Questions & Answers about היא במשרד עכשיו, אבל הוא כבר בעבודה.
Why is there no word for is in this sentence?
Because in Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense.
So:
- היא במשרד עכשיו literally looks like she in-the-office now
- הוא כבר בעבודה literally looks like he already at-work
But in natural English, we translate these as She is in the office now, but he is already at work.
This is very normal Hebrew. In the present tense, Hebrew often uses pronoun + location/adjective/noun phrase without a separate word for is / are.
Why are היא and הוא included? Could Hebrew leave them out?
Yes, Hebrew can sometimes leave subject pronouns out, especially when the subject is clear from context.
But here, היא and הוא are very useful because the sentence is making a contrast:
- she is in the office now
- but he is already at work
Keeping both pronouns makes that contrast clear and natural.
Also, since there is no present-tense is, the pronouns help anchor the sentence.
How does במשרד mean in the office?
במשרד is made of:
- ב־ =