מי ש־ / מה ש־

Whoever and What

Level 5

מי ש can mean whoever or the person who, while מה ש can mean what or the thing that. The complete clause can fill a noun-like job.

How It Works

A Person as Subject

מי שרוצה יכול לבוא uses the complete מי clause as the subject. It is a statement about the person who wants to come, rather than a question asking who that person is.

Content as Subject

מה שדנה כתבה ברור uses the complete מה clause as the subject. The expression names content without a separate head noun such as text.

A Preposition Before the Whole Expression

נתתי כרטיס למי שהגיע means I gave a ticket to whoever arrived. The ל before מי relates to the whole person expression. The clause after ש has its own verb and participants.

Examples (4)

  1. מי שרוצה יכול לבוא.

    Whoever wants can come.

    The complete person expression is the subject.

  2. מה שדנה כתבה ברור.

    What Dana wrote is clear.

    The complete content expression is the subject.

  3. מה שאת רוצה יקר.

    What you want is expensive.

    The subject names a thing without a separate head noun.

  4. נתתי כרטיס למי שהגיע.

    I gave a ticket to whoever arrived.

    ל relates to the complete person expression.

How It Connects

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

מי ש־ / מה ש־Level 5Whoever and What

Learn This First

Use a person- or thing-referencing relative clause as a larger phrase.