אמא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד.

Mom says that she is still at the office.

Breakdown of אמא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד.

• היא: she
• ב: at
• עוד: still
• משרד: office
• לומר: to say
• ש: that
• אמא: mom

Questions & Answers about אמא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד.

How do you pronounce אמא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד?

A common pronunciation is:

Ima omeret she-hi od ba-misrad.

A few notes:

• אמא = Ima (Mom)
• אומרת = omeret
• שהיא = she-hi (that she / she is)
• עוד = od
• במשרד = ba-misrad or be-misrad, depending on whether you mean in the office or in an office. In this sentence, the natural translation is usually at the office / in the office.

The main stress is typically:

• oMEret
• misRAD

Why is it אומרת and not אומר?

Because אמא (Mom) is grammatically feminine singular.

In Hebrew present tense, the verb agrees with the subject in gender and number:

• אומר = masculine singular
• אומרת = feminine singular

So:

• אבא אומר = Dad says
• אמא אומרת = Mom says

Does אומרת mean says or is saying?

It can mean both, depending on context.

Hebrew present tense often covers both:

• she says
• she is saying

In this sentence, English usually translates it as Mom says..., but in another context it could feel more like Mom is saying...

This is very common in Hebrew: the same present-tense form can correspond to more than one English present meaning.

What exactly is שהיא?

שהיא is made of two parts:

• ש־ = that
• היא = she

So שהיא literally means that she.

In this sentence:

• אמא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד
• Mom says that she is still at the office

Hebrew often attaches ש־ directly to the next word, so instead of writing two separate words, you get one written form: שהיא.

Do I need the ש־ here, or can I leave it out?

In standard Hebrew, you normally keep it here.

So the natural sentence is:

• אמא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד

The ש־ introduces the reported clause: that she is still at the office.

If you leave it out, the sentence sounds incomplete or nonstandard to most learners. In very casual spoken Hebrew, people sometimes drop words that are expected from context, but as a learner, it is best to use ש־ here.

Why is there no Hebrew word for is in she is still at the office?

Because in the present tense, Hebrew usually does not use a separate word for am / is / are.

So:

• היא במשרד = She is in the office
• literally: She in the office

This is normal Hebrew grammar.

In other tenses, Hebrew does use forms of to be, but in the present tense they are usually omitted.

So in your sentence:

• שהיא עוד במשרד
• literally: that she still in the office
• natural English: that she is still at the office

What does עוד mean here?

Here, עוד means still.

So:

• היא עוד במשרד = She is still at the office

But עוד is a very flexible word in Hebrew. In other contexts it can also mean things like:

• more
• another
• else
• yet

That is why learners often find it tricky. In this sentence, though, the meaning is clearly still.

How is עוד different from עדיין?

Both can mean still.

For example:

• היא עוד במשרד
• היא עדיין במשרד

Both can mean She is still at the office.

A useful beginner-level way to think about it:

• עדיין is a very direct, unambiguous word for still
• עוד is more flexible and common in everyday speech, but it has several meanings depending on context

So in this sentence, עוד is perfectly natural, but עדיין would also work.

What does במשרד mean exactly?

במשרד is built from:

• ב־ = in / at
• משרד = office

So במשרד means:

• in an office
• in the office
• at the office

The exact English translation depends on context.

An important spelling point: in unpointed Hebrew, במשרד can represent either:

• be-misrad = in an office
• ba-misrad = in the office / at the office

So the written form does not always show whether it is definite or indefinite. Context tells you.

In this sentence, the natural meaning is usually at the office.

Why is the word order שהיא עוד במשרד and not something else?

Because this is a natural Hebrew word order for this kind of sentence.

The basic idea is:

• שהיא = that she
• עוד = still
• במשרד = at the office

So: that she is still at the office

Hebrew often places adverbs like עוד before the location phrase:

• היא עוד במשרד = natural
• היא במשרד עוד = much less natural in ordinary speech

So the sentence sounds normal as written.

Could I say אימא instead of אמא?

Yes. Both אמא and אימא are used.

They both mean Mom / mother, and both are common spellings. You will see both in real Hebrew.

So:

• אמא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד
• אימא אומרת שהיא עוד במשרד

Both are acceptable.

Why do we use היא if אמא was already mentioned?

Because the second clause needs its own subject: she.

The sentence has two parts:

1. אמא אומרת = Mom says
2. שהיא עוד במשרד = that she is still at the office

In English, you also repeat the subject:

• Mom says that she is still at the office

Hebrew does the same thing here. Even though אמא was already mentioned, the embedded clause normally uses היא.

Also, היא matches אמא in gender: both are feminine singular.