הן עובדות שם הרבה שעות, אבל היום הן בבית.

They work there for many hours, but today they are at home.

Breakdown of הן עובדות שם הרבה שעות, אבל היום הן בבית.

• שם: there
• אבל: but
• לעבוד: to work
• היום: today
• בית: home
• ב: at
• הן: they
• הרבה: many
• שעה: hour

Questions & Answers about הן עובדות שם הרבה שעות, אבל היום הן בבית.

What does הן mean, and why isn’t it הם?

הן means they for an all-female group.

Hebrew distinguishes gender in the plural:

• הם = they (masculine, or mixed group)
• הן = they (feminine)

So this sentence is talking about women or girls:

• הן עובדות... = They (feminine) work...

A useful note: in everyday spoken Hebrew, many speakers often use הם even for female groups, but הן is the standard feminine form and is completely correct.

Why does עובדות end with -ות?

Because it agrees with the feminine plural subject הן.

In the present tense, Hebrew verbs change for gender and number:

• עובד = working / works (masculine singular)
• עובדת = working / works (feminine singular)
• עובדים = working / work (masculine plural)
• עובדות = working / work (feminine plural)

So:

• הן עובדות = they (feminine) work / are working

Is עובדות a verb here, or can it also be a noun?

Here it is a verb: work / are working.

But עובדות can also be a noun/adjective form in other contexts:

• עובדות = female workers
• העובדות = the female workers
• עובדות can also mean facts in a completely different word family, depending on context and pronunciation history/spelling conventions

In this sentence, because it follows הן, it is understood as the verb:

• הן עובדות שם... = They work there...

What tense is עובדות?

It is present tense.

But Hebrew present tense often covers more than one English form. Depending on context, הן עובדות can mean:

• they work
• they are working

In this sentence, because of הרבה שעות (many hours / long hours), it sounds like a habitual/general present:

• They work there many hours

Why is there no word for are in הן בבית?

Because in Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense.

So:

• הן בבית literally looks like they at home
• but it means they are at home

This is very normal in Hebrew:

• אני עייף / עייפה = I am tired
• הוא פה = he is here
• אנחנו בבית = we are at home

In past and future, Hebrew does use forms of to be:

• הן היו בבית = they were at home
• הן יהיו בבית = they will be at home

Why is הן repeated in the second clause?

Because the second clause also needs a subject.

The sentence is:

• הן עובדות שם הרבה שעות, אבל היום הן בבית.

The first clause has a verb:

• הן עובדות = they work

The second clause is a present-tense sentence without a spoken verb to be:

• הן בבית = they are at home

So the subject הן is still needed.

In English, you also repeat the subject:

• They work there many hours, but today they are at home.

Could the pronoun הן be omitted?

Usually, not comfortably in a sentence like this, especially in the present tense.

That is because Hebrew present-tense verb forms do not tell you person clearly by themselves. For example:

• עובדות tells you feminine plural
• but not by itself whether you mean they, or something like female workers in a different structure

So הן makes the sentence clear:

• הן עובדות = they work

Likewise, in הן בבית, the pronoun is important because there is no present-tense verb are.

What does שם mean here?

שם means there.

So:

• הן עובדות שם = they work there

Hebrew often places שם after the verb, just as in this sentence. That word order is very natural.

What does הרבה שעות mean, and why is it not שעות רבות?

הרבה שעות means many hours or a lot of hours.

This is a very common Hebrew way to express quantity:

• הרבה אנשים = many people
• הרבה זמן = a lot of time
• הרבה שעות = many hours

You may also see:

• שעות רבות

That also means many hours, but it is usually a bit more formal or literary.

So:

• הרבה שעות = common and conversational
• שעות רבות = also correct, a little more formal

What exactly does בבית mean here?

Here בבית means at home.

Literally, it is in the house / in the home, but in normal usage it often corresponds to English at home.

So:

• היום הן בבית = today they are at home

A useful thing to know: in unpointed Hebrew writing, בבית can represent slightly different pronunciations depending on whether it is definite or not, but in a sentence like this learners usually just need the meaning at home.

Why does the sentence use אבל היום in the middle?

אבל means but, and היום means today.

So:

• אבל היום = but today

This creates a contrast:

• usually or generally: הן עובדות שם הרבה שעות
• in contrast, today: היום הן בבית

So the sentence means something like:

• They usually work there many hours, but today they are at home.

If the group were male or mixed, how would the sentence change?

You would use the masculine/mixed plural forms:

• הם עובדים שם הרבה שעות, אבל היום הם בבית.

Changes:

• הן → הם
• עובדות → עובדים

The rest stays the same.

Does this sentence sound like they are working right now, or that they generally work there?

It most naturally sounds like a general/habitual statement:

• They work there many hours, but today they are at home.

That is because:

• הרבה שעות suggests a regular pattern
• היום contrasts with that regular pattern

So the idea is not just what is happening at this exact moment, but what is normally true versus what is true today.