Questions & Answers about אולי השלט על השולחן; תבדקי אם הכפתור האדום עובד.
Why is there no Hebrew word for is in אולי השלט על השולחן?
In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense. So השלט על השולחן literally looks like the remote on the table, but it means the remote is on the table.
This is very normal Hebrew grammar, not an incomplete sentence.
What does אולי mean, and why is it at the beginning?
אולי means maybe or perhaps. It often comes at the beginning of the clause, just like English maybe:
אולי השלט על השולחן = Maybe the remote is on the table
It can appear in other positions too, but sentence-initial position is very common and natural.
What does השלט mean here? Doesn’t שלט also mean sign?
Yes. שלט can mean remote control or sign, depending on context.
Here, it means the remote. The prefix ה־ is the definite article, so:
שלט = a remote / sign
השלט = the remote / the sign
Context tells you which meaning is intended.
Why is it על השולחן and not something with is on?