ה־

הָ־‎ • (hā-)

1. this

   הָשַׁתָּא‎ (hāšattā, “this year”)

   הָכָא‎ (hāḵā, “right here”)

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ha/ (usually), IPA^(key): /he/ (sometimes; see usage notes below)

הַ־‎ • (ha-)

1. (definite article) The.
2. This: the current or adjacent; used especially with nouns denoting periods of time, and especially יוֹם‎ (yom, “day”).

   היום‎ (hayóm, “today”)

   הערב‎ (ha'érev, “tonight, this evening”)

   הבוקר‎ (habóker, “this morning”)

   הלילה‎ (haláila, “tonight; last night”)

   הוא מגיע לכתה עוד מעט ― hu magía lakitá od m'at ― He's arriving at the classroom shortly.

• In traditional grammar, Hebrew common nouns have three “states”: indefinite (corresponding to English “a(n)/some __”), definite (corresponding to English “the __”), and construct (corresponding to English “a(n)/some/the __ of”). Therefore, the definite article was traditionally considered to be an actual part of the definite noun. In modern colloquial use, the definite article is often taken as a clitic, attaching to a noun but not actually part of it. For example, the Hebrew term for school is בֵּית־סֵפֶר‎ (beit séfer, “house-of book”); so in traditional grammar, “the school” is בֵּית־הַסֵּפֶר (beit-haséfer, “house-of-the-book”), but in modern colloquial speech, it is often הַבֵּית־סֵפֶר (habeit-séfer, “the-house-of-book”).
• ה־‎ is used not only with nouns, but also with attributive adjectives; that is, attributive adjectives agree in definiteness with the nouns they modify. This agreement is strictly semantic; an attributive adjective takes ה־‎ if its noun is semantically definite, even if the noun does not itself have ה־‎, for example if it’s a proper noun.
• When ה־‎ follows לְ־‎ (l'-, “to, for”), בְּ־‎ (b'-, “in”), or כְּ־‎ (k'-, “like”), the two merge, with the consonant being ל, ב, or כ and the vowel being that from the ה־‎.
• In traditional grammar, the consonant after ה־‎ receives a dagésh khazák (gemination), unless it’s one of the letters that cannot take a dagésh (א, ה, ח, ע, ר), in which case the vowel in the ה־‎ changes:
  • If the consonant after the ה־‎ is א or ר, or if it’s ע and its syllable is stressed, then a kamáts is used instead of a patákh; so, הָ־‎ (ha-).
  • If the consonant after the ה־‎ is ע and its syllable is unstressed, then a segól is used instead of a patákh; so, הֶ־‎ (he-).
  • If the consonant after the ה־‎ is ה or ח, then a patákh is used as usual, unless the ה or ח has unstressed kamáts or khatáf kamáts, in which case a segól is used instead.

• ה"א הידיעה‎ on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ha/

הֲ־‎ • (ha-)

1. (archaic or poetic) An interrogative particle, introducing a yes-no question.

   ‏הֲשָׁמַעְתָּ?‎‎ ― hashamá'ta? ― Have you heard?

   ‏הֲיָדַעְתָּ?‎‎ ― hayadá'ta? ― Did you know?

   • Genesis 4:09, with translation of the King James Version:

     ‏ […] הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי׃‎‎ ― hashomér akhí anókhi ― Am I my brother's keeper?

   • 1 Kings 21:19, with translation of the English Standard Version:

     ‏הֲרָצַחְתָּ וְגַם־יָרָשְׁתָּ‎ ― haratsakhtá ve'gám yarashtá ― Have you killed and also taken possession?

   • 1890 – 1931, Rachel the Poetess, זמר נגה 1

     ‏הֲתִשְׁמַע קוֹלִי, רְחוֹקִי שֶׁלִּי,‎‎

     hatishmá kolí, rekhokí shelí,

     Do you hear my voice, far one of mine,

• Before a sh'va this prefix has a patach.

• ה"א השאלה‎ on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he