Do you know the difference between אם and עם?
Both אם and עם are pronounced the same way – /im/ – so it can be confusing to know which Hebrew word to use in which context. Worry no more!
אם, with an Alef, means if.
עם, with an Ayin, means with.
Look at the example sentence below:
.אם אתה רעב מאוד, אז תאכל סלט עם הפיצה
If you’re very hungry, then eat a salad with the pizza.
Im atah raev me’od, az tochal salat im hapitsah.
There’s a simple trick that helped me remember the difference: IF comes before WITH in the dictionary, and ALEF comes before AYIN in the Hebrew alphabet (alef bet). So ALEF = if (אם) and AYIN = with (עם).
Are there other Hebrew homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings) that you have questions about? Let me know in the comments!