זה שולחן גדול.

this

Breakdown of זה שולחן גדול.

• שולחן: table
• גדול: big

Questions & Answers about זה שולחן גדול.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense.

So זה שולחן גדול literally looks like:

• זה = this / it
• שולחן = table
• גדול = big

But the natural English translation includes is: This is a big table or It is a big table.

In other tenses, Hebrew does use forms of to be, but in the present tense it normally does not.

What does זה mean here?

זה often means this, but in sentences like this it can also function like this is or it is.

So זה שולחן גדול can be understood as:

• This is a big table
• sometimes, depending on context, It is a big table

For a learner, the easiest way to think of it is:

• זה introduces or identifies something
• the present-tense is is understood

Why is the word order שולחן גדול and not גדול שולחן?