiddish noun has one of three genders, masculine, feminine or neuter, and the article is how you see it: דער טיש (der tish), "the table," is masculine; די טיר (di tir), "the door," is feminine; דאָס הױז (dos hoyz), "the house," is neuter. In the plural the article is די (di) for all three genders: די קינדער (di kinder), "the children."
The article also changes with the noun's job in the sentence. Standard Yiddish has three cases. The nominative is the case of the subject: דער הונט איז אונטער דעם טיש, "the dog is under the table." The accusative is the case of the direct object, and of the three genders only the masculine changes: דער becomes דעם. In איך זע דעם הונט (ikh ze dem hunt), "I see the dog," the dog is the thing seen. The dative is the case of the indirect object and of the noun after a preposition, and here the feminine changes as well: דער טיש, "the table," but אױף דעם טיש (oyf dem tish), "on the table," and אין דער שטוב (in der shtub), "in the room," where דער is not masculine at all but the feminine dative. The words are the cousins of German der, die, das, dem, den; English has lost all of this and kept only "the."
There is no separate genitive article. Possession is shown with the preposition פֿון (fun), "of, from," and with the ending -ס on names, and later lessons return to it.
Script note: דער is three letters, read from right to left once you know that Yiddish runs that way: ד (dalet, d), ע (ayin, which in Yiddish is simply the vowel e) and ר (reysh, r). Standard Yiddish writes most of its vowels with letters: ע is e and י is i; the alef carries a mark to show a vowel, and אָ (komets alef) is o. So דאָס is ד (d), אָ (komets alef, o), ס (samekh, s). Without the little mark under the alef, the word would look like a different word. The final form ם (final mem) appears at the end of דעם and is never used in the middle of a word. The two letters ײ (two yuds, ey) and ײַ (two yuds with pasekh, ay) look nearly the same and are two different vowels: שײן (sheyn), "beautiful," but נײַ (nay), "new." You will meet both within a page.
Key Takeaways: - דער (der), די (di), דאָס (dos): "the," chosen by the gender of the noun - דער = masculine, די = feminine, דאָס = neuter; plural, always די - Three cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object and after prepositions) - Accusative: only the masculine changes, דער → דעם - Dative: masculine and neuter דעם, feminine דער, plural די - After אין, אױף, אונטער, צו, מיט and פֿון the article is dative: אין דער שטוב, אױף דעם טיש - The gender of each noun has to be learned with the noun - The indefinite article is אַ (a), "a, an": אַ הונט, "a dog"
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1.1a דער the טיש table איז is גרױס big
1.1b der (dair) the-M.NOM tish (tish) table.M iz (iz) is.3SG groys (groyss) big
1.2a די the טיר door איז is אָפֿן open
1.2b di (dee) the-F.NOM tir (teer) door.F iz (iz) is.3SG ofn (OF-n) open
1.3a דאָס the הױז house איז is נײַ new
1.3b dos (doss) the-N.NOM hoyz (hoyz) house.N iz (iz) is.3SG nay (nigh) new
1.4a די the זון sun איז is הײס hot
1.4b di (dee) the-F.NOM zun (zoon) sun.F iz (iz) is.3SG heys (hayss) hot
1.5a דאָס the װאַסער water איז is קאַלט cold
1.5b dos (doss) the-N.NOM vaser (VAH-ser) water.N iz (iz) is.3SG kalt (kalt) cold
1.6a דער the טאַטע father איז is אין in דער the שטוב room
1.6b der (dair) the-M.NOM tate (TAH-teh) father.M iz (iz) is.3SG in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT shtub (shtoob) room.F
1.7a די the מאַמע mother קאָכט cooks די the זופּ soup
1.7b di (dee) the-F.NOM mame (MAH-meh) mother.F kokht (kokht) cook.3SG di (dee) the-F.ACC zup (zoop) soup.F
1.8a איך I זע see דעם the הונט dog
1.8b ikh (ikh) I ze (zeh) see.1SG dem (dem) the-M.ACC hunt (hoont) dog.M
1.9a דאָס the קינד child לײענט reads דאָס the בוך book
1.9b dos (doss) the-N.NOM kind (kint) child.N leynt (laynt) read.3SG dos (doss) the-N.ACC bukh (bookh) book.N
1.10a דער the גרױסער big הונט dog איז is אונטער under דעם the טיש table
1.10b der (dair) the-M.NOM groyser (GROY-ser) big-M.NOM hunt (hoont) dog.M iz (iz) is.3SG unter (OON-ter) under dem (dem) the-M.DAT tish (tish) table.M
1.11a די the קאַץ cat זיצט sits אױף on דעם the טיש table
1.11b di (dee) the-F.NOM kats (kats) cat.F zitst (zitst) sit.3SG oyf (oyf) on dem (dem) the-M.DAT tish (tish) table.M
1.12a דער the מאַן man גײט goes צו to דער the טיר door
1.12b der (dair) the-M.NOM man (mahn) man.M geyt (gayt) go.3SG tsu (tsoo) to der (dair) the-F.DAT tir (teer) door.F
1.13a דער the טאַטע father לײענט reads דאָס the בוך book מיט with די the קינדער children
1.13b der (dair) the-M.NOM tate (TAH-teh) father.M leynt (laynt) read.3SG dos (doss) the-N.ACC bukh (bookh) book.N mit (mit) with di (dee) the-PL.DAT kinder (KIN-der) children.PL
1.14a דאָס the קינד child גיט gives דעם the הונט dog דאָס the ברױט bread
1.14b dos (doss) the-N.NOM kind (kint) child.N git (git) give.3SG dem (dem) the-M.DAT hunt (hoont) dog.M dos (doss) the-N.ACC broyt (broyt) bread.N
1.15a די the מענער men זענען are אין in דער the שטאָט city און and די the קינדער children זענען are אין in דער the שטוב room
1.15b di (dee) the-PL.NOM mener (MEH-ner) men.PL zenen (ZEH-nen) be.3PL in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT shtot (shtot) city.F un (oon) and di (dee) the-PL.NOM kinder (KIN-der) children.PL zenen (ZEH-nen) be.3PL in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT shtub (shtoob) room.F
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1.1 דער טיש איז גרױס. (der tish iz groys) "The table is big." 1.2 די טיר איז אָפֿן. (di tir iz ofn) "The door is open." 1.3 דאָס הױז איז נײַ. (dos hoyz iz nay) "The house is new." 1.4 די זון איז הײס. (di zun iz heys) "The sun is hot." 1.5 דאָס װאַסער איז קאַלט. (dos vaser iz kalt) "The water is cold." 1.6 דער טאַטע איז אין דער שטוב. (der tate iz in der shtub) "Father is in the room." 1.7 די מאַמע קאָכט די זופּ. (di mame kokht di zup) "Mother is cooking the soup." 1.8 איך זע דעם הונט. (ikh ze dem hunt) "I see the dog." 1.9 דאָס קינד לײענט דאָס בוך. (dos kind leynt dos bukh) "The child is reading the book." 1.10 דער גרױסער הונט איז אונטער דעם טיש. (der groyser hunt iz unter dem tish) "The big dog is under the table." 1.11 די קאַץ זיצט אױף דעם טיש. (di kats zitst oyf dem tish) "The cat is sitting on the table." 1.12 דער מאַן גײט צו דער טיר. (der man geyt tsu der tir) "The man goes to the door." 1.13 דער טאַטע לײענט דאָס בוך מיט די קינדער. (der tate leynt dos bukh mit di kinder) "Father reads the book with the children." 1.14 דאָס קינד גיט דעם הונט דאָס ברױט. (dos kind git dem hunt dos broyt) "The child gives the dog the bread." 1.15 די מענער זענען אין דער שטאָט און די קינדער זענען אין דער שטוב. (di mener zenen in der shtot un di kinder zenen in der shtub) "The men are in the city and the children are in the room."
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1.1 דער טיש איז גרױס. 1.2 די טיר איז אָפֿן. 1.3 דאָס הױז איז נײַ. 1.4 די זון איז הײס. 1.5 דאָס װאַסער איז קאַלט. 1.6 דער טאַטע איז אין דער שטוב. 1.7 די מאַמע קאָכט די זופּ. 1.8 איך זע דעם הונט. 1.9 דאָס קינד לײענט דאָס בוך. 1.10 דער גרױסער הונט איז אונטער דעם טיש. 1.11 די קאַץ זיצט אױף דעם טיש. 1.12 דער מאַן גײט צו דער טיר. 1.13 דער טאַטע לײענט דאָס בוך מיט די קינדער. 1.14 דאָס קינד גיט דעם הונט דאָס ברױט. 1.15 די מענער זענען אין דער שטאָט און די קינדער זענען אין דער שטוב.
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These are the grammar rules for דער (der), "the."
Three genders, one article for each. The nominative singular of the article is דער (masculine), די (feminine) and דאָס (neuter); the plural is די for all three. The gender cannot be guessed from the meaning and has to be learned with the noun. Masculine in this lesson: טיש, טאַטע, הונט, מאַן. Feminine: טיר, זון, שטוב, מאַמע, קאַץ, זופּ, שטאָט, קיך, מילך. Neuter: הױז, װאַסער, קינד, בוך, ברױט. Diminutive nouns ending in -ל (-l) or -עלע (-ele) are neuter, whatever the gender of the word they come from: דאָס ציגעלע (dos tsigele), "the little goat," in Section F. A few nouns are given a different gender by different speakers.
Three cases. Standard Yiddish has a nominative, an accusative and a dative, and the case is shown on the article, not on the noun. Here are the forms, with the transliteration in parentheses. - Nominative: דער (der) masculine · די (di) feminine · דאָס (dos) neuter · די (di) plural - Accusative: דעם (dem) masculine · די (di) feminine · דאָס (dos) neuter · די (di) plural - Dative: דעם (dem) masculine · דער (der) feminine · דעם (dem) neuter · די (di) plural
Note two things at once: דער is the nominative of the masculine and also the dative of the feminine (compare 1.1 and 1.6), and דעם is the accusative of the masculine and the dative of the masculine and the neuter (1.8, 1.10, 1.14).
Nominative: the subject. The thing the sentence is about: דער טיש (1.1), די טיר (1.2), דאָס הױז (1.3). The verb "to be" links it to what is said of it: איך בין (ikh bin), "I am"; ער, זי, עס איז (er, zi, es iz), "he, she, it is" (1.1–1.6); מיר, זיי זענען (mir, zey zenen), "we, they are" (1.15). Yiddish, like English, does not leave out "is."
Accusative: the direct object. The thing seen, read, cooked or eaten. Only the masculine shows it: דער הונט is the dog as subject (1.10), but איך זע דעם הונט, "I see the dog," has the dog as object (1.8). The feminine and the neuter do not change: די מאַמע קאָכט די זופּ (1.7), דאָס קינד לײענט דאָס בוך (1.9).
Dative: the indirect object and the noun after a preposition. In דאָס קינד גיט דעם הונט דאָס ברױט (1.14), the dog is the one who receives, so דעם הונט is dative, and the bread, what is given, is accusative: דאָס ברױט. The prepositions in this lesson, אין (in) "in," אױף (oyf) "on," אונטער (unter) "under," צו (tsu) "to," מיט (mit) "with" and פֿון (fun) "from, of," are followed by the dative: אין דער שטוב (1.6), אױף דעם טיש (1.11), אונטער דעם טיש (1.10), צו דער טיר (1.12), מיט די קינדער (1.13). The article after a preposition is therefore דער before a feminine noun and דעם before a masculine or a neuter.
Contractions. In speech, and often in writing, the preposition and a following דעם fuse: צום (tsum) for צו דעם, אינעם (inem) for אין דעם, אױפֿן (oyfn) for אױף דעם, מיטן (mitn) for מיט דעם, אונטערן (untern) for אונטער דעם, פֿונעם (funem) for פֿון דעם. The feminine does not contract: אין דער שטוב stays as it is. This course writes the full forms.
The plural. The article is די for every gender. The noun itself takes an ending that has to be learned with it: טיש becomes טישן (tishn); קינד becomes קינדער (kinder); בוך becomes ביכער (bikher); הױז becomes הײַזער (hayzer); מאַן becomes מענער (mener). Nouns ending in an unstressed vowel usually take -ס: גרופּע (grupe), "group," plural גרופּעס (grupes).
An adjective after the article. Before a noun, an adjective is inflected to agree with it. After דער in the nominative the masculine adjective ends in -ער: דער גרױסער הונט (der groyser hunt), "the big dog" (1.10). After די and דאָס the adjective ends in -ע: די גרױסע שטוב (di groyse shtub), "the big room"; דאָס גרױסע הױז (dos groyse hoyz), "the big house"; דאָס קלײנע קינד (dos kleyne kind), "the little child." In the dative the masculine and the neuter take -ן: אין דעם גרױסן הױז (in dem groysn hoyz), "in the big house." After the verb "to be" the adjective takes no ending at all: דער טיש איז גרױס (1.1), דאָס הױז איז נײַ (1.3).
Word order. The finite verb is always the second element of the sentence. The first element is usually the subject, but anything can stand there, and then the subject follows the verb: דאָס ברױט זע איך נישט (dos broyt ze ikh nisht), "the bread I do not see" (1.20). The negative נישט comes after the verb and the subject.
A and an. The indefinite article is אַ (a): אַ טיש, אַ הונט. Before a word beginning with a vowel it is אַן (an). It has no plural and no cases of its own the way the definite article does: it is the same for every gender.
Common Mistakes: - Using one "the" for every noun. Ask each time: is it masculine, feminine, neuter or plural? - Writing דעם for a masculine subject. The nominative is דער: דער הונט איז גרױס, never \*דעם הונט איז גרױס. - Leaving the masculine unchanged as a direct object: איך זע דעם הונט, not \*איך זע דער הונט. - Using דעם after a preposition for a feminine noun. אין דער שטוב is correct, and \*אין דעם שטוב is not. - Reading a Yiddish word from left to right, or dropping the mark under the alef. דאָס is not דאס, and the mark is part of the spelling. - Mixing up ײ (ey) and ײַ (ay): שײן (sheyn), "beautiful," and נײַ (nay), "new," are different words. - Putting the verb third. In a Yiddish statement it is second.
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The name of the language is itself a use of the article: דאָס ייִדישע װאָרט (dos yidishe vort) is "the Yiddish word," and ייִדיש (yidish) means "Jewish." The name goes back to the medieval Yidish-Taytsh, "Jewish German." Its speakers also call it מאַמע־לשון (mame-loshn), "the mother tongue," as against לשון־קודש (loshn-koydesh), "the holy tongue," Hebrew and Aramaic, which are the language of prayer and study. The mother tongue was the language of the home and the street, of the market, the theatre and the newspaper.
The standard that this course teaches was set by YIVO, the Yiddish Scientific Institute, founded in 1925 in Vilna. Its spelling rules, the Takones fun yidishn oysleyg, were first published in 1935. Other spellings are still used, notably in the Hasidic press, and a Yiddish text you meet may differ from this one in its pointing and in the spelling of Hebrew-Aramaic words. A Soviet reform of the 1920s respelled the Hebrew-Aramaic words by their pronunciation and, in the end, dropped the five final letter forms (ם ן ף ץ ך), and the YIVO rules keep the old way of writing them.
The language has two great living centres today. In Hasidic and other ultra-Orthodox communities in New York, in Israel and elsewhere, it is a first language of the home, the school and the press, and it is still passed on to children. Outside those communities it is learned, as a second language, for its literature and its songs, for the theatre, and for family history. The three genders and three cases that this lesson sets out belong to the standard language and to its literature. Observers disagree about how closely everyday speech in some communities keeps them, and a learner should expect the spoken language to be a little looser than the written one.
The founder of the modern Yiddish theatre was Abraham Goldfaden, whose lullaby is Section F. The great prose writers are Mendele Moykher-Sforim, Sholem Aleichem and I. L. Peretz; the only Yiddish writer to be given the Nobel Prize was Isaac Bashevis Singer, in 1978. The Yiddish dialects divide in the pronunciation of the vowels. Many speakers in Poland and Galicia say dus where Lithuanian speakers say dos; the standard follows the written form and the sounds that are common to the dialects.
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אַבֿרהם גאָלדפֿאַדען (Avrom Goldfaden), ראָזשינקעס מיט מאַנדלען (Rozhinkes mit mandlen, "Raisins and Almonds"), from the operetta שולמית (Shulamis), 1880 — the opening two lines, and the lullaby's first lines (the lines between them are not quoted)
Avrom Goldfaden (1840–1908), the founder of the modern Yiddish theatre, wrote this lullaby for his operetta Shulamis in 1880, and it has been sung ever since as a folk song, in many versions that differ in their wording. The song is quoted here in two pieces, the opening couplet and the lines in which the goat is named, and the verse between the two is left out. The wording is taken from printed transliterations of the song, and the Yiddish spelling is normalised by the Latinum Institute to the YIVO standard, so it should be read as a reconstruction of the standard spelling and not as a facsimile of any one printing. The Hebrew-Aramaic compound בית־המיקדש is written in its traditional spelling.
אין דעם בית־המיקדש, אין אַ װינקל חדר, זיצט די אַלמנה בת־ציון אַלײן. […] אונטער ייִדעלעס װיגעלע שטײט אַ קלאָר־װײַס ציגעלע, דאָס ציגעלע איז געפֿאָרן האַנדלען.
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a אין in דעם the בית־המיקדש Temple אין in אַ a װינקל corner חדר room
F.1b in (in) in dem (dem) the-DAT beys-hamikdesh (BAYS-ha-MIK-desh) Temple in (in) in a (a) a vinkl (VIN-kl) corner kheyder (KHAY-der) room
F.2a זיצט sits די the אַלמנה widow בת־ציון Daughter-of-Zion אַלײן alone
F.2b zitst (zitst) sit.3SG di (dee) the-F.NOM almone (al-MOH-neh) widow.F bas-tsiyen (bas-TSEE-yen) Daughter-of-Zion aleyn (a-LAYN) alone
F.3a אונטער under ייִדעלעס Yidele's װיגעלע cradle שטײט stands אַ a קלאָר־װײַס pure-white ציגעלע little-goat
F.3b unter (OON-ter) under yideles (YI-deh-les) Yidele's vigele (VI-geh-leh) cradle.N steyt (stayt) stand.3SG a (a) a klor-vays (klor-VICE) pure-white tsigele (TSI-geh-leh) little-goat.N
F.4a דאָס the ציגעלע little-goat איז is געפֿאָרן gone האַנדלען to-trade
F.4b dos (doss) the-N.NOM tsigele (TSI-geh-leh) little-goat.N iz (iz) is.3SG gefarn (geh-FAHRN) gone-PTCP handlen (HAHND-len) to-trade
F-B: Original and Translation
אין דעם בית־המיקדש, אין אַ װינקל חדר, / זיצט די אַלמנה בת־ציון אַלײן. / אונטער ייִדעלעס װיגעלע שטײט אַ קלאָר־װײַס ציגעלע, / דאָס ציגעלע איז געפֿאָרן האַנדלען.
"In the Temple, in a corner room, sits the widow, Daughter of Zion, alone. […] Under Yidele's cradle stands a pure-white little goat; the little goat has gone off to trade." (Translation: Latinum Institute.) The widow is Daughter of Zion, a personification of Zion, and the child of the lullaby, Yidele ("little Jew"), stands for the Jewish people. The refrain of the song, ראָזשינקעס מיט מאַנדלען, שלאָף־זשע, ייִדעלע, שלאָף (rozhinkes mit mandlen, shlof-zhe, yidele, shlof), "raisins with almonds: sleep, Yidele, sleep," gives the song its title.
F-C: Original
אין דעם בית־המיקדש, אין אַ װינקל חדר, זיצט די אַלמנה בת־ציון אַלײן. […] אונטער ייִדעלעס װיגעלע שטײט אַ קלאָר־װײַס ציגעלע, דאָס ציגעלע איז געפֿאָרן האַנדלען.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
These lines show the article in three of its roles. In the first, אין דעם בית־המיקדש (in dem beys-hamikdesh), the preposition אין is followed by the dative, and the article is דעם, the form that is shared by the masculine and the neuter dative; the Hebrew compound itself contains the Hebrew article ה, "the": the house of the sanctuary. The second line has the nominative feminine, די אַלמנה (di almone): the widow is the subject, and the verb זיצט (zitst) comes before her, as the second element, after the first line's long phrase has been put in front. The third line has no article of its own, but it has the possessive ייִדעלעס (yideles), "Yidele's," made with the -ס of names that was mentioned in the Introduction, and the indefinite אַ (a) in אַ קלאָר־װײַס ציגעלע. And in the fourth line דאָס ציגעלע (dos tsigele) is a neuter nominative: a diminutive in -עלע, as Section D says, is neuter, whatever the gender of the word underneath.
The tenses are plain. זיצט and שטײט are present: the scene is happening now. איז געפֿאָרן האַנדלען (iz gefarn handlen) is the perfect, "has gone to trade," made like English "is gone" with the verb "to be" and a participle in ge-, and it is followed by the infinitive of purpose. The line is the turn of the song: the lullaby begins by seeing a mourning woman in a corner of the ruined Temple and ends by promising a child something sweet. The spelling אַלײן (aleyn), "alone," has the two yuds ey, as in שטײט (steyt), and the two yuds with the mark, ײַ, in קלאָר־װײַס (klor-vays), "pure white": the two letters are not interchangeable. In ייִדעלעס the two yuds are different again: the first yud is the consonant y and the second, with its little mark, the vowel i: yi-.
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Shloyme is in the room and his mother Khane is in the kitchen, and he is calling out to her. He is hungry, and so, as it turns out, is the dog. Every line uses the article.
1.16a שלמה Shloyme מאַמע mother װוּ where איז is דאָס the ברױט bread
1.16b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme mame (MAH-meh) mother vu (voo) where iz (iz) is.3SG dos (doss) the-N.NOM broyt (broyt) bread.N
1.17a חנה Khane דאָס the ברױט bread איז is אין in דער the קיך kitchen אױף on דעם the טיש table שלמה Shloyme
1.17b khane (KHAH-neh) Khane dos (doss) the-N.NOM broyt (broyt) bread.N iz (iz) is.3SG in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT kikh (kikh) kitchen.F oyf (oyf) on dem (dem) the-M.DAT tish (tish) table.M shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme
1.18a שלמה Shloyme און and װוּ where איז is די the מילך milk
1.18b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme un (oon) and vu (voo) where iz (iz) is.3SG di (dee) the-F.NOM milkh (milkh) milk.F
1.19a חנה Khane די the מילך milk איז is אױך also אין in דער the קיך kitchen
1.19b khane (KHAH-neh) Khane di (dee) the-F.NOM milkh (milkh) milk.F iz (iz) is.3SG oykh (oykh) also in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT kikh (kikh) kitchen.F
1.20a שלמה Shloyme איך I בין am שוין already אין in דער the קיך kitchen אָבער but דאָס the ברױט bread זע see איך I נישט not
1.20b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme ikh (ikh) I bin (bin) be.1SG shoyn (shoyn) already in (in) in der (dair) the-F.DAT kikh (kikh) kitchen.F ober (OH-ber) but dos (doss) the-N.ACC broyt (broyt) bread.N ze (zeh) see.1SG ikh (ikh) I nisht (nisht) not
1.21a חנה Khane דער the הונט dog איז is אונטער under דעם the טיש table
1.21b khane (KHAH-neh) Khane der (dair) the-M.NOM hunt (hoont) dog.M iz (iz) is.3SG unter (OON-ter) under dem (dem) the-M.DAT tish (tish) table.M
1.22a שלמה Shloyme איך I זע see דעם the הונט dog ער he עסט eats דאָס the ברױט bread
1.22b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme ikh (ikh) I ze (zeh) see.1SG dem (dem) the-M.ACC hunt (hoont) dog.M er (er) he est (est) eat.3SG dos (doss) the-N.ACC broyt (broyt) bread.N
1.23a חנה Khane אָ oh דער the הונט dog נישט not דאָס the ברױט bread
1.23b khane (KHAH-neh) Khane o (oh) oh der (dair) the-M.NOM hunt (hoont) dog.M nisht (nisht) not dos (doss) the-N.ACC broyt (broyt) bread.N
1.24a שלמה Shloyme דער the הונט dog איז is הונגעריק hungry מאַמע mother
1.24b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme der (dair) the-M.NOM hunt (hoont) dog.M iz (iz) is.3SG hungerik (HOONG-er-ik) hungry mame (MAH-meh) mother
1.25a חנה Khane גוט good גיב give דעם the הונט dog די the מילך milk
1.25b khane (KHAH-neh) Khane gut (goot) good gib (gib) give.IMP.2SG dem (dem) the-M.DAT hunt (hoont) dog.M di (dee) the-F.ACC milkh (milkh) milk.F
1.26a שלמה Shloyme דער the הונט dog טרינקט drinks די the מילך milk מיט with דער the קאַץ cat
1.26b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme der (dair) the-M.NOM hunt (hoont) dog.M trinkt (trinkt) drink.3SG di (dee) the-F.ACC milkh (milkh) milk.F mit (mit) with der (dair) the-F.DAT kats (kats) cat.F
1.27a חנה Khane איך I זע see אױך also די the קאַץ cat
1.27b khane (KHAH-neh) Khane ikh (ikh) I ze (zeh) see.1SG oykh (oykh) also di (dee) the-F.ACC kats (kats) cat.F
1.28a שלמה Shloyme און and איך I דער the הונט dog עסט eats דאָס the ברױט bread און and איך I בין am הונגעריק hungry
1.28b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme un (oon) and ikh (ikh) I der (dair) the-M.NOM hunt (hoont) dog.M est (est) eat.3SG dos (doss) the-N.ACC broyt (broyt) bread.N un (oon) and ikh (ikh) I bin (bin) be.1SG hungerik (HOONG-er-ik) hungry
1.29a חנה Khane דאָ here שלמה Shloyme דאָס the ברױט bread און and די the מילך milk
1.29b khane (KHAH-neh) Khane do (doh) here shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme dos (doss) the-N bread.N un (oon) and di (dee) the-F milk.F
1.30a שלמה Shloyme דאָס the ברױט bread איז is פֿריש fresh און and די the מילך milk איז is קאַלט cold
1.30b shloyme (SHLOY-meh) Shloyme dos (doss) the-N.NOM broyt (broyt) bread.N iz (iz) is.3SG frish (frish) fresh un (oon) and di (dee) the-F.NOM milkh (milkh) milk.F iz (iz) is.3SG kalt (kalt) cold
1.16 שלמה: מאַמע, װוּ איז דאָס ברױט? (shloyme: mame, vu iz dos broyt?) "Shloyme: Mother, where is the bread?" 1.17 חנה: דאָס ברױט איז אין דער קיך, אױף דעם טיש, שלמה. (khane: dos broyt iz in der kikh, oyf dem tish, shloyme) "Khane: The bread is in the kitchen, on the table, Shloyme." 1.18 שלמה: און װוּ איז די מילך? (shloyme: un vu iz di milkh?) "Shloyme: And where is the milk?" 1.19 חנה: די מילך איז אױך אין דער קיך. (khane: di milkh iz oykh in der kikh) "Khane: The milk is in the kitchen too." 1.20 שלמה: איך בין שוין אין דער קיך, אָבער דאָס ברױט זע איך נישט. (shloyme: ikh bin shoyn in der kikh, ober dos broyt ze ikh nisht) "Shloyme: I am already in the kitchen, but I can't see the bread." 1.21 חנה: דער הונט איז אונטער דעם טיש. (khane: der hunt iz unter dem tish) "Khane: The dog is under the table." 1.22 שלמה: איך זע דעם הונט, ער עסט דאָס ברױט. (shloyme: ikh ze dem hunt, er est dos broyt) "Shloyme: I see the dog. He is eating the bread." 1.23 חנה: אָ, דער הונט! נישט דאָס ברױט! (khane: o, der hunt! nisht dos broyt!) "Khane: Oh, the dog! Not the bread!" 1.24 שלמה: דער הונט איז הונגעריק, מאַמע. (shloyme: der hunt iz hungerik, mame) "Shloyme: The dog is hungry, Mother." 1.25 חנה: גוט, גיב דעם הונט די מילך. (khane: gut, gib dem hunt di milkh) "Khane: Good, give the dog the milk." 1.26 שלמה: דער הונט טרינקט די מילך מיט דער קאַץ. (shloyme: der hunt trinkt di milkh mit der kats) "Shloyme: The dog is drinking the milk with the cat." 1.27 חנה: איך זע אױך די קאַץ. (khane: ikh ze oykh di kats) "Khane: I can see the cat too." 1.28 שלמה: און איך? דער הונט עסט דאָס ברױט און איך בין הונגעריק. (shloyme: un ikh? der hunt est dos broyt un ikh bin hungerik) "Shloyme: And me? The dog eats the bread and I am hungry." 1.29 חנה: דאָ, שלמה, דאָס ברױט און די מילך. (khane: do, shloyme, dos broyt un di milkh) "Khane: Here, Shloyme, the bread and the milk." 1.30 שלמה: דאָס ברױט איז פֿריש און די מילך איז קאַלט. (shloyme: dos broyt iz frish un di milkh iz kalt) "Shloyme: The bread is fresh and the milk is cold."
1.16 שלמה: מאַמע, װוּ איז דאָס ברױט? 1.17 חנה: דאָס ברױט איז אין דער קיך, אױף דעם טיש, שלמה. 1.18 שלמה: און װוּ איז די מילך? 1.19 חנה: די מילך איז אױך אין דער קיך. 1.20 שלמה: איך בין שוין אין דער קיך, אָבער דאָס ברױט זע איך נישט. 1.21 חנה: דער הונט איז אונטער דעם טיש. 1.22 שלמה: איך זע דעם הונט, ער עסט דאָס ברױט. 1.23 חנה: אָ, דער הונט! נישט דאָס ברױט! 1.24 שלמה: דער הונט איז הונגעריק, מאַמע. 1.25 חנה: גוט, גיב דעם הונט די מילך. 1.26 שלמה: דער הונט טרינקט די מילך מיט דער קאַץ. 1.27 חנה: איך זע אױך די קאַץ. 1.28 שלמה: און איך? דער הונט עסט דאָס ברױט און איך בין הונגעריק. 1.29 חנה: דאָ, שלמה, דאָס ברױט און די מילך. 1.30 שלמה: דאָס ברױט איז פֿריש און די מילך איז קאַלט.
Where things are (1.16–1.21). װוּ (vu), "where," opens a question and is followed at once by the verb: װוּ איז דאָס ברױט? The answer uses the dative twice: אין דער קיך (feminine, so דער) and אױף דעם טיש (masculine, so דעם). The kitchen and the table are places, and a place after אין and אױף is always dative. In 1.21, אונטער דעם טיש is the same pattern again.
The bread and the milk (1.16–1.20, 1.29, 1.30). דאָס ברױט is neuter and די מילך is feminine. Neither changes between the nominative and the accusative: דאָס ברױט איז פֿריש (1.30, subject), דאָס ברױט זע איך נישט (1.20, object). The difference shows only in the masculine, as in the next point.
The dog as subject and as object (1.21–1.26). דער הונט is the nominative, the dog that is, eats or is hungry (1.21, 1.23, 1.24, 1.26, 1.28). דעם הונט is the accusative in איך זע דעם הונט (1.22), where the dog is seen, and the dative in גיב דעם הונט די מילך (1.25), where the dog is the one who is given. The two uses of דעם look the same; the verb tells them apart: זען, "to see," takes a direct object, and גיב, "give," takes an indirect object in the dative and a direct object in the accusative. Here the accusative is די מילך.
Word order (1.20). אָבער דאָס ברױט זע איך נישט puts the object first, for emphasis: the bread I cannot see. The verb is still second. אָבער, "but," does not count as an element and stands outside the order.
The imperative (1.25). גיב (gib) is the form of גיבן (gibn), "to give," used to speak to one person: the plain stem, with no ending. The third person singular of the present is the contracted גיט (git), as in דאָס קינד גיט (1.14).
Eating and drinking (1.22, 1.26, 1.28). ער עסט, "he eats," and ער טרינקט, "he drinks," are the third person singular. A dog is "he" in Yiddish because דער הונט is masculine: the pronoun follows the grammatical gender of the noun, as in German.
Here you are (1.29). דאָ (do) means "here" and, with a name, is what you say when you hand something over. The sentence has no verb: "Here, Shloyme, the bread and the milk," where the article is nominative-or-accusative, since the feminine and the neuter look the same in both.
Names (1.16–1.30). שלמה (Shloyme) and חנה (Khane) are written in the traditional spelling of the Hebrew names, though pronounced in the Yiddish way. There is no article before a first name in Standard Yiddish: שלמה, not \*דער שלמה.
Forms of address (1.16, 1.24). מאַמע (mame), "Mother," is used as a name when speaking to her, without the article, just as English says "Mother." With the article, די מאַמע is "the mother," as in 1.7.
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The respellings follow the Standard Yiddish pronunciation of the YIVO tradition, which is the pronunciation common to the three main dialect groups; Lithuanian, Polish and Ukrainian speakers each differ a little, mostly in the vowels. The transliteration is the YIVO romanisation, in which kh is the sound in Scottish "loch," sh and zh are as in English "shoe" and "measure," and ts is as in "cats."
דער (der) — IPA: /dɛr/ — The vowel is the e of "bed"; the r is rolled or made at the back of the throat, depending on the speaker. It is the same vowel in דעם (dem) /dɛm/. די (di) — IPA: /di/ — As "dee," with a short, clear i, not "die." דאָס (dos) — IPA: /dɔs/ — The vowel is the o of British "dog," not "dose." Many speakers from Poland and Galicia say /dus/. דעם (dem) — IPA: /dɛm/ — The final ם is m, and nothing else. טיש (tish) — IPA: /tɪʃ/ — The i is short, as in "fish." הױז (hoyz) — IPA: /hɔɪz/ — The ױ (oy) is as in English "boy." נײַ (nay) — IPA: /naɪ/ — The ײַ (ay) is as in "nigh." Against it, הײס (heys) /hɛɪs/ has the ײ (ey), the ay of "day." קינד (kind) — IPA: /kɪnt/ — The final d is pronounced t. The same happens in הונט (hunt) /hunt/, and in all Yiddish words that end in a voiced stop. איך (ikh) — IPA: /ɪx/ — The ending is the rough sound of Scottish "loch" or German "Bach," made at the back of the mouth. The same sound is in בוך (bukh) /bux/, מילך (milkh) /mɪlx/ and קיך (kikh) /kɪx/. װאַסער (vaser) — IPA: /ˈvasɐ/ — The װ (v) is as English "v." The pointed alef אַ is the a of "father," short. שטוב (shtub) — IPA: /ʃtub/ — The u is the oo of "boot," short. ציגעלע (tsigele) — IPA: /ˈtsɪgɛlɛ/ — Three light syllables, stress on the first. This is the stress pattern of most Yiddish words: the first syllable. זענען (zenen) — IPA: /ˈzɛnən/ — A short first vowel and a very short second. Vowel letters: ע is e (/ɛ/), י is i, ײ is ey /ɛɪ/, ײַ is ay /aɪ/, ױ is oy /ɔɪ/, אַ is a /a/, אָ is o /ɔ/, וּ is u /u/. The letters פּ (p) and פֿ (f), and כּ (k) and כ (kh), are told apart by the dot or the line.
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