תקווה חשובה.

Breakdown of תקווה חשובה.

חשוב
important
תקווה
hope

Questions & Answers about תקווה חשובה.

How do you pronounce תקווה חשובה?

A common pronunciation is tikvá chashuvá.

  • תקווה = tikvá
  • חשובה = chashuvá

A few pronunciation notes:

  • The stress is usually on the last syllable of both words: tikVÁ, chashuVÁ.
  • The letter ח in חשובה is a throat sound, often written kh in transliteration. English doesn’t have an exact match, but it is similar to the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach.
  • You may also see tikvah written in English, especially in names or song titles.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

In Hebrew, sentences like X is Y often do not use a present-tense verb equivalent to English is.

So:

  • תקווה חשובה literally looks like hope important
  • but it means Hope is important

This is completely normal in Hebrew.

Compare:

  • הילד עייף = The boy is tired
  • הספר מעניין = The book is interesting

In the past or future, Hebrew usually does use a form of to be:

  • תקווה הייתה חשובה = Hope was important
  • תקווה תהיה חשובה = Hope will be important
Why does חשובה come after תקווה?

Because in Hebrew, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

So:

  • תקווה חשובה = important hope literally
  • natural English translation: Hope is important

This is the normal word order for noun + adjective in Hebrew.

More examples:

  • ילד טוב = a good boy
  • מכונית גדולה = a big car
  • שאלה קשה = a difficult question
Why is it חשובה and not חשוב?

Because תקווה is a feminine singular noun, and Hebrew adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number.

  • תקווה = feminine singular
  • so the adjective must also be feminine singular: חשובה

Compare:

  • רעיון חשוב = an important idea
    (רעיון is masculine singular, so חשוב)
  • תקווה חשובה = an important hope / hope is important
    (תקווה is feminine singular, so חשובה)

So the -ה ending on חשובה marks the feminine singular form here.

How do I know that תקווה is feminine?

You often have to learn the gender of nouns as part of the word, but there are some patterns.

תקווה ends in -ה, which is a very common ending for feminine nouns in Hebrew. It is not a perfect rule, but it is a helpful clue.

Because תקווה is feminine, other words that describe it must match:

  • תקווה גדולה = great hope
  • תקווה חדשה = new hope
  • תקווה חשובה = important hope / hope is important
Does this mean hope is important, a hope is important, or the hope is important?

Without ה־ (the Hebrew the), the sentence is indefinite or generic, so it usually means:

  • Hope is important

That is the most natural reading here.

It could also, depending on context, be understood as:

  • A hope is important

But that is less likely as a standalone sentence in English.

If you want the hope is important, Hebrew would usually say:

  • התקווה חשובה

So:

  • תקווה חשובה = Hope is important / A hope is important
  • התקווה חשובה = The hope is important
What would this sentence look like with vowel marks?

With niqqud (vowel marks), it is usually written:

תִּקְוָה חֲשׁוּבָה

This helps show the pronunciation more clearly:

  • תִּקְוָה = tikvá
  • חֲשׁוּבָה = chashuvá

In everyday modern Hebrew, vowel marks are usually omitted, so you will normally see:

תקווה חשובה

Is this a complete sentence, or just a noun phrase?

It can function as a complete sentence in Hebrew.

Because present-tense is/are is usually omitted, תקווה חשובה is understood as:

  • Hope is important

Structurally, it looks like a noun plus adjective, but in context it works as a full statement.

If you were using it just as a phrase inside a larger sentence, it could also mean:

  • important hope

But standing alone with a period, it is most naturally read as a full sentence.

Can I reverse the order and say חשובה תקווה?

Normally, no—not in everyday neutral Hebrew.

The standard order is:

  • תקווה חשובה

Putting the adjective first, as in חשובה תקווה, would sound poetic, unusual, or strongly emphasized, not like normal beginner-level Hebrew.

So for ordinary speech and writing, stick with:

  • noun + adjective
What is the root of תקווה and does that help?

Yes. תקווה is related to the root ק־ו־ה, which is connected with hoping or expecting.

Related words include:

  • לְקַווֹת = to hope
  • מְקַוֶּה = hoping (masculine singular, in some contexts)

Learning roots can help you recognize word families, which is very useful in Hebrew.

So if you already know לְקַווֹת (to hope), it becomes easier to remember תקווה (hope).

Is תקווה also a personal name?

Yes. תקווה can also be a female given name, usually written Tikva in English.

So out of context, תקווה חשובה could theoretically mean:

  • Tikva is important

But in ordinary learning contexts, it is much more likely to be understood as:

  • Hope is important

Context usually makes the intended meaning clear.

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