זאת אישה.

This is a woman.

Breakdown of זאת אישה.

• זאת: this
• אישה: woman

Questions & Answers about זאת אישה.

How do you pronounce זאת אישה?

It is usually pronounced zot isha.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• זאת = zot
• אישה = ee-SHA

The stress in אישה is on the last syllable: ee-SHA, not EE-sha.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

Because in Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not stated in the present tense.

So:

• זאת אישה literally looks like this woman
• but it means This is a woman

This is very normal Hebrew grammar. In the present tense, Hebrew often leaves out is / am / are.

Why is the first word זאת and not זה?

Because Hebrew words like this change for gender.

• זה = this for masculine
• זאת or זו = this for feminine

Since אישה means woman, which is feminine, Hebrew uses the feminine form זאת.

What does each word mean by itself?

Word by word:

• זאת = this (feminine)
• אישה = woman

But in the full sentence, זאת is functioning like this is, because Hebrew omits is in the present tense.

So the whole sentence means This is a woman.

Can I also say זו אישה instead of זאת אישה?

Yes. זו אישה is also correct.

Both זאת and זו can mean this in the feminine.

Very roughly:

• זאת = full form
• זו = shorter form, also very common

So both of these are acceptable:

• זאת אישה
• זו אישה

Why doesn’t אישה have ה at the beginning?

Because אישה here means a woman, not the woman.

In Hebrew:

• אישה = a woman / woman
• האישה = the woman

So:

• זאת אישה = This is a woman
• זאת האישה = This is the woman

If I want to say this woman, would זאת אישה work?

No, not usually.

זאת אישה is a full sentence: This is a woman.

If you want the noun phrase this woman, Hebrew normally says:

• האישה הזאת or
• האישה הזו

Notice that in Hebrew, the demonstrative usually comes after the noun in this kind of phrase.

So:

• זאת אישה = This is a woman
• האישה הזאת = this woman

Is א in אישה pronounced?

For a beginner, the easiest way to think about it is: not really as a separate consonant here.

The word אישה is pronounced ee-SHA.
The א mainly carries the vowel sound at the beginning.

So you do not say something like ish-ah with a strong consonant before it. Just say ee-SHA.

What is the fully pointed spelling?

With vowel marks, it is usually written:

זֹאת אִשָּׁה

This helps show the pronunciation:

• זֹאת = zot
• אִשָּׁה = isha

In everyday modern Hebrew, vowel marks are usually omitted, so you will normally see זאת אישה.

Is this sentence natural Hebrew?

Yes. It is a normal and natural sentence for identifying someone, for example in a picture or in a basic lesson.

For example, if someone points to a person and says:

• זאת אישה

they mean:

• This is a woman

In everyday speech, many speakers might also say זו אישה, which sounds equally natural.