יש לי חבר חדש.

new

Breakdown of יש לי חבר חדש.

• יש: there is
• לי: to me
• חבר: friend

Questions & Answers about יש לי חבר חדש.

Why does Hebrew say יש לי instead of using a verb meaning have?

In Hebrew, possession is very often expressed with יש ל־... instead of a separate verb like English to have.

So:

• יש = there is / there are
• לי = to me

Literally, יש לי חבר חדש is something like There is to me a new friend.

That is the normal Hebrew way to say I have a new friend.

A few related examples:

• יש לי ספר. = I have a book.
• יש לה אחות. = She has a sister.
• אין לי זמן. = I don’t have time.

So this structure is extremely important in Hebrew.

What does each word in יש לי חבר חדש mean?

Word by word:

• יש = there is / there are
• לי = to me / for me
• חבר = friend (masculine)
• חדש = new (masculine)

So the full sentence means I have a new friend.

A more literal breakdown is:

• יש לי = I have
• חבר חדש = a new friend