יש לי בן קטן ובת קטנה.

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Breakdown of יש לי בן קטן ובת קטנה.

• יש: there is
• לי: to me
• ו: and

Questions & Answers about יש לי בן קטן ובת קטנה.

Why does Hebrew use יש לי instead of a verb meaning I have?

Hebrew usually expresses possession with יש ל־ + the possessor.

• יש = there is / there exists
• לי = to me / for me

So יש לי בן קטן ובת קטנה literally means something like:

There is to me a small son and a small daughter.

That is the normal Hebrew way to say I have a small son and a small daughter.

What exactly does לי mean?

לי means to me.

It is made from:

• ל־ = to
• ־י = me / my as a suffix

So:

• לי = to me
• לך = to you (masculine singular)
• לך = to you (feminine singular, pronounced differently)
• לו = to him
• לה = to her

In this sentence, יש לי is the standard way to say I have.

Why isn't אני used in the sentence?