השמחה הייתה ברורה.

The joy was clear.

Breakdown of השמחה הייתה ברורה.

• להיות: to be
• ברור: clear
• שמחה: joy

Questions & Answers about השמחה הייתה ברורה.

Why does השמחה start with ה?

The ה at the beginning is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to the in English.

So:

• שמחה = joy / happiness
• השמחה = the joy / the happiness

In this sentence, the noun is definite, so Hebrew uses ה attached directly to the word rather than a separate word like English the.

Why is the verb הייתה and not היה?

Because the subject השמחה is a feminine singular noun.

In the past tense, to be agrees with the subject’s gender and number:

• היה = he was / it was (masculine singular)
• הייתה = she was / it was (feminine singular)

Since שמחה is feminine, the sentence uses הייתה.

Why does ברורה end with ־ה?