Questions & Answers about האוניברסיטה גדולה, אבל אני לא עובד בה.
Why does האוניברסיטה start with ה־?
The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the. So אוניברסיטה means university, and האוניברסיטה means the university.
Unlike English, Hebrew usually attaches the directly to the beginning of the word instead of writing it as a separate word.
Why is גדולה feminine?
אוניברסיטה is a feminine noun in Hebrew, so the adjective has to match it in gender. That is why Hebrew uses גדולה and not גדול.
- masculine: גדול = big
- feminine: גדולה = big
This kind of agreement is very common in Hebrew.
Why is there no word for is in האוניברסיטה גדולה?
In the present tense, Hebrew usually leaves out the verb to be. So האוניברסיטה גדולה literally looks like the university big, but it means the university is big.
This is normal Hebrew grammar. In past and future, forms of to be are expressed differently.
Why doesn't גדולה also have ה־ on it?