באמצע הלילה הילדה הקטנה בוכה.

A simple transliteration is:

be'emtza ha-layla ha-yalda ha-ktana bokha

A few helpful notes:

• באמצע = be'emtza
• הלילה = ha-layla
• הילדה = ha-yalda
• הקטנה = ha-ktana
• בוכה here is pronounced bokha, because the subject is feminine

In normal speech, some vowels may sound a little reduced or faster than in careful transliteration.

באמצע is made of two parts:

• ב = in
• אמצע = middle

So באמצע literally means in the middle.

Hebrew often attaches short prepositions like ב, ל, and כ directly to the following word.

Because אמצע הלילה is a construct phrase in Hebrew, meaning the middle of the night.

In this kind of phrase:

• the first noun is אמצע = middle
• the second noun is הלילה = the night

When a construct phrase is definite, the definiteness usually shows up on the second noun, not the first one. So:

• אמצע לילה = middle of a night
• אמצע הלילה = the middle of the night

Then adding ב gives באמצע הלילה = in the middle of the night.

Here it means the night, because it is part of the phrase באמצע הלילה = in the middle of the night.

On its own, הלילה can sometimes mean tonight, depending on context. For example:

• הלילה אני עובד = Tonight I am working

But in this sentence, the structure clearly gives the meaning the night.

Because in Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• ילדה קטנה = a little girl
• הילדה הקטנה = the little girl

This is the normal Hebrew word order for noun + adjective.

Because Hebrew adjectives must agree with the noun in definiteness as well as in gender and number.

So if the noun is definite, the adjective must also be definite:

• ילדה קטנה = a little girl
• הילדה הקטנה = the little girl

English only marks the once, but Hebrew marks definiteness on both the noun and its adjective.

Because in Hebrew, the present tense usually does not use a separate word for am / is / are.

So:

• הילדה הקטנה בוכה literally looks like the little girl crying
• but it means the little girl is crying

This is completely normal Hebrew grammar.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Hebrew present tense often covers both:

• simple present: cries
• present progressive: is crying

In this sentence, because of באמצע הלילה, the most natural interpretation is is crying in a specific situation.

Because the subject is הילדה הקטנה, which is feminine singular.

The verb לבכות in the present tense has forms like these:

• masculine singular: בוכה
• feminine singular: בוכה
• masculine plural: בוכים
• feminine plural: בוכות

The tricky part is that in normal unpointed writing, masculine singular and feminine singular are both written בוכה.

With vowel marks, they are different:

• masculine singular: בּוֹכֶה
• feminine singular: בּוֹכָה

So in this sentence, because the subject is a girl, you read it as בּוֹכָה = bokha.

Yes. That sentence is also correct.

Both are natural, but the emphasis is a little different:

• באמצע הלילה הילדה הקטנה בוכה puts the time phrase first, setting the scene
• הילדה הקטנה בוכה באמצע הלילה starts with the subject and feels a bit more straightforward

Hebrew word order is more flexible than English, especially with time expressions.

The dictionary form is the infinitive לבכות = to cry.

Its root is ב-כ-ה.

So:

• infinitive: לבכות
• present singular form in this sentence: בוכה

This is a very common verb, and learning its present forms is useful because it shows how present-tense agreement works in Hebrew.

It can mean both, depending on context.

The adjective קטן / קטנה can mean:

• small
• little
• sometimes young, depending on the situation

With ילדה, English usually prefers little girl, even though small girl would be the more literal word-for-word idea.