Hebrew replaces על + pronoun with one inflected word. “On me” and “about me” are both עליי, while “on him” and “about him” are both עליו. The relation comes from על; the suffix tells you who or what its object is.
This page drills the paradigm through the three functions that matter most: physical support, a topic, and formal obligation. For the unsuffixed meanings and verb frames, see על; for the reason these endings resemble plural possessives, see plural-base prepositions.
The complete על paradigm
The ordering stays the same as in the guide's full inflection tables. Read the three easily confused singular forms aloud: עליו aláv, עליה aléha, and עלייך aláyikh.
| Person | Unpointed | Pointed form | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg — on/about me | עליי | עָלַיי | alái |
| 2ms — on/about you | עליך | עָלֶיךָ | alékha |
| 2fs — on/about you | עלייך | עָלַיִיךְ | aláyikh |
| 3ms — on/about him/it | עליו | עָלָיו | aláv |
| 3fs — on/about her/it | עליה | עָלֶיהָ | aléha |
| 1pl — on/about us | עלינו | עָלֵינוּ | aléinu |
| 2mpl — on/about you | עליכם | עֲלֵיכֶם | aleikhém |
| 2fpl — on/about you | עליכן | עֲלֵיכֶן | aleikhén (formal/written) |
| 3mpl — on/about them | עליהם | עֲלֵיהֶם | aleihém |
| 3fpl — on/about them | עליהן | עֲלֵיהֶן | aleihén (formal/written) |
The feminine-plural forms are part of the paradigm and matter in careful writing. Everyday Israeli Hebrew normally uses the masculine plural for mixed groups and often extends it to all-female groups too. That is a register distribution, not permission to omit the feminine cells from a reference table.
המזוודה כבדה, אל תניח עליה את התיק.
hamizvadá kvedá, al taníakh aléha et hatík
The suitcase is heavy; don't put the bag on it. (to a man)
המדפים חזקים, אפשר להניח עליהם את כל הספרים.
hamadafím khazakím, efshár lehaníakh aleihém et kol hasfarím
The shelves are strong; you can put all the books on them.
Physical support: the object is underneath
With a full noun, say על הכיסא, על המדף, or על השולחן. Replace that noun phrase with a pronoun and על absorbs it. English retains two words—on it—so the one-word Hebrew form must become an automatic swap.
| Full noun phrase | Suffixed replacement |
|---|---|
| שמתי את המעיל על הכיסא. | שמתי את המעיל עליו. |
| הנחתי את הכוס על השידה. | הנחתי את הכוס עליה. |
| הילד קפץ על המיטות. | הילד קפץ עליהן. |
הכיסא היה רטוב, ובכל זאת התיישבתי עליו.
hakisé hayá ratóv, uvekhól zot hityashávti aláv
The chair was wet, and I sat on it anyway.
יש פה רק שמיכה אחת, אז שנינו נשב עליה.
yesh po rak smikhá akhát, az shnéinu neshév aléha
There's only one blanket here, so we'll both sit on it.
A topic: what speech or thought is about
The same forms introduce a topic after verbs that select על, including דיבר על “talk about” and חשב על “think about.” The suffix refers to the topic, not necessarily a person.
חשבתי עלייך בדרך לעבודה ורציתי לשאול מה שלומך.
khashávti aláyikh badérekh la'avodá veratsíti lish'ól ma shlomékh
I thought about you on my way to work and wanted to ask how you were. (to a woman)
דיברנו עליהם בישיבה, אבל עוד לא פנינו אליהם.
dibárnu aleihém bayeshivá, avál od lo panínu aleihém
We talked about them in the meeting, but we haven't contacted them yet. (masculine or mixed group)
Do not build this use around an assumed translation of every English about. Hebrew verb government is lexical. This page uses the attested frame דיבר על; סיפר has its own patterns, including סיפר ל־ “told someone” and סיפר את הסיפור “told the story.”
Topical על versus dative ל־
English to him and about him look like separate prepositional phrases, but Hebrew's distinction lives inside the suffix form itself. In the same sentence, עליו is the topic and לו is the recipient.
דיברתי עליו כל הבוקר, ובסוף כתבתי לו הודעה.
dibárti aláv kol habóker, uvasóf katávti lo hoda'á
I talked about him all morning, and eventually wrote him a message. (עליו = topic; לו = recipient)
Formal obligation: the duty rests on someone
על + suffix + infinitive presents an obligation as resting on a person. It is productive in official instructions, formal prose, and considered speech. The suffix identifies the obligated person; the infinitive names the required action.
עלינו להגיש את הערעור עד סוף החודש.
aléinu lehagísh et ha'ir'úr ad sof hakhódesh
We must submit the appeal by the end of the month. (formal)
עליכם לעדכן את הפרטים לפני שליחת הבקשה.
aleikhém le'adkén et hapratím lifnéi shlikhát habakashá
You must update the details before submitting the application. (formal, to a masculine or mixed group)
Everyday conversation normally packages the same necessity with צריך/צריכה. Both examples below are grammatical; the first sounds like a written or considered duty, and the second like an ordinary departure.
עליי לצאת כעת כדי להגיע בזמן לדיון.
alái latsét ka'ét kdei lehagía bizmán ladiyún
I must leave now in order to reach the hearing on time. (formal/considered)
אני צריכה לצאת עכשיו, האוטובוס כבר מגיע.
aní tsrikhá latsét akhsháv, ha'otóbus kvar magía
I have to leave now; the bus is already coming. (everyday, f. speaker)
What the doubled yod tells you
Pealim prints the full spellings עליי and עלייך, while single-yod spellings remain common in real Israeli writing. This guide follows the Academy's full-spelling rule: word-final /ay/ in the first-person suffix is an explicit exception to the normal ban on doubling final yod, hence עליי. The same rules double consonantal yod inside עלייך.
The extra letter reduces, but does not eliminate, ambiguity. Single-yod עלי can also represent עֱלִי “pestle” and עֲלִי, the feminine singular imperative “go up.” Even doubled עלייך can represent עָלַיִךְ “your leaves” in the right context. Vowels and syntax still decide the reading.
עלי לבמה עכשיו, מחכים לך.
alí labamá akhsháv, mekhakím lakh
Go up onto the stage now; they're waiting for you. (imperative to a woman; עלי is not עליי)
Colloquial extensions worth recognizing
The physical idea of something resting “on” someone extends into several fixed expressions (informal). זה עליי assigns payment or responsibility to the speaker. לא עלינו is a conventional aside used while mentioning a feared misfortune. אין עליו praises a masculine referent as exceptional or unbeatable; Milog glosses the idiom as “rare, one of a kind.” These are constructions, not new suffix paradigms.
תשאיר את החשבון, הערב זה עליי.
tash'ír et hakheshbón, ha'érev ze alái
Leave the bill; tonight it's on me. (informal, to a man)
הנהג הזה, אין עליו — תמיד מגיע בזמן.
hanahág hazé, ein aláv, tamíd magía bizmán
That driver is unbeatable—he always arrives on time. (informal praise)
Common Mistakes
Leaving a free pronoun after על
This is the direct transfer from English on me / about him. Hebrew requires the suffix.
❌ כולם הסתכלו על אני.
Incorrect — על cannot stand before free אני; use עליי.
✅ כולם הסתכלו עליי וחיכו שאגיד משהו.
kulám histaklú alái vekhikú she'agíd máshehu
Everyone looked at me and waited for me to say something.
❌ הנחתי את המעיל על הוא.
Incorrect — על cannot stand before free הוא; use עליו.
✅ הנחתי את המעיל עליו כי לא היה מקום אחר.
hinákhti et hame'íl aláv ki lo hayá makóm akhér
I put the coat on it because there was nowhere else.
Collapsing three distinct singular readings
עליו, עליה, עלייך
aláv, aléha, aláyikh
on/about him; on/about her; on/about you (f. sg.)
Treating formal obligation as the only way to say “must”
עליו להשיב לבקשה בכתב.
aláv lehashív labakashá bikhtáv
He must respond to the request in writing. (formal)
הוא צריך לענות לה עוד היום.
hu tsaríkh la'anót la od hayóm
He needs to answer her today. (everyday)
Key Takeaways
- על absorbs its pronoun: עליי, עליך, עלייך, עליו, עליה, עלינו, עליכם, עליכן, עליהם, עליהן.
- The same paradigm serves physical support, a topic, and the formal obligation frame על + person + infinitive.
- Hear aláv / aléha / aláyikh as three distinct forms; unpointed Hebrew does not supply their vowels.
- Standard full spelling uses two yods in עליי and עלייך, although single-yod spellings remain widespread.
- English on/about + pronoun produces the core learner error: never write על אני or על הוא.
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Start learning Hebrew →Related Topics
- על: On, About, Have ToA2 — Use על for physical support, topics and several fixed verb complements, and learn the formal obligation pattern עליי plus an infinitive.
- Why עליי Looks PluralC1 — Understand the plural-style suffix family behind עליי, אליו, לפניו, and related prepositions without mistaking the pattern for literal plurality.
- Verbs Governed by על: חשב על, ויתר על, הסתכל עלB2 — Learn common Hebrew verbs whose topic, protected object, repeated item, or target is introduced by על.
- Double ו and Double י in Unpointed TextB1 — Unpointed Hebrew writes a consonantal v as וו and a consonantal y as יי in the middle of a word — תקווה, בניין — purely so the reader does not mistake them for the vowels o, u and i. Here is when the doubling applies, and the four places it stops.