Breakdown of אנחנו מחכים מול הבנק, אבל היא עוד לא כאן.
Questions & Answers about אנחנו מחכים מול הבנק, אבל היא עוד לא כאן.
In Hebrew, the present tense often does not use a separate verb for to be.
So:
- אנחנו מחכים literally looks like we waiting
- but it naturally means we are waiting
The word מחכים already carries the present-time idea, so Hebrew does not need a separate word for are here.
For the same reason: in the present tense, Hebrew usually leaves out is / are / am.
So:
- היא כאן = she is here
- היא עוד לא כאן = she is not here yet / she still isn’t here
In past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be more explicitly, but in the present it is normally omitted.
מחכים is the present-tense plural masculine form of לחכות (to wait).
Here is the present-tense pattern:
- מחכה = waiting / waits (masculine singular)
- מחכה = waiting / waits (feminine singular, same spelling here)
- מחכים = waiting / wait (masculine plural)
- מחכות = waiting / wait (feminine plural)
So אנחנו מחכים means we are waiting.
Because אנחנו means we, but it does not show gender by itself.
Hebrew chooses the verb/adjective form based on the gender of the group:
- אנחנו מחכים = used for a group of men, or a mixed group, or when masculine is used as the default
- אנחנו מחכות = used if the speakers are all female
So the sentence uses the masculine plural form, which is very common as the default.
Because the sentence just says we are waiting, without stating waiting for whom.
If you want to say waiting for someone, Hebrew usually uses ל־:
- אנחנו מחכים לה = we are waiting for her
- אני מחכה לך = I am waiting for you
In this sentence, the idea is simply that we are waiting at a location, and then the second half explains the situation: but she isn’t here yet.
מול usually means:
- opposite
- across from
- facing
So מול הבנק means across from the bank or opposite the bank.
Depending on context, English translations may vary a little, but the core idea is that the speakers are positioned facing the bank or on the opposite side of it.
It is not exactly the same as:
- ליד הבנק = next to the bank
- לפני הבנק = in front of the bank / before the bank
So מול is specifically about being opposite or facing something.
Because ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.
- בנק = a bank / bank
- הבנק = the bank
So:
- מול הבנק = across from the bank
The ה is attached directly to the noun.
לא simply means not.
But עוד לא means:
- not yet
- still not
So:
- היא לא כאן = she is not here
- היא עוד לא כאן = she is not here yet / she still isn’t here
This is a very common Hebrew expression.
Literally, עוד often means more / still / yet, and together with לא it gives the idea of something that has not happened up to this point.
They are very close, and in many situations both can mean still not or not yet.
- היא עוד לא כאן
- היא עדיין לא כאן
Both are natural.
A learner can usually think of them this way:
- עוד לא is extremely common in everyday speech
- עדיין לא can sound a bit more like still not or a bit more explicit
In many ordinary sentences, either one works.
Yes, Hebrew can sometimes leave out pronouns when the subject is clear from context, but here היא is helpful and natural because it clearly contrasts with אנחנו.
The sentence is doing this:
- אנחנו מחכים... = we are waiting...
- אבל היא עוד לא כאן = but she still isn’t here
Using היא makes the contrast very clear: we are here waiting, but she is not here yet.
Both כאן and פה mean here.
- כאן is common and can sound slightly more neutral or formal
- פה is also very common and often feels a bit more conversational
So these are both possible:
- היא עוד לא כאן
- היא עוד לא פה
Both are correct. The sentence just happens to use כאן.
A simple pronunciation guide is:
anachnu mechakim mul habank, aval hi od lo kan
A slightly more careful breakdown:
- אנחנו = a-NACH-nu
- מחכים = me-cha-KIM
- מול = mul
- הבנק = ha-bank
- אבל = a-VAL
- היא = hi
- עוד = od
- לא = lo
- כאן = kan
Two sounds that English speakers often notice:
- ח in מחכים is a throaty sound, not a regular English h
- כ in כאן here sounds like a regular k
The structure is very similar to English:
- אנחנו מחכים = we are waiting
- מול הבנק = across from the bank
- אבל = but
- היא עוד לא כאן = she is not here yet
So the full structure is:
We are waiting + location, but + she + not yet + here
Hebrew word order is often flexible, but this sentence is very natural and straightforward.