יש לי אוטו חדש.

new

Breakdown of יש לי אוטו חדש.

• יש: there is
• לי: to me
• אוטו: car

Questions & Answers about יש לי אוטו חדש.

Why doesn’t Hebrew use a verb meaning have here?

In Modern Hebrew, possession is usually expressed with יש ל־... rather than with a separate verb like English have.

So instead of saying something structurally like I have a new car, Hebrew says something closer to:

There is to me a new car.

That is exactly how יש לי אוטו חדש is built:

• יש = there is / there exists
• לי = to me
• אוטו חדש = a new car

This is one of the most important sentence patterns in Hebrew.

What does יש mean by itself?

יש means there is or there exists.

It is used to say that something exists or is present:

• יש מים = There is water.
• יש זמן = There is time.
• יש לי אוטו חדש = I have a new car.

So in possession sentences, יש does not itself mean have. It introduces existence, and the ל־ phrase tells you who the thing belongs to.

Why does לי mean something like I have?