הבית גדול, אבל החדר קטן.

The house is big, but the room is small.

Breakdown of הבית גדול, אבל החדר קטן.

• גדול: big
• קטן: small
• אבל: but
• חדר: room
• בית: home

Questions & Answers about הבית גדול, אבל החדר קטן.

Why does הבית mean the house and החדר mean the room?

Because the prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to English the.

• בית = house
• הבית = the house
• חדר = room
• החדר = the room

So in this sentence, both nouns are definite: the house and the room.

Why do the adjectives come after the nouns in this sentence?

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• הבית גדול = the house [is] big
• החדר קטן = the room [is] small

This is different from English, where adjectives usually come before the noun: the big house, the small room.

In this sentence, the structure is not big house but rather the house is big.

Where is the word is? Why isn’t there a Hebrew word for it here?

In present-tense Hebrew, there is usually no separate word for is / am / are in simple sentences like this.

So:

• הבית גדול literally looks like the house big
• but it means the house is big

And:

• החדר קטן literally looks like the room small
• but it means the room is small

This is completely normal in Hebrew.
If the sentence were in the past or future, Hebrew would use a form of to be.

Why is it גדול and קטן? Do adjectives change form?

Yes. Hebrew adjectives change to match the noun in gender and number.

Here:

• בית is a masculine singular noun
• חדר is also a masculine singular noun

So the adjectives also appear in the masculine singular form:

• גדול = big
• קטן = small

If the noun were feminine singular, the adjectives would usually end in ־ה:

• גדולה = big (feminine)
• קטנה = small (feminine)

For example:

• הדירה גדולה = the apartment is big

Why don’t the adjectives have ה־ too? Why not הבית הגדול here?

Great question. Hebrew handles adjectives differently depending on the sentence structure.

In your sentence:

• הבית גדול = the house is big

Here, גדול is part of the predicate, so it does not take ה־.

But if you want to say:

• the big house

then both the noun and adjective are definite:

• הבית הגדול

So compare:

• הבית גדול = the house is big
• הבית הגדול = the big house

That is a very important Hebrew distinction.

What does אבל mean, and how is it used?

אבל means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• הבית גדול = the house is big
• אבל = but
• החדר קטן = the room is small

So the whole sentence contrasts the size of the house with the size of the room.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A common pronunciation is:

ha-BA-yit ga-DOL, a-VAL ha-CHE-der ka-TAN

Word by word:

• הבית = ha-bayit
• גדול = gadol
• אבל = aval
• החדר = hacheder
• קטן = katan

A few helpful notes:

• The ח in החדר is a throaty sound, like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch
• Stress is usually near the end:
  • baYIT
  • gaDOL
  • aVAL
  • cheDER
  • kaTAN

Why is ה pronounced differently in different words, like ha-bayit and ha-cheder?

The prefix ה־ is usually pronounced ha-, but the exact sound can blend a little with the following consonant in normal speech.

In this sentence:

• הבית → ha-bayit
• החדר → usually ha-cheder or hacheder

Learners often notice that Hebrew spelling stays the same, while actual pronunciation can feel more connected and fluid in speech.

The main point is: ה־ marks definiteness, even if the spoken rhythm varies a bit.

Could the sentence order be changed?

Yes, but the version you have is the most neutral and straightforward.

Standard order here is:

• noun + adjective
• הבית גדול, אבל החדר קטן.

Hebrew can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but beginners should treat this version as the normal one.

So this sentence is a very good model for simple descriptive Hebrew.

Is there anything important to notice about punctuation here?

Yes: the comma before אבל works very much like the comma before but in English.

So:

• הבית גדול, אבל החדר קטן.

This helps show the sentence has two linked parts:

1. הבית גדול
2. החדר קטן

joined by אבל = but.

Can this sentence also help me learn the difference between describing and identifying something in Hebrew?

Yes. This sentence is a classic example of describing something.

• הבית גדול describes the house
• החדר קטן describes the room

You are not saying what the house is; you are saying what it is like.

That is why adjectives are used:

• גדול = big
• קטן = small

This is one of the most basic and useful Hebrew sentence patterns: definite noun + adjective = the noun is adjective.