AQA A-Level Modern Hebrew (7672)

## Learning Outcomes

- Understand what **מילות קריאה** (_milot kri'a_ — interjections) are in Modern Hebrew
- Identify how interjections differ from ordinary words, full clauses, and broader conversational markers
- Recognise common Hebrew interjections and explain the tone or attitude they express
- Use interjections accurately with correct Hebrew punctuation, especially the exclamation mark
- Analyse how interjections affect meaning in listening and reading tasks
- Build a practical Hebrew toolkit for using interjections in writing and discussion

## AQA A-Level Modern Hebrew (7672) Syllabus

For the AQA A-Level Modern Hebrew (7672), you are expected to understand **interjections** as part of grammar under parts of speech, with a focus on the following syllabus points:

- Know that interjections are called **מילות קריאה** in Hebrew and are treated as a **part of speech**
- Identify that interjections often express reaction, emotion, surprise, warning, impatience, reassurance, or spontaneous attitude
- Understand that many interjections stand outside normal sentence structure and may form a complete utterance on their own
- Explain the difference between a clear interjection such as **אוי!** or **נו!** and a broader fixed conversational expression such as **לא נורא**
- Recognise that meaning depends strongly on **context**, **intonation**, and **register**
- Apply punctuation correctly, including use of **סימן קריאה** and no space before the exclamation mark
- Be able to interpret speaker attitude in reading and listening when interjections appear in dialogue or short exchanges

## Test Your Knowledge

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. What is the Hebrew term for interjections?
2. How does an interjection differ from an ordinary noun, adjective, or verb?
3. Name two common Hebrew interjections and explain what feeling they express.
4. Why can a phrase like **לא נורא** be harder to classify than **אוי!**?
5. How should an exclamation mark be spaced in standard Hebrew writing?

## Introduction

Interjections are a small grammar topic, but they matter more than many students expect. In Paper 3, you may not get a direct grammar question asking for a definition of **מילות קריאה** (_milot kri'a_ — interjections), yet you can still lose marks if you miss the tone of a dialogue, misunderstand the speaker’s reaction, or use punctuation badly in your own Hebrew.

Interjections are especially common in spoken-style Hebrew, in dialogues, short messages, and expressive writing. They often carry meaning that is not fully contained in the dictionary definition of the word itself. A speaker who says **אוי!** (_oy!_ — oh no!/ow!\*) is not simply giving information. They are showing a reaction. That is exactly why interjections deserve careful revision.

> **Key Term: מילות קריאה**
> Short words or fixed expressions used to show emotion, reaction, surprise, warning, hesitation, encouragement, or other immediate speaker attitude.

### Interjections

![Modern Hebrew interjections, example forms, speaker attitudes, and their relation to fixed expressions, discourse markers, and exclamation-mark punctuation.](https://static.pastpaperhero.com/images/aqa-a-level-modern-hebrew-7672-grammar-interjections_00.png)

_Modern Hebrew מילות קריאה are presented by grammatical status, typical pragmatic functions, and standard punctuation with the exclamation mark._

### What interjections are and how they work

Interjections are part of speech items that often sit outside the main grammar of the sentence. In English, examples include “oh!”, “wow!”, “ouch!”, and “hey!”. Modern Hebrew works in a similar way. Words such as **אה** (_ah_ — ah), **אוי** (_oy_ — oh no/alas), **נו** (_nu_ — well?/come on), and **היי** (_hey_ — hey) can stand alone or introduce a clause.

A useful test is this: can the word function as a complete reaction by itself? If yes, it may be acting as an interjection.

For example:

- אוי! שכחתי את המפתחות.
  _Oy! Shakhaḥti et ha-mafteḥot._
  “Oh no! I forgot the keys.”

- אה! עכשיו אני מבין.
  _Ah! Akhshav ani mevin._
  “Ah! Now I understand.”

- נו! תמשיך.
  _Nu! Tamshikh._
  “Come on! Continue.”

In each case, the first word does not behave like a noun or adjective. It does not describe a person or object. It does not usually take gender or number. It is there to signal the speaker’s emotional or conversational stance.

> **Key Term: חלקי דיבר**
> The categories of words in grammar, such as noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and interjection.

This matters because students often try to analyse every word through standard sentence grammar. That approach works well for many words, but interjections are different. They are often extra-syntactic, meaning they are not tightly built into the clause structure.

That does not mean they are random. They still do a job. They can signal:

- surprise: **וואו!** (_wau!_ — wow)
- pain or distress: **אוי!** (_oy!_ — oh no/ow)
- impatience or prompting: **נו!** (_nu!_ — well?/come on)
- warning or command: **די!** (_dai!_ — enough!/stop!)
- embarrassment after a mistake: **אופס!** (_ops!_ — oops)
- frustration: **אוף!** (_uf!_ — ugh)

Notice how these words communicate attitude very quickly. In listening tasks, that can help you infer the relationship between speakers. If one person says **נו**, the tone may be impatient, encouraging, or pressing for an answer. If someone says **אוי ואבוי** (_oy va-avoy_ — oh dear/what a disaster), the emotional force is stronger than plain **אוי**.

A second key point is that some interjections are single words, but others are fixed expressions. So do not assume the category only includes one-word cries.

> **Test Tip:**
> In listening and reading tasks, do not translate an interjection mechanically. Ask what the speaker is doing with it: showing pain, urging someone on, softening bad news, or expressing surprise.

### Interjections, set expressions, and context-dependent meaning

One reason this topic causes confusion is that not every expressive phrase is a “pure” interjection in the strictest grammatical sense. Some are better described as **fixed expressions** or **discourse markers**, yet in real communication they behave in an interjection-like way.

> **Key Term: discourse marker**
> A word or phrase used to organise conversation or show attitude, connection, hesitation, or response rather than core factual content.

Take **לא נורא** (_lo nora_ — it’s not so bad / never mind). This is not the same type of form as **אוי!** Grammatically, **לא נורא** is a phrase. But pragmatically, in conversation, it often acts like a quick emotional response. If someone says they made a mistake, the reply **לא נורא** expresses reassurance.

Similarly, **סתם** (_stam_ — just kidding / for no reason / just\*) can function in different ways depending on the sentence. It is risky to label it as an interjection in every context. Sometimes it is more like an adverb or conversational particle. Sometimes it closes a comment and changes its force, as in “I was joking.”

Likewise, **כדאי** (_kedai_ — it is advisable / worth it) is usually not a classic interjection in the same way as **אוי!** or **הידד!** It has lexical meaning inside a clause. But in speech, short forms can become exclamatory. That is why exam revision should focus not only on the label but also on function.

Here is a practical distinction:

- **Clear interjections**: **אוי**, **אה**, **נו**, **אופס**, **אוף**, **די**, **היי**
- **Interjection-like fixed expressions**: **לא נורא**, **נו באמת**, **איזה קטע**
- **Context-sensitive items**: **סתם**, **טוב**, **כן**, **ברור**

Students often miss the difference between **lexical meaning** and **pragmatic force**.

> **Key Term: pragmatic force**
> The effect a word or expression has in context, such as reassuring, warning, urging, or softening, beyond its basic dictionary meaning.

For example, **די!** can mean:

- “Stop!” as a command
- “Enough!” in irritation
- “No way!” in surprised spoken Hebrew, depending on tone

So if you only memorise one English translation, you may misunderstand the line.

Compare these:

- די! אני לא יכול יותר.
  “Enough! I can’t take any more.”
- די! באמת זכית?
  “No way! Did you really win?”

The same form carries different reactions. The grammar category stays similar, but the communicative effect shifts.

This is especially relevant for A-level because Paper 3 rewards accurate understanding of meaning in context. A short item in a listening passage can change the whole mood of an exchange.

> **Test Tip:**
> If you see a short expressive word at the start of a sentence, check the line after it. The following clause usually tells you whether the reaction is surprise, frustration, encouragement, or reassurance.

### Punctuation, intonation, and exam use

Interjections are closely tied to punctuation and spoken delivery. In Hebrew, the relevant punctuation mark is **סימן קריאה** (_siman kri'a_ — exclamation mark).

> **Key Term: סימן קריאה**
> The exclamation mark used after a word, phrase, or sentence expressing emotion, surprise, command, warning, or strong reaction.

The basic rule is simple: if the utterance is exclamatory, the exclamation mark is written directly after the word or sentence, with **no space before it**.

Correct:

- אוי!
- נו! תענה כבר.
- זהירות!

Incorrect:

- אוי !
- נו !
- זהירות !

This may seem small, but punctuation errors make written Hebrew look weak and non-standard. In a language exam, that affects the overall impression of accuracy.

Interjections also help you hear intonation. In listening:

- **אה?** may signal surprise or that the speaker did not hear properly
- **נו...** may show impatience, hesitation, or expectation
- **אוי!** often has a sudden, stressed delivery
- **ששש!** (_shhh!_) is a sound-based interjection used to ask for silence

Notice that punctuation and intonation work together. A plain lexical sentence such as **הוא כאן** (“he is here”) becomes emotionally different if used with surprise: **הוא כאן!**

But that does not automatically make the whole sentence an interjection. The sentence is still a clause; the exclamation mark only signals force. By contrast, **אוי!** itself is the interjection.

That distinction is worth remembering:

- an **interjection** is a word or fixed expression functioning as an exclamatory reaction
- an **exclamatory utterance** may be a full clause said with strong feeling

> **Key Term: exclamatory utterance**
> A spoken or written unit that expresses strong feeling; it may be a single interjection or a full sentence.

Now look at some useful examples with register:

- **אוי!** (_oy!_) — neutral to colloquial; distress, pain, alarm
- **וואו!** (_wau!_) — colloquial; admiration or amazement
- **אופס!** (_ops!_) — colloquial; mistake or embarrassment
- **הידד!** (_heidad!_) — more formal, literary, playful; “hurray!”
- **אבוי!** (_avoy!_) — literary or dramatic; “alas!”
- **יאללה!** (_yalla!_) — very colloquial; urging action
- **קדימה!** (_kadima!_) — “come on/forward”; less slangy than **יאללה**

For writing in an exam, safer choices are usually forms that are widely recognised and not heavily slang-based, unless the task clearly requires informal dialogue.

Common student errors:

1. Treating every short conversational word as an interjection.
2. Translating without regard to tone.
3. Using slang forms in a formal writing task when a neutral expression would be better.
4. Writing multiple exclamation marks such as **!!!** in standard exam writing.
5. Leaving a space before **!**

A good exam sentence might be:

- אוי! שכחתי ללמוד למבחן.
- נו, תספר לי מה קרה.
- לא נורא, מחר יהיה טוב יותר.

These are short, idiomatic, and correctly punctuated.

### Hebrew Language Toolkit

#### Topic vocabulary

| Hebrew script | Transliteration   | English          |
| ------------- | ----------------- | ---------------- |
| מילת קריאה    | milat kri'a       | interjection     |
| מילות קריאה   | milot kri'a       | interjections    |
| חלקי דיבר     | ḥelkei diber      | parts of speech  |
| סימן קריאה    | siman kri'a       | exclamation mark |
| פיסוק         | pisuk             | punctuation      |
| הקשר          | heksher           | context          |
| משמעות        | mashma'ut         | meaning          |
| טון           | ton               | tone             |
| אינטונציה     | intonatsya        | intonation       |
| תגובה         | tguva             | reaction         |
| רגש           | regesh            | emotion          |
| הבעה          | haba'a            | expression       |
| אזהרה         | azhara            | warning          |
| פקודה         | pkuda             | command          |
| הפתעה         | hafta'a           | surprise         |
| הרגעה         | hargaa            | reassurance      |
| סלנג          | slang             | slang            |
| שפה מדוברת    | safa meduberet    | spoken language  |
| ביטוי קבוע    | bituy kavua       | fixed expression |
| משמעות מעשית  | mashma'ut ma'asit | pragmatic force  |

#### Complex sentence patterns

- כאשר משתמשים במילת קריאה, צריך לשים לב לטון ולפיסוק.
  When using an interjection, you need to pay attention to tone and punctuation.

- למרות שהמילה קצרה מאוד, יש לה תפקיד חשוב במשמעות של המשפט.
  Although the word is very short, it has an important role in the meaning of the sentence.

- אפשר להבין את כוונת הדובר רק אם בודקים את ההקשר שבו נאמרה מילת הקריאה.
  You can understand the speaker’s intention only if you examine the context in which the interjection was said.

- יש מילים שלפעמים מתפקדות כמילות קריאה, אבל בהקשרים אחרים יש להן תפקיד דקדוקי אחר.
  There are words that sometimes function as interjections, but in other contexts they have a different grammatical role.

- אם התלמיד מתרגם את המילה בלי לחשוב על הטון, הוא עלול לפספס את המשמעות האמיתית.
  If the student translates the word without thinking about tone, they may miss the real meaning.

- בכתיבה פורמלית כדאי להשתמש בדוגמאות ברורות, אלא אם כן המשימה דורשת שפה יומיומית.
  In formal writing it is advisable to use clear examples, unless the task requires everyday language.

#### Opinion and argument phrases

- לדעתי, חשוב להבחין בין מילת קריאה לבין ביטוי קבוע.
  In my opinion, it is important to distinguish between an interjection and a fixed expression.

- אפשר לטעון ש"נו" משנה את הטון של כל המשפט.
  One can argue that _nu_ changes the tone of the whole sentence.

- אני סבור/ה שההקשר קובע את המשמעות יותר מן התרגום המילוני.
  I think that context determines meaning more than dictionary translation.

- מצד אחד זו מילה קצרה, אבל מצד שני היא נושאת הרבה משמעות.
  On the one hand this is a short word, but on the other hand it carries a lot of meaning.

## Key Point Checklist

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- Interjections in Hebrew are called **מילות קריאה**
- They are treated as a **part of speech** in AQA A-Level Modern Hebrew grammar
- Interjections often express emotion, reaction, surprise, warning, command, or immediate attitude
- Many interjections stand outside normal clause structure and can function alone
- Common examples include **אה**, **אוי**, **נו**, **אופס**, **אוף**, **די**, and **היי**
- Some conversational expressions, such as **לא נורא**, are interjection-like but grammatically less straightforward
- Meaning depends heavily on **context**, **tone**, **intonation**, and **register**
- Students must distinguish between dictionary meaning and **pragmatic force**
- An interjection is not the same as any full sentence said with emotional force
- The exclamation mark in Hebrew is **סימן קריאה**
- In standard Hebrew writing, there is **no space before** the exclamation mark
- In Paper 3, interjections are especially useful for understanding speaker attitude in reading and listening tasks

## Key Terms and Concepts

- מילות קריאה
- חלקי דיבר
- discourse marker
- pragmatic force
- סימן קריאה
- exclamatory utterance


Grammar - Interjections