החבר פה, אבל החברה לא פה.

The male friend is here, but the female friend is not here.

Breakdown of החבר פה, אבל החברה לא פה.

• פה: here
• חברה: female friend
• חבר: male friend
• אבל: but

Questions & Answers about החבר פה, אבל החברה לא פה.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not written in the present tense in simple sentences like this.

So:

• החבר פה = The friend/boyfriend is here
• החברה לא פה = The friend/girlfriend is not here

Hebrew simply puts the subject and then the description or location. This is very normal.

But in other tenses, Hebrew does use forms of to be, for example:

• החבר היה פה = The friend was here
• החבר יהיה פה = The friend will be here

Why do החבר and החברה both begin with ה?

That ה is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• חבר = friend / male friend
• החבר = the friend / the boyfriend
• חברה = female friend / girlfriend / company
• החברה = the female friend / the girlfriend / the company

Unlike English, Hebrew attaches the directly to the beginning of the word instead of writing it as a separate word.

What is the difference between חבר and חברה?