זה בית.

This is a house.

Breakdown of זה בית.

• זה: this
• בית: house

Questions & Answers about זה בית.

How do you pronounce זה בית?

It is pronounced ze bayit.

• זה = ze
• בית = bayit

A rough English approximation is zeh BYE-eet, though the real Hebrew sounds are a bit shorter and smoother than that.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

In the present tense, Hebrew often leaves out the verb to be.

So זה בית literally looks like this house, but it means this is a house.

This is very normal in Hebrew with simple present-tense sentences:

• זה בית = this is a house
• הוא מורה = he is a teacher
• היא עייפה = she is tired

In the past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be:

• זה היה בית = this was a house
• זה יהיה בית = this will be a house

Why is there no word for a?

Hebrew does not have an indefinite article like English a or an.

So בית can mean a house or just house, depending on context.

If you want to say the house, Hebrew adds ה־ to the noun:

• בית = a house / house
• הבית = the house

So:

• זה בית = this is a house
• זה הבית = this is the house

What exactly does זה mean here?

Here, זה means this.

In a sentence like זה בית, it functions as this is in natural English translation.

זה is a very common word and can appear in several similar uses, such as:

• זה ספר = this is a book
• מה זה? = what is this?
• זה טוב = this is good / it is good

So the core idea is pointing something out: this.

Why is it זה and not a different form? Does it have to match בית?

Yes. בית is a masculine singular noun, so זה is the expected demonstrative form.

For a feminine singular noun, you would usually use זאת or זו:

• זאת דירה = this is an apartment
• זו מכונית = this is a car

A good beginner rule is:

• masculine singular: זה
• feminine singular: זאת / זו

Since בית is masculine, זה בית is correct.

Why is בית pronounced bayit and not beit?

Because the standalone word בית is normally bayit in Modern Hebrew.

The spelling does not show all the vowels, so you have to learn the pronunciation separately.

You may also see or hear beit in a special grammar pattern called the construct state, where one noun is connected to another noun:

• בית = bayit = house
• בית ספר = beit sefer = school, literally house of book

So in זה בית, the correct pronunciation is bayit.

How would I say this is the house instead?

You would say זה הבית.

The only change is that בית becomes הבית, meaning the house.

So compare:

• זה בית = this is a house
• זה הבית = this is the house

How would I say this house instead of this is a house?

The usual everyday Hebrew way is הבית הזה.

That is different from זה בית.

Compare:

• זה בית = this is a house
• הבית הזה = this house

This is an important pattern in Hebrew: when a demonstrative describes a noun directly, it usually comes after the noun:

• הספר הזה = this book
• הילד הזה = this boy
• הבית הזה = this house

Can I change the word order to בית זה?

Not if you mean this is a house in normal everyday Hebrew.

For that meaning, the natural order is:

• זה בית

The form בית זה can exist in formal or literary Hebrew with a meaning closer to this house, but it is not the normal beginner pattern for everyday speech.

So for practical use, remember:

• זה בית = this is a house
• הבית הזה = this house