האמא כאן, והאבא שם.

here

Breakdown of האמא כאן, והאבא שם.

• שם: there
• אמא: mother
• אבא: father

Questions & Answers about האמא כאן, והאבא שם.

Why is there no separate word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not stated in the present tense.

So Hebrew says:

• האמא כאן = the mother here
• והאבא שם = and the father there

But the meaning is naturally understood as The mother is here, and the father is there.

This is very common in Hebrew. In the past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be, but in the present it is usually omitted.

What does the ה at the beginning of האמא and האבא mean?

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• אמא = mother / mom
• האמא = the mother / the mom

and

• אבא = father / dad
• האבא = the father / the dad

Unlike English, Hebrew attaches the directly to the beginning of the word.

Why is and attached to the next word in והאבא?