• “הספר של רוברט” (ha-sefer shel Robert) – “The book of Robert”
• “הילדה של המשפחה” (ha-yalda shel ha-mishpaha) – “The daughter of the family”
• “הבית של השכנה” (ha-bayit shel ha-shakneka) – “The neighbor’s house”
• “השיר של המשורר” (ha-shir shel ha-meshorer) – “The poet’s song”
• “הציור של הילד” (ha-tziyur shel ha-yeled) – “The child’s painting”

Origin of the word “שֶׁל”

The word “שֶׁל” is derived from the Hebrew word “ל” (l), which means “to” or “for.” The prefix “שֶׁ-” (she) is a relative pronoun that means “which” or “that.” Therefore, the word “שֶׁל” literally means “which to” or “that to,” which can be interpreted as “of” or “belonging to.”

Similarities and differences between “שֶׁל” and English possessive pronouns

The word “שֶׁל” is similar to English possessive pronouns like “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their” in that it indicates ownership. However, there are some key differences between the two.

• English possessive pronouns are attached to the noun they modify, while “שֶׁל” is placed between the two nouns.

For example:

• The English sentence “This is my book” would be translated into Hebrew as “זה הספר שלי” (ze ha-sefer sheli).

• The Hebrew sentence “הבית של השכנה הוא גדול” (ha-bayit shel ha-shakneka hu gadol) would be translated into English as “The neighbor’s house is big.”

• The English sentence “The boy’s dog is barking” would be translated into Hebrew as “כלב הילד נבח” (kelav ha-yeled nefach).