האבן ליד הכביש.

The stone is near the road.

Breakdown of האבן ליד הכביש.

• ליד: near
• כביש: road
• אבן: stone

Questions & Answers about האבן ליד הכביש.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted in simple present-tense sentences like this one.

So האבן ליד הכביש literally looks like the stone next to the road, but it naturally means The stone is next to the road.

This is very normal in Hebrew. Compare:

• הילד בבית = The boy is at home
• הספר על השולחן = The book is on the table

If you want past or future, Hebrew usually does use a verb:

• האבן הייתה ליד הכביש = The stone was next to the road
• האבן תהיה ליד הכביש = The stone will be next to the road

What does each word mean?

Word by word:

• האבן = the stone
• ליד = next to / beside / by
• הכביש = the road

So the structure is:

the stone + next to + the road

Why do both nouns start with ה?