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Learn Hardcore Hebrew: אנחנו גרים באותו בניין. - We live in the same building.

Hardcore Hebrew
/Lesson 31
/אנחנו גרים באותו בניין.

אנחנו גרים באותו בניין.

אנחנו גרים באותו בניין.

We live in the same building.

Breakdown of אנחנו גרים באותו בניין.

Questions & Answers about אנחנו גרים באותו בניין.

How do you pronounce אנחנו גרים באותו בניין?

A common pronunciation is:

anachnu garim be-oto binyan

You may also hear anachnu pronounced a bit like anakhnu, depending on the speaker.

A rough breakdown:

אנחנו = anachnu = we
גרים = garim = live / are living
באותו = be-oto = in the same
בניין = binyan = building

So the stress is roughly:

a-NACH-nu
ga-RIM
be-o-TO
bin-YAN

What does אנחנו mean, and is it always used for we?

Yes. אנחנו means we.

It is the standard independent pronoun for we in Hebrew, and it does not change for masculine vs. feminine. So whether the group is all male, all female, or mixed, אנחנו still means we.

Examples:

אנחנו לומדים = we study / are studying (masculine or mixed group)
אנחנו לומדות = we study / are studying (all-female group)

Notice that the pronoun אנחנו stays the same, but the verb form can change.

Why is it גרים here?

אותו

same

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גרים is the present-tense plural form of the verb לגור, which means to live in the sense of to reside.

Since the subject is אנחנו = we, Hebrew uses a plural form:

גר = he lives
גרה = she lives
גרים = they / we live (masculine or mixed)
גרות = they / we live (feminine)

So אנחנו גרים means we live, when the group is masculine or mixed.

If the speakers were all female, you would normally say:

אנחנו גרות באותו בניין

Is גרים the same as living in English?

Not exactly, but it often translates that way.

Hebrew present tense does a lot of work. גרים can mean:

live
are living
sometimes even do live, depending on context

So אנחנו גרים באותו בניין could be understood as:

We live in the same building
We’re living in the same building

Usually context tells you which one sounds best in English.

Why is there no separate word for in?

Because Hebrew often attaches prepositions directly to the following word.

The preposition ב־ means in / at. Instead of writing it as a separate word, Hebrew usually attaches it to the next word.

So:

ב = in
אותו = same / that same
באותו = in the same

This is very common in Hebrew. Other examples:

בבית = in the house
בכיתה = in the classroom
בעיר = in the city

What exactly does באותו mean here?

Here באותו means in the same.

It is made of:

ב־ = in
אותו = same (agreeing with a masculine singular noun)

So:

אותו בניין = the same building
באותו בניין = in the same building

This אותו is being used in the sense of same, not as the direct object pronoun him.

That can confuse learners, because אותו can also mean him or him/it as a direct object in other sentences. But here, because it comes before a noun (בניין), it means same.

Why is it אותו and not אותה or something else?

Because בניין is a masculine singular noun.

In Hebrew, words like same must match the noun in gender and number.

So:

masculine singular: אותו
feminine singular: אותה
masculine plural: אותם
feminine plural: אותן

Since בניין = building is masculine singular, Hebrew uses אותו:

אותו בניין = the same building

Compare:

אותה דירה = the same apartment (because *דירה is feminine)*
אותם בתים = the same houses (masculine plural)
אותן ערים = the same cities (feminine plural)

Why doesn’t בניין have ה־ on it if it means the same building?

Great question. In Hebrew, אותו / אותה / אותם / אותן already makes the noun definite in this kind of phrase.

So Hebrew says:

אותו בניין = the same building

Not:

אותו הבניין

That second version is not standard here.

This is different from English, where we need the in the same building. In Hebrew, the definiteness is already built into the construction with אותו.

What does בניין mean, and is it related to the Hebrew grammar word binyan?

Yes, it is the same Hebrew word: בניין.

In everyday language, בניין means building.

In grammar, בניין also means a verb pattern or verbal structure. That is a more technical meaning.

So the word literally has more than one meaning, depending on context:

everyday speech: building
grammar: verb pattern

In this sentence, of course, it simply means building.

Why is the word order אנחנו גרים באותו בניין? Could it be arranged differently?

The sentence uses a very natural Hebrew word order:

subject + verb + place

אנחנו = we
גרים = live
באותו בניין = in the same building

So:

אנחנו גרים באותו בניין

That is the most neutral and straightforward order.

Hebrew can sometimes move things around for emphasis, for example:

באותו בניין אנחנו גרים

That sounds more marked, like:

It’s in the same building that we live or
We live in the same building

But the original version is the normal one learners should start with.

Would Hebrew speakers always include אנחנו, or could they just say גרים באותו בניין?

They could often say just:

גרים באותו בניין

because the verb form already suggests a plural subject.

However, Hebrew speakers often include the pronoun too, especially:

for clarity
for emphasis
in simple teaching examples
in conversation when the subject is being stated clearly

So both are possible, but:

אנחנו גרים באותו בניין = explicit we live in the same building
גרים באותו בניין = live in the same building, with we understood from context

If the speakers were all women, how would the sentence change?

Then the verb would normally change to the feminine plural form:

אנחנו גרות באותו בניין

Only גרים changes to גרות.

The rest stays the same because בניין is still a masculine singular noun, so באותו בניין does not change.

So:

mixed group / all male: אנחנו גרים באותו בניין
all female: אנחנו גרות באותו בניין

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