שבו / שבה / שבהם / שבהן

Compact Prepositional Relative Forms

Level 6

שבו, שבה, שבהם and שבהן combine the relative ש with personal forms of ב. They agree with the noun that the clause describes.

How It Works

The Described Noun

Use הבית שבו, הכיתה שבה, החדרים שבהם and המחברות שבהן. These forms refer respectively to masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural and feminine plural nouns.

Keep the Preposition

The clause retains the preposition required by its relationship. הבית שבו גרנו describes the house we lived in. The ב-form refers to the house, while גרנו identifies us as the people who lived there.

Two Clause Arrangements

הבית שבו גרנו and הבית שגרנו בו preserve the same live-in relationship. The first puts the ב-form immediately after ש. The second leaves בו later in the clause. In both arrangements, the preposition’s pronoun refers back to the described noun.

Examples (4)

  1. זה הבית שבו גרנו.

    This is the house in which we lived.

    שבו agrees with masculine בית.

  2. זו הכיתה שבה למדתי.

    This is the classroom in which I studied.

    שבה agrees with feminine כיתה.

  3. אלה החדרים שבהם עבדנו.

    These are the rooms in which we worked.

    שבהם refers to masculine plural rooms.

  4. אלה המחברות שבהן כתבתי.

    These are the notebooks in which I wrote.

    שבהן refers to feminine plural notebooks.

Common Mistakes

  • Choosing שבו for a feminine classroom.

    זו הכיתה שבו למדתי.
    זו הכיתה שבה למדתי.

    The reference points back to feminine כיתה, so choose שבה.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

שבו / שבה / שבהם / שבהןLevel 6Compact Prepositional Relative Forms

Learn This First

Combine a preposition and agreeing relative reference in edited writing.