האישה ליד החלון וקוראת את המכתב.

woman

Breakdown of האישה ליד החלון וקוראת את המכתב.

• ו: and
• את: direct object marker
• חלון: window

Questions & Answers about האישה ליד החלון וקוראת את המכתב.

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

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

So האישה ליד החלון literally looks like the woman by the window, but it means the woman is by the window.

This is very normal in Hebrew:

• הילד בבית = the boy is at home
• הספר על השולחן = the book is on the table

In past or future, Hebrew usually does use forms of to be, but in the present it usually leaves them out.

What does ליד mean here?

ליד means next to, beside, or by.

So ליד החלון means by the window or next to the window.

It is a preposition, and unlike short prepositions such as ב־, ל־, and כ־, it stays as a separate word:

• ליד החלון = by the window
• not something merged into the noun

Why is there a ו at the beginning of וקוראת?

The ו־ means and.

So וקוראת means and reads / and is reading.

Here it connects two things being said about the same woman:

• she is by the window
• and she is reading the letter

Because Hebrew often omits is in the present tense, וקוראת is understood as and [she is] reading.