זה ספר טוב.

This is a good book.

Breakdown of זה ספר טוב.

• זה: this
• ספר: book
• טוב: good

Questions & Answers about זה ספר טוב.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in simple sentences. So זה ספר טוב literally looks like this book good, but it means This is a good book.

Hebrew does use to be in other tenses, for example:

• זה היה ספר טוב = This was a good book
• זה יהיה ספר טוב = This will be a good book

What does each word mean and do here?

The sentence breaks down like this:

• זה = this
• ספר = book
• טוב = good

So the structure is basically:

• זה = the subject, this
• ספר טוב = a good book

Together: This is a good book.

Why does Hebrew say book good instead of good book?

Because in Hebrew, adjectives normally come after the noun, not before it.

So:

• ספר טוב = literally book good
• natural English = good book

This is one of the most basic word-order differences between Hebrew and English.