גם הוא עובד באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובד שם.

He also works at the university, but I do not work there.

Breakdown of גם הוא עובד באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובד שם.

• אני: I
• הוא: he
• שם: there
• אבל: but
• לא: not
• לעבוד: to work
• ב: at
• גם: also
• אוניברסיטה: university

Questions & Answers about גם הוא עובד באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובד שם.

What does גם mean here, and why is it at the beginning of the sentence?

גם means also, too, or as well.

In גם הוא עובד באוניברסיטה, it means He also works at the university.

Putting גם before הוא highlights he:

• גם הוא עובד... = He too works...

Hebrew word order is flexible, but this placement is very natural when you want to say that someone else is included in the same statement.

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Why is הוא included? Could Hebrew just say גם עובד באוניברסיטה?

In this sentence, הוא is included because the speaker wants to say he also.

Hebrew often allows subject pronouns to be omitted when the verb already makes the subject clear, but here the pronoun is useful for emphasis and contrast:

• גם הוא עובד... אבל אני לא...
• He also works... but I don't...

Without הוא, the sentence would sound incomplete or less clear in this context.

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What does עובד mean exactly?

עובד is the masculine singular present-tense form of the verb לעבוד, meaning to work.

So:

• הוא עובד = he works / he is working
• אני עובד = I work / I am working (if the speaker is male)

In Hebrew, the present tense can often correspond to either:

• simple present: works
• present progressive: is working

The exact meaning depends on context.

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Why is עובד used with both הוא and אני?

Because Hebrew present-tense verbs agree with gender and number, but not with person in the same way English does.

For a masculine singular subject:

• הוא עובד = he works
• אני עובד = I work (said by a male speaker)

So both he and I can take עובד if both are masculine singular.

If the speaker were female, she would say:

• אני לא עובדת שם

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Does this sentence mean the speaker is male?

Yes. Since the speaker says אני לא עובד שם, the form עובד shows that the speaker is male.

A female speaker would say:

• גם הוא עובד באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובדת שם.

So Hebrew gives you gender information that English usually does not.

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Why is it באוניברסיטה and not ב האוניברסיטה?

Because Hebrew combines the preposition ב־ (in / at) with the definite article ה־ (the).

So:

• ב + האוניברסיטה becomes באוניברסיטה

This is a normal contraction in Hebrew.

So באוניברסיטה means:

• in the university
• more naturally in English here: at the university

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Why is באוניברסיטה translated as at the university and not literally in the university?

Because languages do not always use prepositions the same way.

Hebrew uses ב־ for a wide range of meanings, including:

• in
• at
• sometimes inside

With places like workplaces or institutions, English often prefers at:

• עובד באוניברסיטה = works at the university

A very literal translation might say in the university, but at the university is the natural English equivalent here.

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How does the negative לא work in this sentence?

לא means not.

In present-tense verbal sentences like this one, לא comes before the verb:

• אני לא עובד שם = I do not work there

So the pattern is:

• subject + לא + verb

Examples:

• אני לא עובד = I do not work
• הוא לא עובד = he does not work

Hebrew does not use a separate word like English do/does here.

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Why isn’t there a word for do in אני לא עובד שם?

Because Hebrew does not need an auxiliary verb like English do to form this kind of negative sentence.

English says:

• I do not work there

Hebrew simply says:

• אני לא עובד שם
• literally: I not work there

This is completely normal in Hebrew.

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What does שם mean here?

שם means there in this sentence.

So:

• אני לא עובד שם = I do not work there

It refers back to the place already mentioned, which is the university.

Be aware that שם can also mean name in other contexts, but here it clearly means there.

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Why is the verb repeated in the second part? Could Hebrew say something shorter, like English sometimes does?

Hebrew usually repeats the verb in a sentence like this:

• גם הוא עובד באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובד שם.

In English, we might say:

• He also works at the university, but I don't.

Hebrew generally sounds more natural if you repeat the verb:

• אבל אני לא עובד שם
• but I don't work there

You may sometimes hear shorter ellipsis in speech, but for learners, repeating the verb is the safest and most standard choice.

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Why is אבל used for but?

אבל is the common everyday Hebrew word for but.

So:

• ..., אבל ... = ..., but ...

It is very common in both speech and writing.

There are other Hebrew words that can mean but in certain styles, such as אך or אולם, but אבל is the most neutral and common choice here.

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Could the sentence be said without אני, since the speaker is obvious from context?

Sometimes Hebrew can omit subject pronouns, but here אני is very natural because the sentence creates a contrast:

• גם הוא ... אבל אני ...
• he also ... but I ...

Using both pronouns makes the contrast clearer and stronger.

So this sentence sounds natural as written:

• גם הוא עובד באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובד שם.

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How would this sentence change if the person working at the university were female?

Then the first verb would need to match a feminine singular subject.

For example:

• גם היא עובדת באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובד שם.
  = She also works at the university, but I don’t work there.
  (male speaker)

If both the other person and the speaker are female:

• גם היא עובדת באוניברסיטה, אבל אני לא עובדת שם.

Hebrew present tense changes according to gender:

• עובד = masculine singular
• עובדת = feminine singular

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How is the whole sentence pronounced?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

gam hu oved ba-universita, aval ani lo oved sham

A few helpful notes:

• גם = gam
• הוא = hu
• עובד = oved
• באוניברסיטה = ba-universita
• אבל = aval
• אני = ani
• לא = lo
• שם = sham

This does not capture every detail of native pronunciation, but it is a good learner-friendly approximation.