יש לי עוד שאלה על המסמך.

I have another question about the document.

Breakdown of יש לי עוד שאלה על המסמך.

• יש: there is
• לי: to me
• שאלה: question
• על: about

Questions & Answers about יש לי עוד שאלה על המסמך.

What does יש לי literally mean, and how does it express I have?

Literally, יש לי means there is to me.

Hebrew usually does not use a verb equivalent to English to have in the present tense. Instead, it uses:

• יש = there is / there are
• ל־ = to / for
• לי = to me

So:

• יש לי = I have
• יש לך = you have
• יש לו = he has
• יש לה = she has

In this sentence, יש לי עוד שאלה is literally there is to me another question, but in natural English that is simply I have another question.

Why is there no Hebrew verb meaning have here?

In the present tense, Hebrew normally expresses possession with יש + ל־ rather than with a verb meaning have.

So English:

• I have a question

becomes Hebrew:

• יש לי שאלה

This is one of the first big structural differences English speakers notice.

In other tenses, Hebrew often uses forms related to היה:

• הייתה לי שאלה = I had a question
• תהיה לי שאלה = I will have a question

But in the present, יש לי is the standard pattern.