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?