Breakdown of היא החליטה להישאר במשרד עוד שעה, כי יש לה הרבה עבודה.
Questions & Answers about היא החליטה להישאר במשרד עוד שעה, כי יש לה הרבה עבודה.
Because the subject is היא (she), so the verb has to match a feminine singular subject in the past tense.
- הוא החליט = he decided
- היא החליטה = she decided
In Hebrew past tense, verbs change according to person, number, and gender.
להישאר is the infinitive form of the verb, similar to English to stay or to remain.
So in this sentence:
- החליטה להישאר = decided to stay
This is a very common pattern in Hebrew:
- החליט/ה + infinitive
- רצה/רצתה + infinitive
- יכול/ה + infinitive
For example:
- הוא החליט ללכת = He decided to go
- היא רצתה לאכול = She wanted to eat
The ל־ is the normal marker of the Hebrew infinitive, often equivalent to English to in forms like to stay, to eat, to go.
Examples:
- ללכת = to go
- לאכול = to eat
- להישאר = to stay
So the ל־ here is not a separate word meaning for or to in the usual prepositional sense. It is part of the infinitive form.
Hebrew often attaches prepositions directly to the following noun.
- ב־ = in / at
- משרד = office
- במשרד = in the office / at the office
When ב־ combines with ה־ (the), they usually merge:
- ב + המשרד → במשרד
This is very common:
- בבית = in the house / at home
- בספר = in the book
- בשולחן = on the table (depending on context)
So במשרד is the normal Hebrew way to say in the office.
Because when ב־ joins ה־, the definite article is built into the word.
So:
- במשרד = in the office
- במשרד אחד or במשרד in some contexts could be understood as in an office, but by default במשרד here is definite
If Hebrew wanted to say in an office more clearly, it would often avoid the built-in the.
In Hebrew, עוד often means more, another, or additional, depending on context.
So:
- עוד שעה = another hour / one more hour
Other examples:
- עוד יום = another day
- עוד קפה = more coffee / another coffee
- עוד שאלה = another question
This is a very natural Hebrew structure.
Hebrew often puts expressions of time duration after the place or after the main verb phrase.
So:
- להישאר במשרד עוד שעה = to stay in the office another hour
This word order is very natural in Hebrew. English can also do something similar:
- stay in the office another hour
So the Hebrew order is not unusual once you get used to it.
Here כי means because.
So:
- כי יש לה הרבה עבודה = because she has a lot of work
כי is a very common conjunction introducing a reason.
In many everyday situations, Hebrew speakers also use כי in ways that feel a bit broader, sometimes close to that or because, depending on context. But in this sentence, because is the correct understanding.
Hebrew does not usually use a verb exactly like English to have in the present tense. Instead, it often uses the pattern:
- יש ל... = there is / there are to...
- literally something like there is to her
So:
- יש לה = she has
- literally: there is to her
Examples:
- יש לי ספר = I have a book
- יש לך זמן = You have time
- יש להם עבודה = They have work
This is one of the most important Hebrew structures to learn.
Because יש works with an indirect object pronoun, not a subject pronoun.
So Hebrew says:
- יש לי = I have
- יש לך = you have
- יש לו = he has
- יש לה = she has
The word היא means she, but after יש, Hebrew needs the form meaning to her, which is לה.
Because עבודה here means work in a general, uncountable sense, like English a lot of work.
- הרבה עבודה = a lot of work
If you said עבודות, that would mean jobs, works, or assignments/tasks, depending on context. That is more countable.
Compare:
- יש לה הרבה עבודה = She has a lot of work
- יש לה הרבה עבודות = She has many jobs / many assignments
So the singular עבודה is the natural choice here.
Because הרבה is commonly used before nouns to mean a lot of / many, and in this use it does not behave like a regular adjective that must fully match the noun in the same way.
So:
- הרבה עבודה = a lot of work
- הרבה ספרים = many books
- הרבה נשים = many women
It stays הרבה in all of these.
Because את is only used before a definite direct object, and this sentence does not have one.
For example:
- היא ראתה את הסרט = She saw the movie
Here את appears because the movie is a definite direct object.
But in your sentence:
- היא החליטה להישאר...
- יש לה הרבה עבודה
there is no definite direct object that needs את.
Yes, Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, though some orders sound more natural than others.
The original sentence is very natural:
- היא החליטה להישאר במשרד עוד שעה, כי יש לה הרבה עבודה.
You could also say:
- כי יש לה הרבה עבודה, היא החליטה להישאר במשרד עוד שעה.
This puts the reason first: Because she has a lot of work, she decided to stay in the office another hour.
So the meaning stays basically the same, but the emphasis changes slightly.
It can mean either, depending on context.
- to stay
- to remain
In this sentence, to stay sounds most natural in English:
- She decided to stay in the office another hour
But in other contexts, remain may fit better. Hebrew להישאר covers both ideas.
The comma separates the main clause from the clause giving the reason.
- היא החליטה להישאר במשרד עוד שעה = main idea
- כי יש לה הרבה עבודה = reason
Hebrew punctuation is often similar to English in sentences like this, especially when a clause introduced by כי is added after the main statement. In informal writing, punctuation can vary, but this comma is completely normal.