אל: To, Toward | Hebrew Grammar

אל points toward a person, place or target. Its central meaning is directional “to” or “toward,” but Modern Hebrew also has the very common prefix ל־ with the same broad job. The most useful working rule is register and shape: everyday speech normally prefers ל־ before an ordinary noun destination, while אל is common in writing and especially important before pronoun suffixes.

Direction toward a target

With a noun phrase, אל presents the destination as a target of movement, attention or transfer. It remains normal Hebrew, but in casual speech it can sound more deliberate or literary than ל־.

היא התקרבה אל החלון והסתכלה החוצה.

hi hitkarvá el hakhalón vehistaklá hakhútsa

She went over toward the window and looked outside.

המפגינים צעדו אל הכיכר המרכזית.

hamafginím tsa'adú el hakikár hamerkazít

The demonstrators marched toward the central square. (written/news register)

The spatial contrast with ב־ is straightforward: אל marks the path or goal, while ב־ locates something at or in the place. For that motion-versus-location split, see motion and location.

נסענו לתחנה, ועכשיו אנחנו בתחנה.

nasánu latakhaná, ve'akhsháv anákhnu batakhaná

We drove to the station, and now we're at the station. (ordinary speech uses ל־ for the noun destination)

אל and ל־ with noun destinations

With places and other noun destinations, ל־ overwhelmingly carries ordinary conversation: הולך לעבודה, נוסעת לתל אביב, מגיעים לתחנה. אל is available when the writer wants a more explicit directional target or a higher written register.

Typical form	Example	Register
ל־ + noun	נסעתי לעיר	neutral everyday speech and writing
אל + noun	נסעתי אל העיר	marked, literary or deliberately directional
אל + suffix	נסעתי אליו	neutral and productive before pronouns

Corpus evidence matters here because tidy textbook rules overstate the contrast. פנה ל־ and פנה אל both occur in the same “address/contact” sense; אל does not automatically mean a person while ל־ means an institution or field. The measurable difference is largely frequency and register, not a secret lexical meaning. The same caution applies to attempts to assign completely separate senses to ניגש or התייחס solely from the preposition.

פניתי למשרד בבוקר ועדיין לא קיבלתי תשובה.

paníti lamisrád babóker va'adáyin lo kibálti tshuvá

I contacted the office this morning and still haven't received an answer. (everyday/neutral)

המעוניינים מוזמנים לפנות אל הנהלת המרכז בכתב.

hame'unyaním muzmaním lifnót el hanhalát hamerkáz bikhtáv

Interested parties are invited to contact the center's management in writing. (formal/written)

💡

For a noun destination, choose ל־ by default in ordinary speech. Recognize and use אל in deliberate or formal writing. Do not invent a meaning difference where current usage shows only a register and frequency difference.

The evidence and the comparison are developed on ל־ versus אל.

Before pronouns, אל becomes essential

The clearest functional distinction appears with personal suffixes. לו is the dative “to him/for him,” usually marking a recipient or beneficiary. אליו is directional “to/toward him.” English translates both with to him, but Hebrew makes you identify the relation.

שלחתי לו הודעה, ואחר כך הלכתי אליו הביתה.

shalákhti lo hoda'á, ve'akhár kakh halákhti eláv habáyta

I sent him a message, and then I went over to his place. (לו recipient; אליו direction)

התקשרנו אליו אתמול והוא הבטיח לחזור אלינו.

hitkashárnu eláv etmól vehú hivtíakh lakhazór eléinu

We called him yesterday, and he promised to get back to us.

With התקשר, current usage often has ל־ before an organization—התקשרתי למשטרה—and אל before a personal suffix—התקשרתי אליה. That is a useful pattern, but it comes from the lexical behavior of this verb plus the strong pronoun pattern; it is not proof that every verb divides people and institutions in the same way.

The full suffixed paradigm

The standard full spellings parallel על: אליי and אלייך have doubled yods. Learn the masculine and feminine singular “you” as separate spoken forms even though learners often collapse them.

Person	Form	Reading
to me	אֵלַיי — אליי	elái
to you, m. sg.	אֵלֶיךָ — אליך	elékha
to you, f. sg.	אֵלַיִיךְ — אלייך	eláyikh
to him	אֵלָיו — אליו	eláv
to her	אֵלֶיהָ — אליה	eléha
to us	אֵלֵינוּ — אלינו	eléinu
to you, m. pl.	אֲלֵיכֶם — אליכם	aleikhém
to you, f. pl.	אֲלֵיכֶן — אליכן	aleikhén (formal/written)
to them, m.	אֲלֵיהֶם — אליהם	aleihém
to them, f.	אֲלֵיהֶן — אליהן	aleihén (formal/written)

Modern speech also has אֵלֵיכֶם and אֵלֵיהֶם, with an initial e, beside the normative pointed אֲלֵיכֶם and אֲלֵיהֶם. The spoken variants are not failures to know the preposition; they are established modern leveling. In careful pointed writing, retain the normative forms in the table.

אנחנו כבר בדרך אליכם, צריך להביא משהו?

anákhnu kvar badérekh aleikhém, tsaríkh lehaví máshehu

We're already on our way to you; should we bring anything? (to a group)

These forms use the same old plural-looking base as עליי and עליו. For the system, see plural-base prepositions; for focused contrast with אצל “at someone’s place,” see אליי and אצלי.

Do not confuse אֶל with אַל

Unpointed אל has two unrelated readings. The preposition אֶל el means “to/toward.” The negative particle אַל al introduces a prohibition, normally before a future-form verb.

אל תתקשר אליי אחרי חצות.

al titkashér elái akharéi khatsót

Don't call me after midnight. (first אל = don't; second אליי = to me)

The prohibition belongs to אַל with future forms; it is not a meaning of the preposition.

Common Mistakes

1. Leaving a separate pronoun after אל.

❌ העברתי את הבקשה אל היא

Incorrect — the pronoun must be absorbed: העברתי את הבקשה אליה.

✅ העברתי את הבקשה אליה והיא אישרה שקיבלה אותה.

he'evárti et habakashá eléha vehí ishrá shekiblá otá

I forwarded the request to her, and she confirmed that she'd received it.

2. Choosing the dative suffix when direction is meant. Both forms below are grammatical, but לו marks the recipient in the first sentence and אליו marks the directional goal in the second.

✅ נתתי לו את הסיכום אחרי השיעור.

natáti lo et hasikúm akharéi hashi'úr

I gave him the summary after class. (לו: recipient)

✅ הלכתי אליו אחרי השיעור כדי להחזיר את הספר.

halákhti eláv akharéi hashi'úr kdei lehakhzír et haséfer

I went over to him after class to return the book.

3. Overusing אל before every noun in casual speech. The form belongs in deliberate written direction, while an ordinary commute normally takes ל־.

✅ המשלחת המשיכה אל העיר למרות מזג האוויר.

hamishlákhat himshikhá el ha'ír lamrót mézeg ha'avír

The delegation continued toward the city despite the weather. (formal/written: אל is deliberate)

✅ כל בוקר אני הולך לעבודה ברגל וחוזר באוטובוס.

kol bóker aní holékh la'avodá berégel vekhozér ba'otóbus

Every morning I walk to work and come back by bus. (everyday, m. speaker)

4. Reading every unpointed אל as the preposition.

❌ אל תיכנס

to enter

Incorrect reading — before a future-form verb, אַל תיכנס means ‘don't go in.’

✅ אל תיכנס בלי לדפוק, התינוק ישן.

al tikhanés bli lidpók, hatinók yashén

Don't come in without knocking; the baby's asleep. (to a man)

Key Takeaways

אל marks direction toward a target, but ל־ is the ordinary choice before noun destinations in speech.
With many noun destinations, the difference is frequency and register, not a reliable hidden meaning split.
Before pronouns, inflect אל: אליי, אליך, אלייך, אליו, אליה, אלינו.
Distinguish לו “to/for him” as a dative recipient from אליו “to/toward him” as a directional target.
Unpointed אל may be the preposition אֶל or the prohibition particle אַל; syntax tells you which.

Now practice Hebrew

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Hebrew →