המפתח אצלי עכשיו.

The key is with me now.

Breakdown of המפתח אצלי עכשיו.

• עכשיו: now
• מפתח: key
• אצלי: with me

Questions & Answers about המפתח אצלי עכשיו.

What does אצלי mean here?

אצלי literally means at me, but in natural English it often means with me or in my possession.

It is built from:

• אצל = at/by someone
• ־י = my / me

So אצלי means at my place, with me, or in my hands/possession, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means that the key is currently with the speaker.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense.

So instead of saying a full equivalent of The key is with me now, Hebrew simply says:

• המפתח אצלי עכשיו

This is completely normal Hebrew.

Compare:

• המפתח אצלי עכשיו = The key is with me now
• literally: The key with-me now

Hebrew does use forms of to be in the past and future, but not normally in the present.

Why does Hebrew use אצלי and not איתי here?