מי כאן עם האח?

here

Breakdown of מי כאן עם האח?

• מי: who
• עם: with
• אח: brother

Questions & Answers about מי כאן עם האח?

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

Because in Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense.

So Hebrew says something that is literally closer to:

Who here with the brother?

But in natural English, you translate it as:

Who is here with the brother?

If you wanted was or will be, Hebrew would normally use a form of to be.

What does מי mean, and does it change for gender?

מי means who.

A useful thing for learners: מי does not change for masculine vs. feminine, or singular vs. plural. It stays מי in all those cases.

So whether you are asking about:

• one man
• one woman
• several people

you still use מי.

What does כאן mean? Could I also use פה?

כאן means here.

Yes, פה can also mean here, and in everyday spoken Hebrew it is very common. The difference is roughly this:

• כאן = here, a bit more neutral
• פה = here, very common in speech

So this sentence could also be said with פה in many situations, but כאן is completely normal and natural.

What does עם mean, and how is it pronounced?

עם means with.

In Modern Hebrew, it is pronounced im.

That can surprise learners, because the spelling does not look like the pronunciation you might expect at first. But עם is a very common word, so you get used to it quickly.

So the middle of the sentence is:

כאן עם האח = here with the brother

Why does האח start with ה?

The ה־ at the beginning is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• אח = brother / a brother
• האח = the brother

Unlike English, Hebrew usually puts the directly onto the noun as a prefix.

So עם האח literally breaks down as:

• עם = with
• האח = the brother

How do you pronounce אח and especially the letter ח?

אח is pronounced roughly akh.

The letter ח is not like the English ch in chair. It is a guttural sound, like:

• the ch in German Bach
• the ch in Scottish loch

So:

• אח = akh
• האח = ha-akh

For many English speakers, ח takes practice.

Why is the word order מי כאן עם האח?

This is a normal Hebrew question pattern.

Hebrew often puts the question word first:

• מי = who

Then the rest of the information follows:

• כאן = here
• עם האח = with the brother

So the structure is basically:

who + here + with the brother

Unlike English, Hebrew does not need to add or move an auxiliary verb like is.

A different word order is sometimes possible for emphasis, but מי כאן עם האח? is a straightforward, natural way to ask it.

How would I say the whole sentence out loud?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

mi kan im ha-akh?

With natural speech, you would usually use question intonation, just as in English.

How would this sentence look with vowel marks?

With ניקוד, it would normally be:

מִי כָּאן עִם הָאָח?

That can help a learner see the pronunciation more clearly:

• מִי = mi
• כָּאן = kan
• עִם = im
• הָאָח = ha-akh

Can אח mean anything besides brother?

Yes. In Modern Hebrew, אח can also mean male nurse.

So out of context, האח could mean either:

• the brother
• the male nurse

Usually, context makes it clear which meaning is intended. If your lesson already gives the meaning as brother, then that is the one to use here.