בלילה הרחוב שקט.

street

Breakdown of בלילה הרחוב שקט.

• ב: at
• לילה: night
• שקט: quiet

Questions & Answers about בלילה הרחוב שקט.

What does בלילה mean exactly, and how is it formed?

בלילה means at night or during the night.

It is made from:

• ב־ = in / at
• לילה = night
• plus the definite article ה־ = the

So the full underlying idea is in the night. In Hebrew, ב־ and ה־ combine, so ב + הלילה becomes בלילה.

If you learn pointed Hebrew, you may see it as בַּלַּיְלָה.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

Because in present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not stated.

So:

• הרחוב שקט = the street is quiet
• literally: the street quiet

This kind of sentence is called a nominal sentence.

In other tenses, Hebrew usually does use a form of to be:

• בלילה הרחוב היה שקט = At night the street was quiet
• בלילה הרחוב יהיה שקט = At night the street will be quiet

Why does the sentence start with בלילה instead of הרחוב?