Questions & Answers about בבוקר הנעליים היו מלוכלכות, אבל עכשיו הן נקיות.
Why does בבוקר mean in the morning, and what is the ב־ doing?
The prefix ב־ means in, at, or during.
So:
- בוקר = morning
- בבוקר = in the morning
In fully pointed Hebrew, this is בַּבֹּקֶר. Historically, that comes from ב + ה + בוקר = in the morning, where the ה of the gets absorbed into the preposition.
So a native speaker usually understands בבוקר as in the morning or sometimes this morning, depending on context.
Why is הנעליים translated as the shoes, and what does the ending ־יים mean?
הנעליים breaks down like this:
- ה־ = the
- נעליים = shoes
The ending ־יים is often associated with the dual, a form used for things that naturally come in pairs, such as:
- עיניים = eyes
- ידיים = hands
- נעליים = shoes
Even though it has this special paired form, נעליים still behaves like a plural noun in the sentence.