העיתון על הכיסא, אבל הספר על המיטה.

book

Breakdown of העיתון על הכיסא, אבל הספר על המיטה.

• אבל: but
• כיסא: chair
• מיטה: bed

Questions & Answers about העיתון על הכיסא, אבל הספר על המיטה.

Where is the word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense in simple sentences like this one.

So:

העיתון על הכיסא
literally: the newspaper on the chair
natural English: The newspaper is on the chair

And:

הספר על המיטה
literally: the book on the bed
natural English: The book is on the bed

This is completely normal Hebrew.

What does אבל mean, and how is it used here?

אבל means but.

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• העיתון על הכיסא = the newspaper is on the chair
• אבל = but
• הספר על המיטה = the book is on the bed

So אבל works very much like English but.

Why do so many words start with ה?