הטלפון על השולחן, אבל אין בו סוללה.

table

Breakdown of הטלפון על השולחן, אבל אין בו סוללה.

• אין: there is no
• אבל: but
• על: on

Questions & Answers about הטלפון על השולחן, אבל אין בו סוללה.

Why is there no Hebrew word for is in הטלפון על השולחן?

In present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted.

So:

• הטלפון על השולחן = literally the phone on the table
• but it means The phone is on the table

This is completely normal in Hebrew.
If you want past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be:

• הטלפון היה על השולחן = The phone was on the table
• הטלפון יהיה על השולחן = The phone will be on the table

So the missing is is not a mistake—it is standard Hebrew grammar.

What does ה־ mean in הטלפון and השולחן?

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• טלפון = phone
• הטלפון = the phone

and

• שולחן = table
• השולחן = the table

Unlike English, Hebrew usually adds the as a prefix directly to the noun, instead of using a separate word.

What does על mean?