The two letters את conceal four different Hebrew words. In an unpointed sentence, only syntax and context tell you whether you are looking at the definite-object marker, the feminine pronoun “you,” a preposition meaning “with,” or the noun “spade.” Niqqud exposes the distinction immediately, so this page keeps the pointed forms visible while explaining why ordinary איתי, איתך, איתו belong to the least visible member of the set.
Four words, one bare spelling
| Pointed word | Function | Register and distribution |
|---|---|---|
| אֶת et | marker before a definite direct object | (neutral), extremely frequent |
| אֵת et | preposition “with” | free form chiefly (literary/classical); everyday in its suffixed forms |
| אַתְּ at | “you”, feminine singular | (neutral) |
| אֵת et | a spade or hoe | (neutral) noun, relatively uncommon |
The first and second words differ only by vowel: the object marker is אֶת, whereas the old comitative preposition is אֵת. The noun has exactly the same pointing as the preposition. Even niqqud cannot distinguish those two; their noun-versus-preposition positions do.
את מכירה את המסעדה הזאת?
at makirá et hamis'adá hazót?
Do you know this restaurant? (to a woman; the first את is 'you,' the second is the object marker)
הגנן השאיר את ליד המחסן.
haganán hish'ír et leyád hamakhsán
The gardener left a spade beside the shed. (the noun אֵת; neutral)
The hidden source of איתי and איתך
Everyday Hebrew says free עם “with” but switches to the stem אית־ before a pronoun. This is suppletion: one grammatical paradigm is assembled from two historically different words. English has a small parallel in go versus went; there is no way to predict the second stem from the first.
באתי עם מאיה, והיא נשארה איתי עד סוף הערב.
báti im Máya, vehí nish'ará ití ad sof ha'érev
I came with Maya, and she stayed with me until the end of the evening. (עם with a noun; איתי with a pronoun)
The complete everyday series is:
| Meaning | Modern spelling | Pointed form |
|---|---|---|
| with me | איתי | אִתִּי ití |
| with you (m. sg.) | איתך | אִתְּךָ itkhá |
| with you (f. sg.) | איתך | אִתָּךְ itákh |
| with him | איתו | אִתּוֹ itó |
| with her | איתה | אִתָּהּ itá |
| with us | איתנו | אִתָּנוּ itánu |
| with you (m./mixed pl.) | איתכם | אִתְּכֶם itkhém |
| with you (f. pl.) | איתכן | אִתְּכֶן itkhén |
| with them (m./mixed) | איתם | אִתָּם itám |
| with them (f.) | איתן | אִתָּן itán |
These are (neutral), not literary survivals. The related page on איתי, איתך and איתו drills the entire paradigm; this page explains the spelling collision behind it.
אני מביאה איתי את המסמכים לפגישה.
aní mevi'á ití et hamismakhím lapgishá
I'm bringing the documents with me to the meeting. (f. speaker; איתי is comitative, את is the object marker)
את רוצה להצטרף אלינו או להישאר איתם?
at rotsá lehitstaréf elénu o lehisha'ér itám?
Do you want to join us or stay with them? (to a woman; את is 'you,' איתם is 'with them')
Older spellings and the literary alternative
Modern ktiv male normally inserts the yod: איתי, איתך, איתו. Pointed texts, older books, and song lyrics may instead print אתי, אתך, אתו. Those are ktiv haser spellings of the same words, not forms of the object marker. Calling the older spellings “wrong” would erase a real historical spelling system; using them without niqqud in an ordinary modern message would simply make the reader work harder.
הוא לקח את המפתח אתו וסגר את הדלת.
hu lakákh et hamáfteakh itó vesagár et hadélet
He took the key with him and shut the door. (older ktiv haser אתו in the target; its reading is אִתּוֹ)
The genuinely alternative paradigm is עימי, עימך, עימו, עימנו. It is (literary) today. עימדי is more strongly marked: (archaic, poetic). These forms are not errors and remain useful for reading, but substituting them throughout a casual conversation creates an elevated voice.
הזיכרון הזה ילך עימי בכל מקום.
hazikarón hazé yelékh imí bekhól makóm
This memory will go with me everywhere. (literary)
The collisions inside older unpointed text
The loss of both niqqud and modern full spelling makes some short strings dramatically ambiguous:
| Bare string | Possible pointed readings | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| אתי | אִתִּי / אוֹתִי | with me / me as an object |
| אתה | אַתָּה / אִתָּהּ / אוֹתָהּ | you (m. sg.) / with her / her as an object |
| אתם | אַתֶּם / אִתָּם / אֹתָם | you (m./mixed pl.) / with them / them as an object |
In modern unpointed spelling the contrasts are usually restored: איתי / אותי, אתה / איתה / אותה, and אתם / איתם / אותם. Context still matters, but the extra letters do most of the sorting.
אתה אמרת שהמזוודה איתה, אבל לא ראיתי אותה.
atá amárta shehamizvadá itá, avál lo ra'íti otá
You said she had the suitcase with her, but I didn't see it. (modern spelling separates אתה, איתה and אותה)
Classical free אֵת
Classical Hebrew can use אֵת as a free preposition meaning “with.” That free use is (classical/literary), not the normal way to introduce a companion in present-day conversation. A modern speaker ordinarily says עם החברים “with the friends” but איתם “with them.” In scripture or liturgy, however, a pointed אֵת may genuinely mean “with”; automatically treating every occurrence as the object marker can reverse the structure of a passage.
בשיחה רגילה אומרים עם השכנים, ולא את השכנים.
besikhá regilá omrím im hashkhením, veló et hashkhením
In ordinary conversation one says עם השכנים, not אֵת השכנים. (metalinguistic; neutral versus classical/literary)
Common Mistakes
1. Using a free pronoun after עם. Modern Hebrew changes stems instead of saying “with + I.”
❌ נועה באה עם אני לפגישה.
Incorrect—עם cannot take the free pronoun אני; 'with me' is איתי.
✅ נועה באה איתי לפגישה.
No'á bá'a ití lapgishá
Noa is coming to the meeting with me. (neutral)
2. Doubling the preposition. איתנו already means “with us.”
❌ היא נשארה עם איתנו עד חצות.
Incorrect—עם and איתנו cannot stack; איתנו alone contains the preposition.
✅ היא נשארה איתנו עד חצות.
hi nish'ará itánu ad khatsót
She stayed with us until midnight. (neutral)
3. Confusing אותה “her” with איתה “with her.” The yod marks the comitative form in modern spelling.
❌ המורה יצאה אותה לחצר.
Incorrect—יצאה cannot take אותה as a direct object here; 'went out with her' is יצאה איתה.
✅ המורה יצאה איתה לחצר בזמן ההפסקה.
hamorá yats'á itá lekhatsér bizmán hahafsaká
The teacher went out to the playground with her during break. (neutral)
Key Takeaways
- Bare את can be אֶת, אֵת, אַתְּ, or the noun אֵת. Niqqud separates three readings; syntax separates all four.
- Everyday free “with” is עם, but everyday suffixed “with” is אית־: איתי, איתך, איתו, איתנו, איתם.
- Older אתי, אתך, אתו are ktiv haser spellings, not object-marker forms. Modern ordinary writing prefers איתי, איתך, איתו.
- The עימ־ series is literary; עימדי is archaic and poetic. Free אֵת meaning “with” belongs chiefly to classical and literary reading.
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Start learning Hebrew →Related Topics
- איתי, איתך, איתו: עם InflectedA2 — Learn the everyday אית־ paradigm for 'with me, with you, with him' and keep accompaniment distinct from instrument.
- את: The Definite Direct-Object MarkerA1 — את stands in front of a definite direct object and nowhere else. It translates to nothing at all, which is why English gives you no warning that it is missing — and why omitting it in careful writing, or putting it in front of an indefinite noun, are two common mirror-image mistakes.
- Reading Unpointed Hebrew: Supplying the Vowels YourselfA2 — Unpointed Hebrew is not pointed Hebrew with the dots rubbed out — it is read by a different method, in which the reader supplies the vowels from the word, the pattern and the sentence. Here is that method, step by step.
- כתיב מלא vs כתיב חסר: Two Ways to Spell EverythingA2 — Hebrew has two coexisting spelling systems: the defective spelling that goes with niqqud (מִלָּה) and the plene spelling used in every unpointed text (מילה). Most courses teach one and the country writes the other — here is how they map onto each other.