הפגישה הזאת חשובה, כי אנחנו מתחילים עבודה חדשה מחר.

This meeting is important, because we are starting a new job tomorrow.

Breakdown of הפגישה הזאת חשובה, כי אנחנו מתחילים עבודה חדשה מחר.

• זאת: this
• חדש: new
• מחר: tomorrow
• כי: because
• אנחנו: we
• פגישה: meeting
• להתחיל: to start
• חשוב: important
• עבודה: job

Questions & Answers about הפגישה הזאת חשובה, כי אנחנו מתחילים עבודה חדשה מחר.

Why is there no Hebrew word for is in הפגישה הזאת חשובה?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not said in the present tense.

So Hebrew says:

• הפגישה הזאת חשובה
• literally: this meeting important

But it means:

• This meeting is important

This is completely normal in Hebrew.
In past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be when needed, but in the present, it is usually omitted.

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Why does הזאת come after הפגישה? Shouldn’t this come before the noun like in English?

In Hebrew, demonstratives like this and that normally come after the noun.

So:

• הפגישה הזאת = this meeting
• literally: the meeting this

This is the regular Hebrew pattern:

• הספר הזה = this book
• הילדה הזאת = this girl
• האנשים האלה = these people

So even though it feels reversed to an English speaker, it is the normal word order in Hebrew.

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Why do both הפגישה and הזאת have ה־?

Because the noun is definite, and the demonstrative agrees with it in definiteness.

• פגישה = a meeting / meeting
• הפגישה = the meeting
• הפגישה הזאת = this meeting

In standard Hebrew, when you say this/that after a noun, the noun is definite, and the demonstrative also appears in its definite form:

• הספר הזה
• הדלת הזאת
• הימים האלה

So הפגישה הזאת is the normal way to say this meeting.

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Why is חשובה feminine?

Because it agrees with הפגישה, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Hebrew, adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• sometimes definiteness by position/construction

Here:

• פגישה = meeting, feminine singular
• so important must also be feminine singular
• masculine singular: חשוב
• feminine singular: חשובה

So:

• הפגישה חשובה = the meeting is important
• הספר חשוב = the book is important

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How do I know that פגישה is feminine?

A lot of Hebrew nouns ending in ־ה are feminine, and פגישה is one of them.

So Hebrew treats it as feminine:

• פגישה חשובה
• פגישה טובה
• פגישה ארוכה

But remember: the ־ה ending is a helpful clue, not a perfect rule. Some nouns don’t follow the pattern, so gender often has to be learned with each noun.

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Why is it אנחנו מתחילים and not something feminine like מתחילות?

Because מתחילים is the masculine plural form, which is also the default plural form when:

• the group is all male, or
• the group is mixed, or
• the gender is not specified

So:

• אנחנו מתחילים = we start / we are starting (masculine or mixed group)
• אנחנו מתחילות = we start / we are starting (all-female group)

A native English speaker often asks this because English we start does not show gender, but Hebrew does.

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Does מתחילים mean start or are starting?

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Hebrew present tense often covers both:

• we start
• we are starting

In this sentence, because of מחר (tomorrow), the natural English translation is often:

• we’re starting a new job tomorrow or
• we start a new job tomorrow

Both reflect the Hebrew well.

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Why is there no word for a in עבודה חדשה?

Because Hebrew has no indefinite article.

English distinguishes between:

• a job
• the job

Hebrew does this differently:

• עבודה = work / a job
• העבודה = the work / the job

So:

• עבודה חדשה = new work / a new job
• העבודה החדשה = the new work / the new job

There is no separate word corresponding to English a/an.

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Why is it עבודה חדשה and not חדשה עבודה?

Because in Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• עבודה חדשה = new job / new work
• literally: work new

And the adjective must agree with the noun:

• עבודה is feminine singular
• so new becomes חדשה

Compare:

• ספר חדש = a new book
• מכונית חדשה = a new car
• עבודות חדשות = new jobs / new works

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What exactly does עבודה mean here: work or job?

It can mean either, depending on context.

עבודה is a broad word that can mean:

• work
• job
• employment
• sometimes even assignment or task, depending on the situation

In this sentence, מתחילים עבודה חדשה מחר, the most natural English meaning is often:

• we’re starting a new job tomorrow

But in some contexts it could also feel more like:

• we’re starting new work tomorrow

So the exact nuance depends on the situation.

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Why is מחר at the end of the sentence?

Because Hebrew often places time expressions like מחר (tomorrow) later in the clause, especially after the main action.

So this is very natural:

• אנחנו מתחילים עבודה חדשה מחר

But Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, and you could move מחר for emphasis:

• מחר אנחנו מתחילים עבודה חדשה = Tomorrow we’re starting a new job
• אנחנו מחר מתחילים עבודה חדשה = also possible, with a slightly different emphasis

The version in your sentence is neutral and natural.

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What does כי mean, and is it always because?

Here, כי means because.

So:

• הפגישה הזאת חשובה, כי...
• This meeting is important, because...

In many beginner contexts, כי is the standard word for because.
In some other contexts in Hebrew, כי can have other meanings or functions, especially in formal or biblical language, but for a learner at this level, because is the main meaning to remember.

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How would a native speaker pronounce this sentence?

A common pronunciation would be:

ha-pgi-SHA ha-ZOT kha-shu-VA, ki a-NAKH-nu mat-khi-LIM a-vo-DA kha-da-SHA ma-KHAR

A few notes:

• פגישה = pgi-SHA
• הזאת = ha-ZOT
• חשובה = kha-shu-VA
• אנחנו = a-NAKH-nu
• מתחילים = mat-khi-LIM
• חדשה = kha-da-SHA
• מחר = ma-KHAR

The ח sound in words like חשובה, מתחילים, and מחר is a throaty sound that does not exist in standard English.

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Is this sentence in formal Hebrew, or is it something people would actually say?

Yes, this is a very normal, natural modern Hebrew sentence.

It sounds like everyday spoken or written Hebrew:

• הפגישה הזאת חשובה = This meeting is important
• כי אנחנו מתחילים עבודה חדשה מחר = because we’re starting a new job tomorrow

Nothing in it sounds unnatural or overly formal. It is a good example of standard modern Hebrew.

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Can I say הפגישה הזו instead of הפגישה הזאת?

Yes. In modern Hebrew, both הזאת and הזו can mean this for a feminine singular noun.

So both of these are possible:

• הפגישה הזאת
• הפגישה הזו

In many contexts, הזאת may sound a bit more standard or explicit, while הזו is also very common in everyday speech. Both are correct.

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What is the basic word order of the whole sentence?

The sentence is roughly:

• הפגישה הזאת = subject
• חשובה = predicate adjective
• כי = because
• אנחנו = subject
• מתחילים = verb
• עבודה חדשה = object/complement
• מחר = time expression

So the structure is:

• This meeting [is] important, because we are starting a new job tomorrow.

The first clause has no present-tense is, and the second clause follows a very normal Hebrew order.

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Could I translate פגישה as appointment instead of meeting?

Sometimes yes, but meeting is usually the safer choice here.

פגישה can refer to:

• a meeting
• an appointment
• an arranged encounter

The best translation depends on context. In this sentence, meeting sounds most natural because the sentence says the meeting is important due to something happening at work tomorrow.

If the context were medical or personal scheduling, appointment might fit better.