התחתית של כלי החרס עבה מדי.

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Breakdown of התחתית של כלי החרס עבה מדי.

• מדי: too
• עבה: thick
• כלי חרס: earthenware vessel

Questions & Answers about התחתית של כלי החרס עבה מדי.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted. So התחתית של כלי החרס עבה מדי literally looks like the bottom of the clay vessel too thick, but it naturally means The bottom of the clay vessel is too thick.

If the sentence were in the past or future, Hebrew would normally use forms of להיות.

What does התחתית mean, and why does it begin with ה־?

תחתית means bottom, base, or lower part. The prefix ה־ is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• תחתית = bottom
• התחתית = the bottom

It is related to תחת, which has the basic idea of under or beneath.

Is כלי singular or plural?

It is singular.

כלי means something like vessel, container, utensil, or tool, depending on context. Here it means a single vessel.

The plural is כלים.

This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers, because כלי does not look obviously singular at first.