זה שולחן גדול.

This is a big table.

Breakdown of זה שולחן גדול.

• זה: this
• 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?

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun, unlike in English.

So:

• שולחן גדול = big table
• literally: table big

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

More examples:

• בית גדול = big house
• ילד קטן = small boy

Why is it גדול and not גדולה?

Because שולחן is a masculine singular noun, the adjective has to match it.

In Hebrew, adjectives agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• and, when relevant, definiteness

So here:

• שולחן = masculine singular
• therefore גדול = masculine singular form of big

If the noun were feminine singular, you would use גדולה instead.

How do I know that שולחן is masculine?

Unfortunately, in Hebrew you often just have to learn the gender of each noun.

There are some patterns that help, but they are not completely reliable. For שולחן, the correct grammatical gender is masculine, so adjectives and other agreeing words must also be masculine.

That is why you get:

• שולחן גדול

and not:

• שולחן גדולה

Why is there no word for a in a big table?

Hebrew has no separate word for a or an.

So an indefinite noun is usually just written without the definite article:

• שולחן גדול = a big table / big table

If Hebrew wants to say the big table, it adds ה־:

• השולחן הגדול = the big table

So:

• no ה־ = usually a / an or just an indefinite noun
• with ה־ = the

How would I say This is the big table instead?

You would say:

• זה השולחן הגדול

Notice that Hebrew marks definiteness on both the noun and the adjective:

• השולחן = the table
• הגדול = the big

This is important. In Hebrew, if the noun is definite and has an adjective, the adjective is usually definite too.

So:

• שולחן גדול = a big table
• השולחן הגדול = the big table

How is this sentence pronounced?

A common pronunciation guide is:

• ze shulkhan gadol

More approximately for an English speaker:

• zeh shool-KHAN gah-DOLE

A few notes:

• שולחן has the stress on the last syllable: shul-KHAN
• גדול also has final stress: ga-DOL
• the ch in shulkhan is the throaty Hebrew sound, not the ch of chair

Is זה שולחן גדול the same as זהו שולחן גדול?

They are very close, but זה שולחן גדול is the more basic and common pattern for learners to know.

זהו can sound a little more formal, emphatic, or literary in some contexts. In everyday speech, זה is extremely common.

So for practical purposes, a learner should be comfortable with:

• זה שולחן גדול

Can this sentence also mean This table is big?

Not normally. זה שולחן גדול is understood as identifying something:

• This is a big table

If you want to say This table is big, you would usually say:

• השולחן הזה גדול = This table is big

Literally:

• the-table this big

So the Hebrew structure changes depending on whether you mean:

• This is a big table or
• This table is big

What would the feminine version look like?

If the noun were feminine singular, the adjective would change to the feminine form.

For example:

• זאת דלת גדולה = This is a big door

Here:

• דלת is feminine
• so גדול becomes גדולה

Also, many learners will notice זאת instead of זה with feminine nouns, though in everyday spoken Hebrew זה is also often used very broadly.

What would the plural version look like?

If the noun is plural, the adjective must also be plural.

For example:

• אלה שולחנות גדולים = These are big tables

Breakdown:

• אלה = these
• שולחנות = tables
• גדולים = big masculine plural

Again, the adjective matches the noun.

Is the sentence formal, neutral, or conversational?

It is a neutral, simple, standard sentence. It is exactly the kind of sentence used for basic description and identification.

A learner can safely use this pattern very widely:

• זה + noun + adjective

For example:

• זה בית גדול = This is a big house
• זה כלב קטן = This is a small dog

So this sentence is not strange or unusually formal; it is a very useful basic structure.