זה ילד.

this

Breakdown of זה ילד.

• ילד: boy

Questions & Answers about זה ילד.

What does זה mean in this sentence?

Here, זה is a demonstrative word, roughly this. In a sentence like זה ילד, it functions like this is in English.

So the structure is:

זה + ילד
this + boy/child

Hebrew often uses זה in very short identifying sentences like this.

Why is there no word for is?

Because in the present tense, Hebrew usually does not use a separate word for is / am / are.

So:

זה ילד = This is a boy

Even though there is no visible word for is, Hebrew speakers naturally understand it.

Compare:

• זה ילד = This is a boy
• זה היה ילד = This was a boy
• זה יהיה ילד = This will be a boy

In past and future, Hebrew does use forms of to be, but in the present it is usually omitted.

Why is there no word for a?

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

So:

• ילד can mean a boy or boy, depending on context
• הילד means the boy

That means:

• זה ילד = This is a boy
• זה הילד = This is the boy

A bare noun is often indefinite in Hebrew.

What does ילד mean exactly: boy or child?

ילד can mean boy, and in some contexts it can also mean child.

In beginner sentences, it is often translated as boy, especially when contrasted with ילדה, which means girl.

So:

• ילד = boy / male child
• ילדה = girl

In real context, whether ילד is better translated as boy or child depends on the situation.

How is this sentence pronounced?

It is pronounced approximately:

ze yeled

More specifically:

• זה = ze
• ילד = yeled

A natural pronunciation is:

ze YE-led

The word ילד is stressed on the first syllable: YE-led.

If written with vowel marks, it would usually look like:

זֶה יֶלֶד

Why is the word order זה ילד and not something else?

Hebrew often uses this order in simple identification sentences:

זה + noun

So:

• זה ילד = This is a boy
• זו ילדה = This is a girl

This is different from English, where we need the verb is.

Also, this is not the normal way to say this boy as a noun phrase. For this boy, Hebrew usually says:

הילד הזה

So there is an important difference between:

• זה ילד = This is a boy
• הילד הזה = this boy

Why is ילד written without ה־?

Because ילד here is indefinite.

In Hebrew, ה־ is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• ילד = a boy
• הילד = the boy

That means:

• זה ילד = This is a boy
• זה הילד = This is the boy

The prefix ה־ is very important in Hebrew because it shows definiteness.

Would the feminine version be different?

Yes. If you are talking about a girl, Hebrew normally uses the feminine form:

זו ילדה or זאת ילדה

This means This is a girl.

So the pair is:

• זה ילד = masculine
• זו ילדה / זאת ילדה = feminine

Both זו and זאת are used, with זו being very common in everyday modern Hebrew.

Does זה only mean this, or can it also mean that?

In many beginner examples, זה is taught as this. That is the safest basic understanding.

However, in real usage, context matters, and English may sometimes translate it as that depending on the situation. If Hebrew wants to clearly say that one, it can use words like:

• ההוא = that for masculine
• ההיא = that for feminine

But for a simple sentence like זה ילד, learners should usually understand it first as This is a boy.

Is זה ילד the same as הילד הזה?

No. They mean different things.

• זה ילד = This is a boy
• הילד הזה = this boy

The first is a full sentence.
The second is a noun phrase.

This is a very common point of confusion for English speakers, because English uses this in both patterns:

• This is a boy
• this boy

Hebrew forms these differently.

Is this a natural sentence in modern Hebrew?

Yes. It is a very natural basic Hebrew sentence.

It sounds simple because it is simple, but it is completely normal. Hebrew often uses short present-tense sentences like this without is.

It is the kind of sentence you might see in:

• beginner textbooks
• classroom pointing exercises
• very simple descriptions
• identifying someone or something

So although it is basic, it is real Hebrew grammar.