Breakdown of היא אומרת: "אחרי זה תפני ימינה, והבנק יהיה שם."
Questions & Answers about היא אומרת: "אחרי זה תפני ימינה, והבנק יהיה שם."
What does היא אומרת mean?
It means she says or she is saying.
- היא = she
- אומרת = says / is saying
In Hebrew, the present tense often covers both simple present and present progressive, so אומרת can mean either says or is saying, depending on context.
Why does אומרת end with -ת?
Because it agrees with a feminine singular subject.
Here the subject is היא (she), so the verb is אומרת.
Compare:
- הוא אומר = he says
- היא אומרת = she says
- הם אומרים = they say (masculine/mixed)
- הן אומרות = they say (feminine)
So the -ת ending is a very common sign of feminine singular in the present tense.
What does אחרי זה mean?
אחרי זה means after that, after this, or simply then.
Literally:
- אחרי = after
- זה = this / that
In everyday spoken Hebrew, אחרי זה is a very normal way to say after that.
Is אחרי זה the same as אחר כך?
They are very close in meaning, and in many situations they are interchangeable.
- אחרי זה = after that / after this
- אחר כך = afterwards / later / then
In this sentence, either one would sound natural, though אחרי זה feels slightly more like moving step-by-step through directions.
Why is it תפני? Who is the speaker talking to?
תפני is directed to one female person.
It is the 2nd person feminine singular form of the verb לפנות, which here means to turn.
So:
- תפני = you will turn / you should turn when speaking to one woman
- תפנה = when speaking to one man
- תפנו = when speaking to more than one person
This sentence shows that the speaker is giving directions to a female listener.
Is תפני a future tense form or a command?
Grammatically, it is a future tense form, but in modern Hebrew, future tense is very often used for instructions, directions, and commands.
So תפני ימינה literally looks like you will turn right, but in real usage it means something like:
- turn right
- then you should turn right
- you’ll turn right
Hebrew does have an imperative form here: פני ימינה. But in everyday speech, the future form תפני is often more common and natural.
What does ימינה mean, and why does it end with -ה?
ימינה means to the right or rightward.
The final -ה is a directional ending, sometimes called the directional heh. It can be added to certain words to show movement toward a place or direction.
So:
- ימין = right / the right side
- ימינה = to the right
Similar examples:
- הביתה = homeward / home
- החוצה = outside / outward
- שמאלה = to the left
So תפני ימינה is literally turn to-the-right.
Why is it והבנק and not a separate word for and?
In Hebrew, small words like and, the, in, to, and from are often attached directly to the next word.
So:
- ו = and
- הבנק = the bank
- והבנק = and the bank
This is completely normal Hebrew spelling.
Why does בנק have ה in הבנק?
Because ה is the definite article, meaning the.
- בנק = a bank / bank
- הבנק = the bank
In this sentence, it is the bank because it is a specific bank the listener is trying to find.
Why is it יהיה and not תהיה?
Because בנק is a masculine noun.
In Hebrew, the verb to be in the future agrees with the gender and number of the subject.
So:
- הבנק יהיה = the bank will be
- המסעדה תהיה = the restaurant will be
Since בנק is masculine singular, יהיה is the correct form.
Why does the sentence say the bank will be there instead of the bank is there?
Because the speaker is talking about a point later in your route.
The idea is:
- first, do one thing
- after that, turn right
- then, at that point, the bank will be there
So the future tense is natural because it refers to what you will find after following the directions. English can work similarly in directions: Turn right, and the bank will be there.
What does שם mean here? Could it also mean name?
Here, שם means there.
It is true that the same Hebrew spelling, שם, can also mean name when pronounced differently. But context makes the meaning clear.
In this sentence:
- הבנק יהיה שם = the bank will be there
So here it definitely means there, not name.
How would this sentence change if the speaker were talking to a man or to several people?
Only the form of תפני would change.
To one man:
- אחרי זה תפנה ימינה, והבנק יהיה שם.
To several people:
- אחרי זה תפנו ימינה, והבנק יהיה שם.
The rest of the sentence stays the same because הבנק is still masculine singular.
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