Questions & Answers about הוא עובד היום.
A common pronunciation is:
hu oVED haYOM
A slightly more detailed breakdown:
- הוא = hu
- עובד = oved
- היום = hayom
The main stress is usually on the last syllable of עובד and היום:
- oVED
- haYOM
In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not said in the present tense.
So where English says:
- He is working today
Hebrew simply says:
- הוא עובד היום
This is very normal. Hebrew present-tense sentences often work without a separate word for is / am / are.
עובד is the masculine singular present-tense form of the verb לעבוד (to work).
It comes from the root:
- ע-ב-ד
In Modern Hebrew, present-tense verb forms are historically participles, but for learners it is usually easiest to think of עובד here as:
- works
- is working
depending on context.
It can mean either one, depending on context.
Hebrew present tense often covers both:
- simple present: he works today
- present progressive: he is working today
In many everyday situations, English makes a stronger distinction than Hebrew does. The surrounding context tells you which meaning is intended.
Sometimes Hebrew can leave out the subject if the context is clear, but in this kind of sentence הוא is often useful.
A key reason is that עובד only tells you:
- gender: masculine
- number: singular
It does not tell you whether the subject is:
- I
- you
- he
So עובד היום by itself could mean different things in the right context, such as:
- I am working today (spoken by a man)
- You are working today (to one male)
- He is working today
That is why הוא helps make the meaning clear.
The present-tense form changes to match gender.
- הוא עובד היום = he is working today
- היא עובדת היום = she is working today
So:
- עובד = masculine singular
- עובדת = feminine singular
This gender agreement is very important in Hebrew.
You change both the pronoun and the present-tense form:
- הם עובדים היום = they are working today (masculine or mixed group)
- הן עובדות היום = they are working today (all feminine)
So the pattern is:
- עובד = masculine singular
- עובדת = feminine singular
- עובדים = masculine plural
- עובדות = feminine plural
Yes, in this sentence היום means today.
Historically, it is related to the day, but in normal Modern Hebrew it functions as the everyday word for today.
So in הוא עובד היום, היום is a time word telling you when he works.
Yes. הוא עובד היום is a very natural, neutral word order.
But Hebrew can change word order for emphasis. For example:
- היום הוא עובד = Today, he is working
- This puts more focus on today.
So the original sentence is the most straightforward version, but alternatives are possible depending on what you want to emphasize.
Most modern Hebrew is written without niqqud (vowel marks), so learners gradually learn to recognize common patterns and words.
In a fully pointed version, this sentence would look like:
- הוּא עוֹבֵד הַיּוֹם
Readers usually recognize these words from:
- familiarity with common vocabulary
- verb patterns
- context
This is very normal in Hebrew, even though it can feel difficult at first for English speakers.
It can behave in an adjective-like way because Hebrew present-tense forms are historically participles.
That means עובד can feel a bit like working in English:
- a working person
- he is working
But in a sentence like הוא עובד היום, learners should usually treat it as the normal present-tense verb form: he works / he is working.
Yes: Hebrew present tense agrees with the subject in gender and number.
In this sentence:
- הוא = masculine singular he
- עובד = masculine singular form
Those match each other.
If the subject changes, the verb form usually changes too:
- היא עובדת = she works / is working
- הם עובדים = they work / are working
- הן עובדות = they work / are working
This kind of agreement is one of the biggest differences from English.