הכלב לא יושב; הוא עומד ליד הדלת.

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Breakdown of הכלב לא יושב; הוא עומד ליד הדלת.

• לא: not
• דלת: door
• ליד: next to

Questions & Answers about הכלב לא יושב; הוא עומד ליד הדלת.

Why is הכלב written as one word?

Because the Hebrew word for the is usually a prefix, ה־, attached directly to the noun.

So:

• כלב = dog
• הכלב = the dog

This is very common in Hebrew. Unlike English, where the is a separate word, Hebrew usually adds it to the beginning of the noun.

Pronunciation here is roughly ha-kelev.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So English says:

• The dog is sitting
• He is standing

But Hebrew simply says:

• הכלב יושב
• הוא עומד

This is completely normal. Hebrew does have forms of to be in the past and future, but in the present tense they are usually left out.

What exactly is יושב?