Fractions look like arithmetic, but in Hebrew they are noun phrases with gender and number. The denominator may be masculine or feminine, so the numeral before it changes too. Percentages add the counted-noun rule, while decimals and multipliers have their own spoken conventions. These contrasts matter in recipes, news reports, prices, and spreadsheets.
Half, third, and quarter
The everyday words חצי “half,” שליש “third,” and רבע “quarter” are masculine. מחצית is a more formal feminine noun meaning “half,” common in reports and set time expressions. The shorter חצי dominates ordinary conversation.
| Fraction | Singular | Plural | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | חצי | חצאים | everyday |
| 1/2 | מחצית | מחציות | (formal) |
| 1/3 | שליש | שלישים | neutral |
| 1/4 | רבע | רבעים | neutral |
When the fraction directly measures a following noun, Hebrew simply places the expressions together: חצי שעה, רבע קילו. There is no equivalent of English of inside these measure phrases.
נשארה לי חצי שעה עד שהרכבת יוצאת.
nish'ará li khatsí sha'á ad sheharakévet yotsét
I have half an hour left until the train departs.
תוסיף רבע קילו קמח ותערבב שוב.
tosíf réva kílo kémakh ute'arbév shuv
Add a quarter-kilo of flour and mix again. (informal, to a man)
To name a portion of a defined whole, use מ־: שליש מהתלמידים, “a third of the students.” The מ־ appears because the whole is definite or otherwise identified. Compare bare שליש כוס מים “a third of a cup of water,” where the following phrase itself supplies the measure.
שליש מהתלמידים הגישו את העבודה באיחור.
shlish mehatalmidím higíshu et ha'avodá be'ikhúr
A third of the students submitted the assignment late.
שני שלישים מהמורים תמכו בהצעה החדשה.
shnei shlishím mehamorím tamkhú bahatsa'á hakhadashá
Two thirds of the teachers supported the new proposal.
From a fifth upward: feminine fraction nouns
From חמישית “fifth” through עשירית “tenth,” the feminine ordinal also functions as a fraction noun: חמישית, שישית, שביעית, שמינית, תשיעית, עשירית. This does not extend backward to a third or a quarter: those remain masculine שליש and רבע.
The gender has a visible consequence in the numerator. Masculine fraction nouns take the marked masculine numerals שני/שלושה, while feminine fraction nouns take שתי/שלוש:
| Expression | Gender of fraction noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| שני שלישים | masculine | two thirds |
| שלושה רבעים | masculine | three quarters |
| שתי חמישיות | feminine | two fifths |
| שלוש עשיריות | feminine | three tenths |
שלושה רבעים מהתקציב כבר נוצלו.
shloshá reva'ím mehataktsív kvar nutslú
Three quarters of the budget has already been used.
שתי חמישיות מהדירה שייכות לאחותי.
shtei khamishiyót mehadirá shayakhót la'akhotí
Two fifths of the apartment belong to my sister.
Percentages: אחוז and the noun after the number
אחוז is masculine. In careful standard Hebrew, one through ten obey the ordinary counted-noun pattern: אחוז אחד, חמישה אחוזים, עשרה אחוזים. From eleven upward, singular אחוז is normal: עשרים אחוז, מאה אחוז. This is the same threshold explained on counted-noun agreement.
המחיר עלה בחמישה אחוזים מתחילת השנה.
hamekhír alá bakhamishá akhuzím mitkhilát hashaná
The price has risen by five percent since the beginning of the year. (careful standard)
עשרים אחוז מהתושבים עובדים מהבית לפחות יום בשבוע.
esrím akhúz mehatoshavím ovdím mehabáyit lefakhót yom bashavúa
Twenty percent of the residents work from home at least one day a week.
Everyday conversation often keeps אחוז singular below eleven: חמישה אחוז. That is a real (informal) register pattern, not a form to condemn as nonexistent.
✅ הורידו לי חמישה אחוז מהמחיר בקופה.
horídu li khamishá akhúz mehamekhír bakupá
They took five percent off the price at the checkout. (informal spoken usage)
✅ ההנחה היא חמישה אחוזים לפי החוזה.
hahanakhá hi khamishá akhuzím lefí hakhóze
The discount is five percent under the contract. (careful standard)
To state the whole, use מ־ just as with fractions: עשרים אחוז מהתושבים. English percent of therefore maps to אחוז מ־, not אחוז של.
Decimals: a point on the page, פסיק in speech
Israeli notation normally uses a decimal point: 0.5, 3.5, 3.14. In ordinary speech many Israelis call the separator פסיק, literally “comma,” even though the printed sign is a point; נקודה is also heard. After the separator, read each digit separately in its bare counting form.
הטמפרטורה עלתה בשלוש נקודה חמש מעלות.
hatemperatúra altá beshalósh nekudá khamésh ma'alót
The temperature rose by 3.5 degrees.
התוצאה במחשבון היא שלוש פסיק אחת ארבע.
hatotsa'á bamakhshevón hi shalósh psik akhát árba
The result on the calculator is 3.14. (everyday reading with פסיק)
The visible digits stay in Western left-to-right order even inside a Hebrew line. For the bidirectional layout itself, see punctuation in RTL text.
Arithmetic and פי
The basic operations are ועוד “plus,” פחות “minus,” כפול “times,” and חלקי “divided by.” These are ordinary spoken forms, not special mathematical symbols.
שלוש ועוד חמש שווה שמונה.
shalósh ve'ód khamésh shavé shmóne
Three plus five equals eight.
עשרים חלקי ארבע שווה חמש.
esrím khelkéi árba shavé khamésh
Twenty divided by four equals five.
For a multiplicative comparison, Hebrew uses פי + numeral: פי שניים “twice as much,” פי שלושה “three times as much,” פי עשרה “ten times as much.” English has no single word corresponding to פי; it packages the ratio before the number instead.
הדירה החדשה גדולה פי שלושה מהקודמת.
hadirá hakhadashá gdolá pi shloshá mehakodémet
The new apartment is three times as large as the previous one.
השנה ההכנסות היו גבוהות פי שניים מבשנה שעברה.
hashaná hahakhnasót hayú gvohót pi shnáyim mibashaná she'avrá
This year revenue was twice as high as last year.
Common Mistakes
1. Giving a masculine fraction a feminine numerator.
❌ שתי שלישים מהמורים
Incorrect — שליש is masculine, so ‘two thirds’ is שני שלישים.
✅ שני שלישים מהמורים הצביעו בעד השינוי.
shnei shlishím mehamorím hitsbí'u be'ád hashinúi
Two thirds of the teachers voted for the change.
2. Giving a feminine fraction a masculine numerator.
❌ שלושה עשיריות מהסכום
Incorrect — עשירית is feminine, so ‘three tenths’ is שלוש עשיריות.
✅ שלוש עשיריות מהסכום יועברו מחר.
shalósh asiriyót mehaskhúm yu'avrú makhár
Three tenths of the amount will be transferred tomorrow.
3. Importing a continental decimal comma into Israeli notation.
❌ המחיר הוא 3,5 שקלים.
Incorrect as Israeli decimal notation — write a point: 3.5. A comma normally separates thousands or clauses.
✅ המחיר הוא 3.5 שקלים בדיוק.
hamekhír hu shalósh nekudá khamésh shkalím bediyúk
The price is exactly 3.5 shekels.
4. Dropping partitive מ־ before a definite whole.
❌ עשרים אחוז התושבים
Incorrect — the identified whole needs the partitive prefix מ־: עשרים אחוז מהתושבים.
✅ עשרים אחוז מהתושבים ביקשו להצביע שוב.
esrím akhúz mehatoshavím bikshú lehatsbía shuv
Twenty percent of the residents asked to vote again.
5. Translating a ratio as a repetition count.
❌ החדר גדול שלוש פעמים מהחדר השני.
Incorrect for an exact ratio — use פי שלושה, not ‘three times,’ before the comparison.
✅ החדר גדול פי שלושה מהחדר השני.
hakhéder gadól pi shloshá mehakhéder hashení
The room is three times as large as the other room.
Key Takeaways
- שליש and רבע are masculine; חמישית through עשירית are feminine fraction nouns, so the numerator changes with them.
- Use מ־ for a portion of a defined whole: שליש מהתלמידים, עשרים אחוז מהתושבים.
- Careful Hebrew has חמישה אחוזים up to ten and singular עשרים אחוז from eleven upward; חמישה אחוז is informal spoken usage.
- Israeli decimals use a point in writing, while speech may call it פסיק or נקודה and reads later digits one by one.
- פי introduces an exact multiplier: פי שניים, פי שלושה, פי עשרה.
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