Questions & Answers about מחר יש לסבתא יום הולדת, ואני רוצה לקנות לה מתנה טובה.
Why does the sentence use יש here instead of a verb meaning have?
In Hebrew, possession in the present is usually expressed with יש ל־..., literally there is to... rather than with a present-tense verb like English have.
So:
יש לסבתא יום הולדת
literally = There is to Grandma a birthday
In natural English, that becomes Grandma has a birthday or, more naturally, It’s Grandma’s birthday.
This is a very common Hebrew pattern:
- יש לי ספר = I have a book
- יש לה זמן = She has time
Why is it לסבתא? Doesn’t that literally mean to Grandma?
Yes, ל־ usually means to or for, and לסבתא literally is to Grandma.
But with יש, the ל־ phrase marks the possessor:
- יש לסבתא יום הולדת = Grandma has a birthday
So in this structure, לסבתא does not mean movement toward Grandma. It marks the person who has something.
Is the word order fixed in מחר יש לסבתא יום הולדת?