Word
זה ספר חדש.
Meaning
This is a new book.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about זה ספר חדש.
Why is there no word for is in זה ספר חדש?
In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not stated in the present tense.
So where English says:
- This is a new book
Hebrew simply says:
- זה ספר חדש
Literally, it is more like:
- This — a new book
This is completely normal in Hebrew.
However, in the past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be.
What does זה mean here?
זה usually means this or it/that is, depending on context.
In this sentence, זה introduces or points to something:
- זה ספר חדש = This is a new book
A learner may expect a structure closer to English, but Hebrew often uses זה very naturally in this kind of identifying sentence.
Also, זה is the masculine singular demonstrative form.
Why does the adjective חדש come after ספר instead of before it?