זה אבא טוב.

This is a good father.

Breakdown of זה אבא טוב.

• זה: this
• טוב: good
• אבא: father

Questions & Answers about זה אבא טוב.

Why is there no word for is in זה אבא טוב?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense when a sentence links one thing to another.

So Hebrew says:

• זה אבא טוב

where English would say:

• This is a good father / He is a good father

But in the past or future, Hebrew does use a form of to be:

• זה היה אבא טוב — This was a good father
• זה יהיה אבא טוב — This will be a good father

So the missing is is completely normal.

What does זה mean here?

זה is a very common word that can mean this, that, or sometimes function like this is / it is, depending on context.

In this sentence, it is introducing or identifying someone:

• זה אבא טוב

A learner should think of זה here as the element that points to someone or presents them.

A useful comparison:

• זה אבא טוב — This is a good father / That is a good father
• הוא אבא טוב — He is a good father

So זה is more like pointing out or identifying, while הוא is more directly he.

Where is the word for a?

Hebrew has no indefinite article. In other words, there is no separate word for a or an.

So:

• אבא can mean a father or just father, depending on context.

That is why Hebrew can say:

• זה אבא טוב

without any extra word for a.

Why does טוב come after אבא?

Because in Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• אבא טוב = a good father

Literally, the order is:

• father good

This is the normal Hebrew word order for a noun plus adjective.

More examples:

• ילד טוב — a good boy
• ספר מעניין — an interesting book
• אישה חכמה — a smart woman

Why is it טוב and not טובה?

Because אבא is masculine singular, and Hebrew adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.

So:

• אבא טוב — masculine singular
• אמא טובה — feminine singular
• אבות טובים — masculine plural
• אמהות טובות — feminine plural

Since אבא is masculine singular, the correct adjective form is טוב.

Why is there no ה־ on אבא or טוב?

Because the phrase is indefinite.

In Hebrew, ה־ is the definite article, meaning the. Since this sentence is using a good father, not the good father, there is no ה־.

Compare:

• אבא טוב — a good father
• האבא הטוב — the good father

Notice that when a noun-adjective phrase is definite, both the noun and the adjective usually take ה־.

Can I also say הוא אבא טוב?

Yes — and in many contexts that is actually the more natural way to say He is a good father.

Compare:

• זה אבא טוב — more like This is a good father / identifying someone
• הוא אבא טוב — clearly He is a good father

So both can be grammatical, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

A simple rule:

• use זה when pointing out, showing, or identifying
• use הוא when you mean he

Is אבא more like dad or father?

אבא is the normal everyday word for dad or father.

It is extremely common in spoken Hebrew and also very common in writing when the style is natural and everyday.

There is also a more formal/literary word:

• אב — father

So:

• אבא טוב sounds natural and everyday
• אב טוב sounds more formal, literary, or biblical

A native speaker would usually find אבא very normal here.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

zeh ah-BAH tov

A few notes:

• זה = zeh
• אבא = ah-BAH
  The stress is on the last syllable
• טוב = tov
  The last letter sounds like v, not b

So the whole sentence sounds like:

zeh ah-BAH tov

How would this sentence change with a feminine noun or with plural?

The main changes would be in the demonstrative and the adjective agreement.

For a feminine singular example:

• זאת אמא טובה — This is a good mother

For masculine plural:

• אלה אבות טובים — These are good fathers

For feminine plural:

• אלה אמהות טובות — These are good mothers

So when the noun changes, Hebrew often changes:

• the pointing word: זה / זאת / אלה
• the adjective form: טוב / טובה / טובים / טובות

This is one of the most important patterns in Hebrew grammar.