הספר שלי על המדף מעל השולחן.

My book is on the shelf above the table.

Breakdown of הספר שלי על המדף מעל השולחן.

• ספר: book
• שולחן: table
• על: on
• מדף: shelf

Questions & Answers about הספר שלי על המדף מעל השולחן.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not written in the present tense.

So:

• הספר שלי על המדף literally looks like the book my on the shelf
• but it means My book is on the shelf

This is completely normal in Hebrew. If you want, you can sometimes add a word like נמצא (is located / is found) for extra clarity, but it is not required:

• הספר שלי נמצא על המדף = My book is on the shelf

So the original sentence is natural and correct.

Why does שלי come after הספר instead of before it?

In Hebrew, possession with של works differently from English.

English says:

• my book

Hebrew says:

• הספר שלי
• literally: the book of mine

This is a very common Hebrew pattern:

• הבית שלי = my house
• החבר שלי = my friend
• העט שלי = my pen

So שלי usually comes after the noun, not before it.

Why is there ה on הספר, המדף, and ?