יש לי חברה טובה.

good

Breakdown of יש לי חברה טובה.

• יש: there is
• לי: to me
• חברה: female friend

Questions & Answers about יש לי חברה טובה.

What does יש לי literally mean?

Literally, יש לי means there is to me or there exists for me.

Hebrew very often expresses to have this way instead of using a verb like English have:

• יש לי ספר = I have a book
• literally: There is a book to me

So in יש לי חברה טובה, Hebrew is not using a separate verb meaning have. It is using the existence word יש plus לי, which means to me / for me.

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Why isn’t there a Hebrew word here for have?

Because in the present tense, Hebrew usually does not use a normal verb for possession.

Instead, it uses this pattern:

• יש = there is / there exists
• ל־
  • pronoun = to someone

Examples:

• יש לי = I have
• יש לך = you have
• יש לו = he has
• יש לה = she has

So יש לי חברה טובה is the standard Hebrew way to say I have a good friend.

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Why is there no word for a in a good friend?