המוכרת אומרת שהמידה הזאת לא בחנות, אבל אפשר למצוא אותה באתר.

The saleswoman says that this size is not in the store, but it can be found on the website.

Breakdown of המוכרת אומרת שהמידה הזאת לא בחנות, אבל אפשר למצוא אותה באתר.

• זאת: this
• אבל: but
• לא: not
• ב: in
• חנות: store
• ב: on
• אפשר: possible
• לומר: to say
• ש: that
• אותה: it
• למצוא: to find
• אתר: website
• מידה: size
• מוכרת: saleswoman

Questions & Answers about המוכרת אומרת שהמידה הזאת לא בחנות, אבל אפשר למצוא אותה באתר.

Why is המוכרת feminine, and what exactly does it mean?

המוכרת means the saleswoman / the female salesperson.

It is feminine because the base noun is מוכרת, the feminine form of מוכר (salesman / seller). The ה־ at the beginning is the definite article, so:

• מוכרת = a saleswoman
• המוכרת = the saleswoman

In context, this usually means the store clerk or the sales assistant.

Why is the verb אומרת and not אומר?

Because the subject המוכרת is feminine singular.

In Hebrew present tense, verbs agree with the subject in gender and number:

• הוא אומר = he says
• היא אומרת = she says

So with המוכרת you need אומרת.

What does the ש in שהמידה mean?

The ש־ means that.

So:

• אומרת ש... = says that...

In Hebrew, this ש־ is often attached directly to the next word:

• שהמידה = that the size
• literally: that + המידה

This is very common in everyday Hebrew.

Why is it המידה הזאת and not זאת המידה?

Because when a demonstrative like this directly modifies a noun in Hebrew, it usually comes after the noun:

• המידה הזאת = this size
• החולצה הזאת = this shirt
• הספר הזה = this book

So Hebrew usually says the size this, not this size in word order.

זאת המידה can exist, but it usually means something more like this is the size or gives extra emphasis, depending on context. In your sentence, המידה הזאת is the normal way to say this size.

Why does Hebrew use both ה and זאת in המידה הזאת?

Because in Hebrew, a noun modified by this/that is normally definite, and definiteness is shown on the noun itself.

So:

• המידה הזאת = this size
• literally: the size הזאת

This is normal Hebrew structure. English does not use the with this, but Hebrew does.

Is זאת the same as זו?

Yes, in many cases זאת and זו both mean this for a feminine noun.

For example:

• המידה הזאת
• המידה הזו

Both mean this size.

A few notes:

• זאת is a full traditional form.
• זו is also very common in modern Hebrew.
• In everyday speech, both are used.

So a learner should recognize both.

Where is the word is in המידה הזאת לא בחנות?

It is not written, because Hebrew usually leaves out the verb to be in the present tense.

So:

• המידה הזאת לא בחנות
• literally: this size not in the store
• natural English: this size is not in the store

This is one of the biggest differences from English. In present-tense sentences like this, Hebrew often has no word for is / are.

Compare:

• הוא בבית = he is at home
• החנות פתוחה = the store is open
• המידה הזאת לא בחנות = this size is not in the store

Why is it לא בחנות? Does ב mean in, at, or something else?

The preposition ב־ is very flexible. Depending on context, it can mean:

• in
• at
• sometimes even something close to on

Here, בחנות most naturally means:

• in the store
• or at the store

So לא בחנות means the size is not available in the physical store.

Also note:

• חנות = store
• בחנות = in/at the store

What does אפשר mean here?

Here אפשר means something like:

• it is possible
• one can
• you can

So:

• אבל אפשר למצוא אותה באתר
• literally: but it is possible to find it on the website
• natural English: but you can find it on the website

This is an impersonal structure. There is no stated subject like you or we.

Very common pattern:

• אפשר לראות = you can see / it is possible to see
• אפשר לקנות = you can buy
• אפשר למצוא = you can find

Why is the verb after אפשר in the infinitive form, למצוא?

Because אפשר is commonly followed by an infinitive in Hebrew.

Pattern:

• אפשר + infinitive

Examples:

• אפשר ללכת = you can go
• אפשר לשאול = you can ask
• אפשר למצוא = you can find

So אפשר למצוא אותה literally means it is possible to find it.

Why does the sentence use אותה? Doesn't that mean her?

אותה can mean her, but it can also mean it when the thing referred to is grammatically feminine.

Here it refers to המידה (the size), which is a feminine noun. So:

• מידה = feminine
• therefore it becomes אותה

Examples:

• אני רואה את החולצה. אני קונה אותה. = I see the shirt. I buy it.
• אני מחפש את המידה. אני מוצא אותה. = I’m looking for the size. I find it.

So in this sentence, אותה means it, not necessarily her.

Why isn't את used before אותה?

Because אותה already includes the direct-object marker idea.

Compare:

• אני מוצא את המידה = I find the size
• אני מוצא אותה = I find it

When the object is a full definite noun, Hebrew often uses את:

• את המידה
• את החולצה
• את הספר

But with object pronouns like אותו / אותה / אותם / אותן, you do not add a separate את before them.

Why is באתר written without a visible ה if the meaning is on the website?

Because when certain prepositions attach to a definite noun, the ה־ article gets absorbed.

The preposition ב־ (in/on/at) combines with ה־ (the).

So:

• ב + אתר = באתר = on a website / on a site
• ב + האתר = also written באתר in unpointed Hebrew = on the website

In normal everyday writing without vowels, these look the same: באתר.

So only context tells you whether it means:

• on a website
• or on the website

In this sentence, the meaning is probably on the website, meaning the store’s website.

Why does Hebrew use באתר for on the website instead of a word meaning on?

Because Hebrew often uses ב־ with places, platforms, and sites where English uses different prepositions.

So Hebrew may say:

• באתר = on the website
• באינטרנט = on the internet
• בטלוויזיה = on TV

English uses on, but Hebrew often uses ב־.

So this is something you usually learn by usage, not by trying to match English prepositions exactly.

Is it natural to say that a size can be found, as in למצוא אותה?

Yes, that is natural Hebrew.

The idea is that the specific size is not available in the physical store, but it can be found on the website. Hebrew treats המידה as the thing being searched for and found.

So למצוא אותה באתר means:

• find it on the website
• that is, find that size on the website

This is a normal and idiomatic way to say it.

Could לא בחנות imply not available in-store, not just physically absent from the building?

Yes. In context, that is probably the intended meaning.

Literally, לא בחנות means not in the store, but in shopping language it often really means:

• not available in the store
• not in stock at the store
• only available online

So the full sentence sounds like something a salesperson would say when a customer asks for a certain size.