הוא יושב על המיטה וקורא עיתון ישן.

He is sitting on the bed and reading an old newspaper.

Breakdown of הוא יושב על המיטה וקורא עיתון ישן.

• הוא: he
• ו: and
• מיטה: bed
• לשבת: to sit

Questions & Answers about הוא יושב על המיטה וקורא עיתון ישן.

Why is there no separate word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the present tense usually does not use a separate word for is / am / are.

So הוא יושב literally looks like he sitting, but it means he is sitting or he sits.

The same is true for וקורא:

• הוא יושב = he is sitting / he sits
• וקורא = and is reading / and reads

This is very normal in Hebrew.

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What exactly does יושב mean here?

יושב is the masculine singular present-tense form of the verb לשבת (to sit).

Here it means:

• is sitting
• or sometimes sits

Hebrew present tense often covers both:

• simple present: he sits
• present continuous: he is sitting

In this sentence, English would usually translate it as is sitting because the scene sounds like an action happening right now.

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Why does the sentence use הוא? Could Hebrew leave it out?