יש לי שאלה על השיעור של היום.

I have a question about today’s lesson.

Breakdown of יש לי שאלה על השיעור של היום.

• יש: there is
• לי: to me
• היום: today
• שיעור: lesson
• של: of
• שאלה: question
• על: about

Questions & Answers about יש לי שאלה על השיעור של היום.

Why does Hebrew use יש לי here instead of a verb meaning I have?

Hebrew usually expresses have with the pattern יש + ל־.

So יש לי literally means something like there is to me, but in natural English it means I have.

• יש לי שאלה = I have a question
• יש לי ספר = I have a book

This is the normal way to say possession in present-tense Hebrew.

A useful opposite pattern is:

• אין לי שאלה = I don’t have a question

What does יש mean by itself?

יש means there is / there are or more generally exists.

Examples:

• יש ספר על השולחן = There is a book on the table
• יש לי זמן = I have time
• יש בעיה = There is a problem

In your sentence, יש is part of the possession pattern יש לי.

What does לי mean, and why isn’t it a separate word for to me?

לי means to me.

It is made from:

• ל־ = to / for
• ־י = me / my as a suffix

So:

• לי = to me
• לך = to you
• לו = to him
• לה = to her
• לנו = to us

Hebrew often attaches pronoun endings directly to prepositions, so instead of two separate words, you get one combined form.

Why is the sentence יש לי שאלה and not something with אני?

Because Hebrew does not need אני here.

The idea of I is already contained in לי = to me, and the possession structure is built around יש לי.

So:

• יש לי שאלה = natural
• אני יש לי שאלה = not correct in normal Hebrew

You can add אני only for special emphasis in some contexts, but normally it is unnecessary.

What does על mean here?

על usually means on, about, or concerning, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means about:

• שאלה על השיעור = a question about the lesson

Other examples:

• ספר על היסטוריה = a book about history
• דיברנו על זה = we talked about it

So even though the basic meaning of על can be on, here about is the natural translation.

Why is it השיעור and not just שיעור?

השיעור means the lesson, while שיעור means a lesson / lesson.

Here we are talking about a specific lesson: today’s lesson, so it is definite.

That is why Hebrew uses ה־:

• שיעור = lesson / a lesson
• השיעור = the lesson

Since the sentence refers to a particular lesson, השיעור is the correct form.

What exactly does של היום mean?

של means of, so השיעור של היום literally means the lesson of today.

In natural English, that becomes today’s lesson.

This is a very common Hebrew way to show possession or association:

• הספר של דני = Danny’s book
• החדשות של הערב = this evening’s news
• השיעור של היום = today’s lesson

So של היום is functioning like English today’s.

Why does Hebrew say השיעור של היום instead of something shorter like English today’s lesson?

Hebrew does not normally use an apostrophe-s structure like English.

English:

• today’s lesson

Hebrew:

• השיעור של היום

That של construction is one of the most common ways to express X’s Y in modern Hebrew.

There is also an older and very common noun-linking pattern called construct state in Hebrew, but with a word like today, של is the most natural beginner-friendly way to understand this phrase.

Could I also say יש לי שאלה לגבי השיעור של היום?

Yes. That would also be natural.

• על = about
• לגבי = regarding / concerning

So:

• יש לי שאלה על השיעור של היום = very natural
• יש לי שאלה לגבי השיעור של היום = also natural, slightly more formal or more like regarding

Both are good. For everyday speech, על is very common and simple.

Can the word order change?

Yes, Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible.

The given sentence is the most neutral, natural order:

• יש לי שאלה על השיעור של היום.

But you could also say:

• על השיעור של היום יש לי שאלה.

That version puts more focus on today’s lesson, almost like:

• About today’s lesson, I have a question.

So the original order is the best default, but other orders are possible for emphasis.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A common transliteration is:

yesh li she'ela al ha-shi'ur shel ha-yom

Approximate breakdown:

• יש = yesh
• לי = lee
• שאלה = she-eh-LA
• על = al
• השיעור = ha-shi-UR
• של = shel
• היום = ha-YOM

The main stress is usually on the last syllable of:

• שאלה
• שיעור
• היום

Is שאלה feminine, and does that matter here?

Yes, שאלה is a feminine noun.

In this sentence, that does not change much visibly, because there is no adjective or verb agreeing with it in a way that stands out. But it matters in other sentences.

For example:

• שאלה טובה = a good question
• השאלה הזאת = this question

Both טובה and הזאת are feminine because שאלה is feminine.

So even if you do not see much agreement in this sentence, it is still useful to know the gender of the noun.

How would I make this sentence negative?

You would replace יש with אין:

• אין לי שאלה על השיעור של היום.

That means:

• I don’t have a question about today’s lesson.

This is a very important pair to learn:

• יש לי = I have
• אין לי = I don’t have

Is this a natural sentence to say in class?

Yes, it is completely natural.

It sounds like a polite, standard way to say that you have a question about the day’s lesson.

Depending on tone and context, you might also hear:

• יש לי שאלה. = I have a question.
• יש לי שאלה על מה שלמדנו היום. = I have a question about what we learned today.
• אפשר לשאול שאלה על השיעור של היום? = Can I ask a question about today’s lesson?

But your original sentence is perfectly normal and useful.