Sometimes זה points to a masculine thing: זה המפתח, “this is the key.” Sometimes, however, there is no thing to point at. In זה כיף “this is fun” and זה מוזר שהיא לא באה “it is strange that she is not coming,” זה merely fills the subject slot so that the speaker can evaluate a situation. That is the dummy use.
The useful warning is that dummy זה is not a general translation of English it. Hebrew uses it with particular evaluative predicates, but uses no subject at all for weather, temperature and clock time.
A subject with no concrete referent
Dummy זה packages the situation under discussion as one topic and then comments on it. It is especially common before an adjective or an evaluative expression in conversation.
זה כיף לשבת פה אחרי העבודה.
ze keif lashévet po akharéi ha'avodá
It's nice to sit here after work. (informal)
זה לא משנה מי התחיל, בואו נפתור את זה.
ze lo meshané mi hitkhíl, bó'u niftór et ze
It doesn't matter who started it; let's sort it out.
זה מוזר שהיא לא ענתה עד עכשיו.
ze muzár shehí lo antá ad akhsháv
It's strange that she hasn't replied by now.
Referential זה and dummy זה can therefore look identical. The test is not the English translation but whether you can identify a masculine noun that זה denotes. In זה המפתח, you can point to the key. In זה לא משנה מי התחיל, the pronoun has no noun as its referent; it supports the evaluation לא משנה.
This dummy is invariably masculine singular. The adjective or participle beside it therefore takes masculine singular too, regardless of the gender or number of the idea that follows.
זה מדהים ששתי הקבוצות עלו לגמר.
ze madhím sheshtéi hakvutsót alú lagmár
It's amazing that both teams reached the final. (מדהים stays masculine although שתי הקבוצות is feminine plural)
Two kinds of content after זה
The evaluation can be completed by an infinitive or by a finite clause beginning with ש־. The choice is structural: an infinitive presents an activity without a separately stated subject; a ש־ clause contains its own subject and tense.
| Content | Frame | What it evaluates |
|---|---|---|
| infinitive | זה קשה להסביר | the activity “to explain” |
| ש־ clause | זה ברור שהוא צודק | the proposition “he is right” |
זה קשה להסביר בלי להראות דוגמה.
ze kashé lehasbír bli lehar'ót dugmá
It's hard to explain without showing an example.
זה חשוב לשמור עותק של החוזה.
ze khashúv lishmór ótek shel hakhozé
It's important to keep a copy of the contract.
זה ברור שהם שכחו מהפגישה.
ze barúr shehém shakhkhú mehapgishá
It's obvious that they forgot about the meeting.
זה נכון שהוא כבר עזב את החברה.
ze nakhón shehú kvar azáv et hakhevrá
It's true that he has already left the company.
The ש־ in the second frame is compulsory because it introduces a full clause. It is the same attached prefix used after verbs of saying and thinking; its wider system is on the general subordinator ש־.
The predicate-first alternative
Hebrew does not need a dummy in every impersonal evaluation. Many of the same predicates can come first with no זה, and this order is extremely common: קשה להסביר, ברור שהוא צודק, חשוב ללמוד. The version with זה makes the current situation a more explicit topic; the predicate-first version simply announces the evaluation.
קשה להסביר את זה בטלפון, אני אראה לך מחר.
kashé lehasbír et ze batélefon, aní ar'é lekhá makhár
It's hard to explain this over the phone; I'll show you tomorrow. (to a man — no dummy in the predicate-first frame)
ברור שהוא לא שמע אותנו.
barúr shehú lo shamá otánu
Obviously he didn't hear us. (literally, 'clear that he did not hear us')
A clause or infinitive can even be placed first, especially in careful writing: לשנות הכול עכשיו יהיה מסוכן “changing everything now will be dangerous.” That order is heavier than ordinary predicate-first speech, but it reveals the structure clearly: the clause itself occupies the subject position, so no dummy is needed.
לשנות הכול עכשיו יהיה מסוכן.
leshanót hakól akhsháv yihyé mesukán
Changing everything now would be dangerous. (careful written style — the infinitive phrase comes first)
A person affected by the evaluation
Many impersonal predicates add a dative phrase showing who experiences the situation: לי “to me,” לך “to you,” לנו “to us.” The form must match the person intended, even though the evaluation itself remains impersonal.
לא נעים לי שהוא מחכה בחוץ בגשם.
lo na'ím li shehú mekhaké bakhúts bagéshem
I feel bad that he's waiting outside in the rain. (literally, 'not pleasant to me')
כדאי לך שאגיע קצת לפני כולם?
kedái lekhá sheagía ktsat lifnéi kulám?
Would it help you if I arrived a little before everyone else? (informal, to a man)
You can also put dummy זה before such a frame — זה לא נעים לי — when the situation is already prominent. The dative does not agree with זה; it identifies the experiencer. The wider predicate family, including כדאי, חבל, אסור and אפשר, is treated on impersonal predicates.
Weather and time: no dummy at all
English grammar demands a subject even when nothing is acting, so it inserts it: it is hot; it is late; it is two o'clock. Hebrew simply states the temperature or time. There is no hidden pronoun and no Hebrew word corresponding to English it.
חם היום, תשאירי את החלון פתוח.
kham hayóm, tash'íri et hakhalón patúakh
It's hot today; leave the window open. (to a woman)
קר בחוץ וכבר מאוחר.
kar bakhúts ukhvár me'ukhár
It's cold outside and already late.
עכשיו שתיים בצהריים, המשרד כבר סגור.
akhsháv shtáyim batsohoráyim, hamisrád kvar sagúr
It's two in the afternoon now; the office is already closed.
That split is why “זה means it” is a damaging shortcut. In זה מוזר, זה is a dummy subject licensed by an evaluative frame. In חם היום, Hebrew has no subject slot to fill.
Common Mistakes
1. Making the dummy agree with feminine content. Dummy זה is always masculine singular.
❌ זאת חשוב להגיע בזמן
Incorrect — dummy זה is invariant, and the predicate is masculine singular: זה חשוב להגיע בזמן.
✅ זה חשוב להגיע בזמן, הדלת נסגרת בשמונה.
ze khashúv lehagía bazmán, hadélet nisgéret bishmóne
It's important to arrive on time; the door closes at eight.
2. Using a bare verb after an adjective. An activity used as the content of the evaluation takes an infinitive.
❌ זה קשה מסביר בטלפון
Incorrect — after קשה, the activity is an infinitive: זה קשה להסביר בטלפון.
✅ זה קשה להסביר בטלפון בלי תמונה.
ze kashé lehasbír batélefon bli tmuná
It's hard to explain over the phone without a picture.
3. Dropping ש־ before a finite clause. English can say “it is clear he left”; Hebrew cannot place the two clauses together bare.
❌ זה ברור הוא לא הבין
Incorrect — a full clause after ברור needs attached ש־: זה ברור שהוא לא הבין.
✅ זה ברור שהוא לא הבין את השאלה.
ze barúr shehú lo hevín et hash'elá
It's clear that he didn't understand the question.
4. Building weather with יש. Temperature adjectives form a subjectless clause; existential יש cannot support them.
❌ יש קר בחוץ היום
Incorrect — Hebrew states the temperature directly: קר בחוץ היום.
✅ קר בחוץ היום, קחי מעיל.
kar bakhúts hayóm, kekhí me'íl
It's cold outside today; take a coat. (to a woman)
Key Takeaways
- Dummy זה does not refer to an object; it supports an evaluation such as זה כיף, זה מוזר or זה לא משנה.
- It stays masculine singular, whatever follows: זה חשוב ללמוד, זה מדהים ששתי הקבוצות ניצחו.
- Its content is commonly an infinitive or a ש־ clause: זה קשה להסביר; זה ברור שהוא צודק.
- Predicate-first Hebrew often uses no dummy: קשה להסביר, ברור שהוא צודק. The difference is packaging and emphasis, not right versus wrong.
- Dative forms name the experiencer: לא נעים לי, כדאי לך. Choose the form for the person meant.
- Weather, temperature and time take no dummy at all: חם היום, קר בחוץ, מאוחר, שתיים בצהריים.
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