Questions & Answers about אתמול היא הייתה בבית כל היום.
Why is the verb הייתה and not היה?
Because the subject is היא, which is she, so the verb has to be feminine singular.
In the past tense, Hebrew verbs agree with the subject in gender and number:
- הוא היה = he was
- היא הייתה = she was
- הם היו = they were
So in this sentence, הייתה matches היא.
I thought Hebrew often leaves out the verb to be. Why is הייתה here at all?
Hebrew leaves out to be only in the present tense.
So:
- היא בבית = she is at home
- היא הייתה בבית = she was at home
- היא תהיה בבית = she will be at home
In the past and future, you normally do need a form of היה.
Is the pronoun היא necessary, or could the sentence leave it out?
It can often be left out if the context is clear.
Because הייתה already tells you the subject is 3rd person singular feminine, Hebrew can say:
- אתמול הייתה בבית כל היום
That still means Yesterday she was at home all day.
Including היא makes the sentence clearer or slightly more explicit, especially if the speaker wants to emphasize she.
Why is written as one word?