אהב

Hebrew

Etymology

Root
א־ה־ב (ʾ-h-b)

Compare Ugaritic 𐎀𐎅𐎁 (ảhb) and Arabic أَحَبَّ (ʔaḥabba)

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)aˈhav/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ɔˈhav/
• (Yemenite) IPA^(key): /ɔːˈhæv/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

אָהַב • (aháv) (pa'al construction, infinitive לאהוב / לֶאֶהֹב, passive participle אָהוּב, passive counterpart נֶאֱהַב)

1. (transitive) to love

   אני אוהב אותך

   aní ohév otákh

   I love you! (said by a man to a woman)

   אני אוהב אותך

   aní ohév otkhá

   I love you! (said by a man to a man)

   אני אוהבת אותך

   aní ohévet otákh

   I love you! (said by a woman to a woman)

   אני אוהבת אותך

   aní ohévet otkhá

   I love you! (said by a woman to a man)

Usage notes

• In Modern Hebrew, אהב takes a direct object; that is, no preposition is used if the object is indefinite, and the preposition את (et) is used if it is definite. In the Bible, אהב sometimes takes a direct object, and other times takes an object using the preposition ל־ (l'-) (e.g., Leviticus 19:18).

Conjugation

Conjugation of אָהַב (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs) 

non-finite forms		to-infinitive: לאהוב / לֶאֱהֹב action noun: אַהֲבָה passive participle: אָהוּב
finite forms		singular		plural
		m.	f.	m.	f.
past	first	אָהַבְתִּי		אָהַבְנוּ
	second	אָהַבְתָּ	אָהַבְתְּ	אֲהַבְתֶּם1	אֲהַבְתֶּן1
	third	אָהַב	אָהֲבָה	אָהֲבוּ
present		אוֹהֵב	אוֹהֶבֶת	אוֹהֲבִים	אוֹהֲבוֹת
future	first	אוהב / אֹהַב		נֹאהַב
	second	תֹּאהַב	תֹּאהֲבִי	תֹּאהֲבוּ	תֹּאהַבְנָה2
	third	יֹאהַב	תֹּאהַב	יֹאהֲבוּ	תֹּאהַבְנָה2
imperative		אֱהַב	אֶהֱבִי	אֶהֱבוּ	אֱהַבְנָה2
notes		Pronounced אָהַבְתֶּם and אָהַבְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew. Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Derived terms

• וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ (v'ahavtá l're'akhá kamókha)

References

• H157 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Anagrams

• אבה, באה, הבא