Questions & Answers about האח שם, אבל האחות לא שם.
How do I pronounce this sentence?
A simple pronunciation guide is:
ha-ach sham, aval ha-achot lo sham
A slightly more careful transliteration is:
ha’ach sham, aval ha’achot lo sham
Notes:
- ח sounds like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach, not like English ch in chair.
- שם here is pronounced sham.
- אבל is pronounced avAL.
- אחות is pronounced aCHOT, with stress on the last syllable.
Why is there no word for is in the sentence?
Because in Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.
So:
- האח שם literally looks like the brother there
- but it means the brother is there
And:
- האחות לא שם literally looks like the sister not there
- but it means the sister is not there
This is very normal Hebrew grammar.
Why do אח and אחות begin with ה here?