# It was good



## htims

If I was to say it was good (meaning work was good).  (I am a female by the way) ; do I say 'ovedet tov' or 'zot ovedet tov' or neither?


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## slygent

In Hebrew, you only need to consider the genders of the nouns you refer to. In your example, you are only talking about "work", which is "avoda", which is female. So you would say:

Zot avoda tova
That/this is good work

If you want to say "work was good", you need to use the past tense and female singular verstion of "to be":

Ha-avoda haita tova
[The] work was good


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## htims

Thanks slygent. I think I now understand.

Work also is a verb. Can you please give an example of using the word work as a verb for a group of women?

Thanks


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## slygent

Sure! "We are working", where you are speaking on behalf of a group of women, would become "Anachnu ovdot", because "ovdot" is the first-person female plural present-tense form (conjugation) of "la'avod" (to work)


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## htims

Great!! thanks slygent.


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## Flaminius

slygent said:


> ....because "ovdot" is the first-person female plural present-tense form (conjugation) of "la'avod" (to work)


The sentence "Anachnu ovdot" is fine but _ovdot_ is not "the first-person female plural present-tense form."  It is the present participle of _la'avod_ in plural feminine.  Hebrew uses present participles for the present tense conjugations.  They don't change forms by the person.

Thus, _ovdot_ is equally good for "us girls", "you girls" and "those girls." Eg:
Sara ve Ester ovdot ha-yom.
_Sarah and Esther are working today._


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## htims

Thanks Flaminius!!
If we are referring to the noun 'work' how will we say the work was good for him (when the noun is of female gender)?

Thanks!!


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## Flaminius

The work was good for him.
Ha-avoda haita tova bishvilo.

Caveat emptor.  It is an attempt by a learner.


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## htims

I wanted to know how a feminine noun is used to describe an action for a male.  I see now, you use the construct of the noun and not the verb when doing so??.  I was thinking I would use oved....
Hope my assertions are correct!!


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## Flaminius

> I wanted to know how a feminine noun is used to describe an action for a male.


If _avoda_ is the feminine noun and "he" is the male, then what is "the action" that _avoda_ does to "him."



> you use the construct of the noun and not the verb when doing so


What is the construct of the noun and what is the verb?  If you use _oved_ for the verb, then what is the noun?

On a second thought, do you want to say something like "It is good for him to work"?  Then,
tov lo la'avod. OR
la'avod ze tov lo.

I think Hebrew conceives of infinitives as masculine.


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## htims

Thanks for the explanation Flaminius!!


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