Breakdown of המורה יושבת מול התלמידה, והמחשב מאחורי המורה.
Questions & Answers about המורה יושבת מול התלמידה, והמחשב מאחורי המורה.
Because it agrees with המורה in gender and number.
In Hebrew present tense, forms like יושב / יושבת / יושבים / יושבות behave a lot like adjectives: they match the subject.
Here, יושבת tells you that the teacher is:
- singular
- female
If the teacher were male, it would be:
המורה יושב מול התלמידה
Not necessarily. מורה can refer to either a male teacher or a female teacher.
So the word המורה by itself does not tell you the teacher’s sex. The agreement does:
- המורה יושב = the teacher is sitting, and the teacher is male
- המורה יושבת = the teacher is sitting, and the teacher is female
This is very common in Hebrew: some profession words can be used for both genders, and the surrounding grammar shows which one is meant.
Because תלמידה means female student, while תלמיד means male student.
So:
- התלמיד = the male student
- התלמידה = the female student
The -ה ending is a very common feminine ending in Hebrew nouns, though not every feminine noun uses it.
מול means something like:
- opposite
- facing
- across from
In this sentence, it means the teacher is sitting facing the student.
A native English speaker may want to compare it with לפני. They are not quite the same:
- מול = facing / opposite / across from
- לפני = in front of / before
So מול התלמידה suggests the teacher and the student are positioned facing each other.
Because מאחורי is the preposition meaning behind when it is followed by a noun.
So:
- מאחורי המורה = behind the teacher
- מאחורי הבית = behind the house
This is the normal form before a noun.
With a pronoun, Hebrew often uses forms like:
- מאחוריו = behind him
- מאחוריה = behind her
So in this sentence, מאחורי המורה is exactly what you would expect.
Because in present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted.
So:
- המחשב מאחורי המורה literally looks like the computer behind the teacher
- but it means the computer is behind the teacher
This is completely normal Hebrew.
If you wanted, you could say:
המחשב נמצא מאחורי המורה
That also means the computer is behind the teacher, but it is a bit more explicit because נמצא means is located / is found.
Because all three nouns are definite:
- המורה = the teacher
- התלמידה = the female student
- המחשב = the computer
The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to English the.
So this sentence is talking about specific people and a specific computer, not just any teacher, student, or computer.
Because not all Hebrew prepositions combine with the definite article in the same way.
Some short prepositions do combine with ה־:
- ב + ה becomes ב
- ל + ה becomes ל
- כ + ה becomes כ
For example:
- בבית = in the house
- לבית = to the house
But מול and מאחורי stay separate from the noun, so the noun keeps its own ה־:
- מול התלמידה
- מאחורי המורה
ו־ is the Hebrew word for and, and it attaches directly to the next word.
So:
- והמחשב = and the computer
This is extremely common in Hebrew. The conjunction is usually written as a prefix, not as a separate word.
Its pronunciation can vary a little depending on the following sound, but the basic idea is simple: ו־ means and.
Not strictly in every context, but it is very natural.
The sentence has two connected clauses:
- המורה יושבת מול התלמידה
- והמחשב מאחורי המורה
The comma helps separate them and makes the sentence easier to read. In informal writing, people may sometimes leave it out, but with a sentence like this, the comma is normal and clear.
Yes, Hebrew has some flexibility in word order, but this sentence uses a very neutral, natural order.
The structure is:
- המורה = subject
- יושבת = verb/predicate
- מול התלמידה = prepositional phrase
And then:
- והמחשב = subject
- מאחורי המורה = location
This is a straightforward way to say it. Hebrew can move parts around for emphasis, but for a learner, this version is a good standard pattern to remember.
Because Hebrew normally does not need an extra subject pronoun when the noun is already stated.
So:
- המורה יושבת = the teacher is sitting
You would not normally say the equivalent of the teacher she is sitting.
Hebrew verb forms already carry information about gender and number, and the noun המורה already tells you who the subject is, so no extra pronoun is needed.