What are the Hebrew equivalent of they/them pronouns?

(My answer to this question at Quora.com)

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If you’re referring to the practice of “singular they” (e.g. I ask the stranger if they knew how to get to Carnegie Hall), there is no Hebrew equivalent—one simply uses the masculine singular pronouns (the equivalent of the English he/him). However, to avoid the gender issue, a person might use the plural to get around it—esp. in second person instructions (e.g., in the sentence For more information, click here, the word click might be in second-person plural).

If you’re just interested in the Hebrew for they and them, it’s as follows:

Masculine:

• they: hem הם
• them (direct object, e.g. I saw them): otam אותם
• them (indirect object, as in to them, for them): lahem להם

Feminine:

• they: hen הן
• them (direct object, e.g. I saw them): otan אותן
• them (indirect object, as in to them, for them): lahen להן

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