:github_url: https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_uhg/src/branch/master/content/gender_feminine.rst

.. _gender_feminine:

Gender Feminine
===============

Summary
-------

Nouns, adjectives, finite verbs, participles, pronouns, pronominal suffixes, and some particles change their form is according to
their grammatical gender, either masculine or feminine. The feminine gender is often marked by either a ־ָה (qamets-he) or וֹת
(holem-taw) suffix, but various other prefixes and suffixes can also indicate feminine gender.

Article
-------

In Biblical Hebrew, :ref:`nouns<noun>` are classified according to gender, either :ref:`masculine<gender_masculine>`, feminine, or
sometimes :ref:`both<gender_both>`. Grammatical modifiers (such as :ref:`adjectives<adjective>`, :ref:`active<participle_active>`
and :ref:`passive<participle_passive>` participles, :ref:`pronouns<pronoun>`, :ref:`pronominal suffixes<suffix_pronominal>`)
change their endings in order to agree with the gender of the term they refer to. A :ref:`finite verb<verb-finite>`
with feminine gender indicates a feminine subject. All references to female persons in Biblical Hebrew are feminine.
However, other entities apart from people can also be classified as feminine. For example, the :ref:`proper names <noun_proper_name>`
of cities are often feminine in Biblical Hebrew, as well as body parts that exist as pairs (hand, foot, etc.).
Some :ref:`particles<particle>` are also marked for gender in Biblical Hebrew.
 
.. note:: Some feminine nouns do NOT take feminine endings, even some common
          nouns such as אֵם (mother) and אֶרֶץ (earth). They appear to be
          masculine nouns, but they are actually feminine nouns. A dictionary or
          lexicon will indicate the proper gender for each word.


Form
----

Feminine :ref:`singular<number_singular>` :ref:`nouns<noun>` and :ref:`adjectives<adjective>` usually end in either ־ָה (qamets-he)
or ־ֶת (seghol-taw, for participles). Feminine :ref:`dual<number_dual>` terms end in ־ַיִם (patach-yod-hireq-final mem), as in יָדַיִם (hands).
Feminine :ref:`plural<number_plural>` terms usually end in וֹת- (holem-taw), as in תּוֹרוֹת (laws). There is a whole family of 
:ref:`verbal<verb>` prefixes and suffixes that indicate feminine gender for :ref:`finite<verb-finite>` verbs.

.. csv-table:: Feminine Noun Paradigm

  Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss
  feminine singular absolute,סוּסָה,susah,mare
  feminine singular construct,סוּסַת,susat,mare of
  feminine plural absolute,סוּסוֹת,susoth,mares
  feminine plural construct,סוּסוֹת,susoth,mares of

.. csv-table:: Qal Suffix Conjugation Feminine Forms

  Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss
  second person feminine singular,קָטַלְתְּ,qatalt,you killed
  second person feminine plural,קְטַלְתֶּן,qetalten,you killed
  third person feminine singular,קָטְלָה,qatlah,she killed

.. csv-table:: Qal Prefix Conjugation Feminine Forms

  Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss
  second person feminine singular,תִּקְטְלִי,tiqteli,you will kill
  second person feminine plural,תִּקְטֹלְנָה,tiqtolenah,you will kill
  third person feminine singular,תִּקְטֹל,tiqtol,she will kill
  third person feminine plural,תִּקְטֹלְנָה,tiqtolenah,they will kill

.. csv-table:: Independent Personal Pronoun Feminine Forms

  Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss
  second person feminine singular,אַתְּ,'at,you
  second person feminine plural,אַתֵּנָה,'attenah,you
  third person feminine singular,הִיא / הִוא,hi / hiw,she / it
  third person feminine plural,הֵן / הֵנָּה,hen / hennah,they

.. csv-table:: Object Pronoun Feminine Forms

  Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss
  second person feminine singular,אֹתָךְ,'othakh,you
  second person feminine plural,אֹתְכֶֶן,'thekhem,you
  third person feminine singular,אֹתָהּ,'othah,her / it
  third person feminine plural,אֶתְהֶן / אֹתָן,'ethhen / 'othan,them

.. csv-table:: Pronominal Suffix Feminine Forms

  Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss
  second person feminine singular,לָךְ / - ָךְ,lakh / -akh,(to) you
  second person feminine plural,לָכֶן / -כֶן,lakhen / -khen,(to) you
  third person feminine singular,לָהּ / - ָהּ,lah / -ah,(to) her
  third person feminine plural,לָהֶן / -הֶן / - ָן,lahen / -hen / -an,(to) them