יש לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה.

We still have time before the meeting.

Breakdown of יש לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה.

• יש: there is
• לפני: before
• עוד: still
• זמן: time
• פגישה: meeting
• לנו: to us

Questions & Answers about יש לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה.

What does יש לנו literally mean, and why isn’t there a normal verb for have here?

In Hebrew, the idea of have in the present tense is usually expressed with יש plus a ל- form.

• יש = there is / there are
• לנו = to us

So יש לנו literally means there is to us, but in natural English it means we have.

This is the normal Hebrew pattern for possession in the present:

• יש לי ספר = I have a book
• יש לך זמן = you have time
• יש לנו עוד זמן = we still have time / we have more time

So even though English uses have, Hebrew usually does not use a separate present-tense verb here.

Why is לנו one word?

Because it is made from:

• ל־ = to
• נו = us

Together, they form לנו = to us.

This is very common in Hebrew. Prepositions often attach directly to pronoun endings:

• לי = to me
• לך = to you
• לו = to him
• לה = to her
• לנו = to us
• להם / להן = to them

So יש לנו is literally there is to us.

What does עוד mean here?

Here עוד means something like still, more, or additional.

In this sentence, יש לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה, it suggests that time remains before the meeting. In natural English, depending on context, you might think of it as:

• We still have time before the meeting
• We have more time before the meeting
• We have some time left before the meeting

So עוד often carries the idea of more / still / yet.

A few examples:

• עוד קפה? = More coffee?
• אני עוד עובד = I’m still working
• יש עוד שאלות? = Are there any more questions?

Why is it עוד זמן and not זמן עוד?

Because עוד usually comes before the noun it modifies.

So:

• עוד זמן = more time / additional time

That is the normal order.

Hebrew word order is flexible in some cases, but here עוד naturally comes before זמן. Saying זמן עוד would sound wrong in standard Hebrew.

Why is there no the on זמן?

Because זמן here means time in a general, nonspecific sense.

• עוד זמן = more time / some more time
• הזמן = the time

In this sentence, the speaker is not referring to a specific, already-defined block of time called the time. They are just saying that there is still time available before the meeting.

So:

• יש לנו עוד זמן = we still have time
• יש לנו עוד הזמן would be incorrect here

What does לפני mean exactly? Does it only mean before?

לפני can mean both:

• before in time
• in front of in space

In this sentence, it clearly means before in time:

• לפני הפגישה = before the meeting

Examples of both meanings:

• לפני הפגישה = before the meeting
• הוא עומד לפני הבית = he is standing in front of the house

So the context tells you which meaning is intended.

Why does הפגישה have ה־?

Because it means the meeting, not just a meeting.

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

In the sentence, the speaker is referring to a specific meeting that both speaker and listener know about.

So:

• לפני פגישה = before a meeting
• לפני הפגישה = before the meeting

Also, notice that לפני stays a separate word. The ה־ stays attached to פגישה.

How is the whole sentence pronounced?

A common pronunciation is:

Yesh lanu od zman lifnei hapgishá.

A few pronunciation notes:

• יש = yesh
• לנו = lanu
• עוד = od
• זמן = zman
• לפני = lifnei
• הפגישה = hapgishá

The stress in הפגישה is on the last syllable: ha-pgi-SHA.

Is this a natural everyday Hebrew sentence?

Yes. It is completely natural and common in both spoken and written Hebrew.

A native speaker might also say similar things like:

• יש לנו עדיין זמן לפני הפגישה = We still have time before the meeting
• נשאר לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה = We still have some time left before the meeting

But your sentence itself sounds normal and idiomatic.

Could I say יש לנו עדיין זמן לפני הפגישה instead? What is the difference between עוד and עדיין?

Yes, you could.

• עוד often emphasizes more / additional / still left
• עדיין more directly means still

So:

• יש לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה = We still have time / We have more time before the meeting
• יש לנו עדיין זמן לפני הפגישה = We still have time before the meeting

In many situations, both are possible.
However, עוד often gives a slight feeling of time remaining, while עדיין focuses more directly on the fact that the situation continues.

Sometimes speakers even combine them:

• יש לנו עדיין עוד זמן = We still have some more time

How would I make this sentence negative?

You would usually use אין instead of יש:

• אין לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה.

This means:

• We don’t have any more time before the meeting
• We have no time left before the meeting

So:

• יש לנו... = we have...
• אין לנו... = we do not have...

This is the standard present-tense pattern for possession in Hebrew.

Can Hebrew change this into past or future the same way?

Yes. Hebrew uses forms based on יש / אין and היה / יהיה for this kind of possession.

Examples:

• יש לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה = We have / still have time before the meeting
• היה לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה = We had more time before the meeting
• יהיה לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה = We will have more time before the meeting

So even in other tenses, Hebrew often keeps this there is/was/will be to us structure rather than using a direct verb like English have.

Could I leave out יש and just say לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה?

Normally, no. In standard Hebrew, יש is needed here.

• יש לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה = correct
• לנו עוד זמן לפני הפגישה = usually incomplete or unnatural in ordinary speech

You may occasionally see omissions like this in very informal speech, poetry, headlines, or highly marked styles, but for normal Hebrew, keep יש.