Questions & Answers about מאחורי הבית יש גינה קטנה עם עץ אחד ופרחים.
What is יש doing in this sentence?
יש is the word Hebrew uses for there is / there are.
So:
- מאחורי הבית יש גינה קטנה = Behind the house there is a small garden
In everyday Modern Hebrew, יש stays the same no matter whether the noun is singular or plural:
- יש גינה = there is a garden
- יש פרחים = there are flowers
Why does the sentence start with מאחורי הבית instead of with יש?
Hebrew often puts the location first when it wants to set the scene:
- מאחורי הבית יש גינה קטנה... = Behind the house, there is a small garden...
This word order is very natural. It is a bit like saying in English As for behind the house, there is...
You could also say:
- יש גינה קטנה מאחורי הבית
but the original sentence puts more focus on where the garden is.
What does מאחורי mean exactly?