זה שולחן.

This is a table.

Breakdown of זה שולחן.

• זה: this
• שולחן: table

Questions & Answers about זה שולחן.

In which direction do I read this sentence?

Hebrew is read from right to left.

So זה שולחן is read as:

• זה
• then שולחן

not the other way around.

How do you pronounce זה שולחן?

A common pronunciation is ze shul-KHAN.

• זה = ze
• שולחן = shulkhan or shulchan
• The stress is on the last syllable: shul-KHAN
• The letter ח makes a throaty kh sound, like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch, not the English ch in chair

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

Because in Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense in simple sentences like this.

So:

• זה שולחן = This is a table

Literally, Hebrew is more like:

• This — table

But the meaning naturally includes is.

In other tenses, Hebrew does use forms of to be, for example:

• זה היה שולחן = This was a table

What does זה mean here?