Questions & Answers about זה איש.
It is pronounced ze ish.
- זה = ze
- איש = ish
So the whole sentence sounds like ze ish.
In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not written or said in the present tense.
So where English says:
- This is a man
Hebrew simply says:
- זה איש
This is very normal in Hebrew. In past or future tense, Hebrew does use forms of to be, but in the present tense it is usually omitted.
Hebrew has no indefinite article. In other words, there is no separate word for a/an.
So:
- איש can mean a man or just man, depending on context.
If you want the man, Hebrew uses the definite article ה־ attached to the noun:
- האיש = the man
So:
- זה איש = This is a man
- זה האיש = This is the man
Here, זה means this or this is, depending on how you think about the sentence.
By itself, זה can mean things like:
- this
- that
- it in some contexts
In זה איש, it functions like this is in English.
Because זה איש is the normal way to make this kind of simple identification sentence in Hebrew.
It follows the pattern:
- זה + noun
- This is + noun
So:
- זה איש = This is a man
If you say איש זה, that is a different structure and sounds more like this man in a more literary or marked style, not the basic neutral sentence This is a man.
Usually, איש means man.
But it can also appear in wider meanings depending on context, such as:
- person
- husband in some contexts
- part of fixed expressions
In this sentence, though, the natural meaning is simply man.
It is a very common and important word, but learners should know that modern spoken Hebrew also often uses גבר for man/male adult.
Very roughly:
- איש = man, person; common and basic, sometimes a bit more neutral or formal depending on context
- גבר = man/male, often very common in everyday speech
In a simple textbook sentence like זה איש, איש is completely normal.
Yes, זה is the masculine singular form.
Hebrew usually matches gender in this kind of sentence. Since איש is masculine singular, זה fits.
For a feminine noun, you would normally use the feminine form:
- זאת אישה = This is a woman
So here:
- זה = masculine singular
- איש = masculine singular
You would say:
- זאת אישה
That is the feminine version.
Compare:
- זה איש = This is a man
- זאת אישה = This is a woman
So the demonstrative changes with gender.
Hebrew spelling does not always match pronunciation in the same way English learners expect.
The word איש is spelled:
- א
- י
- ש
- י
The א here is part of the word’s standard spelling, and the combination gives the pronunciation ish.
You do not pronounce a strong consonant before the i sound here; the word is simply pronounced ish.
In many beginner contexts, זה is taught as this. So זה איש is usually understood as This is a man.
But in real Hebrew, זה can sometimes cover uses that English splits into this, that, or even it, depending on context.
So the exact English translation can vary, but This is a man is the standard beginner meaning here.
Yes, but mainly in a context where someone is identifying a person.
For example:
- pointing at a picture
- teaching vocabulary
- identifying someone in a very simple way
In natural conversation, speakers might often say longer or more specific sentences, but זה איש is grammatically correct and perfectly understandable.
Each word is one syllable:
- ze
- ish
So the sentence is very short and simple: ze ish.
There is no complicated stress pattern here because both words are monosyllabic.