Breakdown of אם אין מעלית בבניין, אתה צריך לעלות הרבה מדרגות.
Questions & Answers about אם אין מעלית בבניין, אתה צריך לעלות הרבה מדרגות.
אם means if in this sentence. It introduces a condition:
- אם אין מעלית בבניין = If there is no elevator in the building
Hebrew uses אם very commonly for conditional sentences, just like English if.
This is a very common question.
Hebrew uses אין to mean there is no / there are no / does not exist.
So:
- אין מעלית = there is no elevator
- אין מים = there is no water
- אין אנשים = there are no people
By contrast, לא usually negates verbs:
- אני לא עולה = I am not going up
- הוא לא צריך = he does not need
So in this sentence, אין is correct because the idea is there is no elevator, not the elevator does not... something.