# use of "zo"



## dukaine

I know "ze" and "zot" are masculine and feminine, respectively, for "it/this", but I see the word "zo" sometimes.  Are there special cases when this should be used?  Is it colloquial for "zot"?


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## tFighterPilot

Nope. You can find both in the bible as well. However in the bible "zo" also means "that", like "asher"


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## Dotzi

"Zo" and "Zot" mean the same. However, many people tend to prounance "Zo" as "Zu" which is grammatically wrong. Furthermore, people also tend to say "Zoti" which is a mistake, since there is no such word. (Sorry if this confuses you, I just wanted to clarify some common mistakes.) Good luck!


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## arbelyoni

> ...However in the bible "zo" also means "that", like "asher"


זוֹ [zo] should not be mixed up with זוּ [zu]. The former means "this/that" (f), the latter means "that", "which".

http://www.safa-ivrit.org/form/zovezot.php


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## origumi

arbelyoni said:


> זוֹ [zo] should not be mixed up with זוּ [zu]. The former means "this/that" (f), the latter means "that", "which".


I think that elaboration is needed, as _zu_ is unknown also to native speakers:

* זה _(ze_) = this/that (masculine): this/that man is fat = האיש ה*זה* שמן
* זו, זאת (_zo, zot_) = this/that (feminine): *this*/*that* woman is fat = האישה ה*זו*/ה*זאת* שמנה_
* _זו (_zu_) = that/which: the man/woman that walks there is fat = האיש/אישה *ש*הולך/*ש*הולכת שם שמן/שמנה

_Zu _appears is the Bible (as written in arbelyoni's link) and also in Phoenician documents. See for example the Ahiram Inscription (9th century BC?), where זו _zu_ is even contracted to just ז _z_ and attached to the next word (like Hebrew *ש*), for example: ארון *זֶ*פּעל אתבעל בן אחירם (Phoenician) = ארון *ש*עשה אתבעל בן אחירם (Hebrew). Note that I added matres lectionis to the Phoenician text. 

Ahiram Inscription (Hebrew): http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/ארון_אחירם
Ahiram Inscription (English): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahiram


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## dukaine

Thanks everybody!!


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## David S

Dotzi said:


> Furthermore, people also tend to say "Zoti" which is a mistake, since there is no such word. (Sorry if this confuses you, I just wanted to clarify some common mistakes.) Good luck!



Can you provide some examples of the usage of the word "zoti"? It seems like it would have a narrower range of meanings than zot, i.e. perhaps zoti can always be replaced with zot but zot cannot always be replaced by zoti.


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## arielipi

No, people use zoti instead of zot.


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## David S

arielipi said:


> No, people use zoti instead of zot.




Are you saying that zot can ALWAYS be replaced by zoti? I am talking about conversational Hebrew and not written Hebrew, of course.


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## amikama

*The discussion about "mistakes" done by native speakers has been moved to its own thread in the EHL forum.*


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## arielipi

yes, you can say zoti instead of zot anywhere.


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## David S

Is "zoti" stressed on the second syllable, or the first? zóti or zotí?

So I can say: "Zoti ha-isha she-ani makir", and "Ani makir et ha-isha hazoti"?


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## tFighterPilot

David S said:


> Is "zoti" stressed on the second syllable, or the first? zóti or zotí?


zóti is the way it's pronounced.


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