בספל הזה יש תה חם, אבל הספל שלך ריק.

There is hot tea in this mug, but your mug is empty.

Breakdown of בספל הזה יש תה חם, אבל הספל שלך ריק.

• זה: this
• יש: there is
• אבל: but
• ב: in
• חם: hot
• שלך: your
• ספל: mug
• תה: tea
• ריק: empty

Questions & Answers about בספל הזה יש תה חם, אבל הספל שלך ריק.

What does ב־ mean in בספל, and why is it attached to the word?

ב־ is the preposition in.

So:

• ספל = cup / mug
• בספל = in a cup or in the cup, depending on context

In Hebrew, short prepositions like ב־ (in), ל־ (to/for), and כ־ (as/like) are usually attached directly to the following word.

In this sentence, בספל הזה means in this cup.

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Why is it בספל הזה and not something like הזה ספל?

In Hebrew, demonstratives like this usually come after the noun, not before it.

So:

• הספל הזה = this cup
• literally: the cup this

This is normal Hebrew word order.

Also notice that both parts are definite:

• הספל = the cup
• הזה = this

When Hebrew says this/that after a noun, the noun is normally definite.

In your sentence, because of the preposition ב־, הספל הזה becomes בספל הזה.

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Why is there no ה in בספל הזה? Shouldn’t this cup be בהספל הזה?

Great question. The definite article ה־ (the) often combines with certain prepositions.

Here the underlying form is:

• ב + הספל הזה

But Hebrew does not usually keep this as בהספל. Instead, the preposition and article merge:

• ב + ה + ספל → בספל

So בספל הזה means in this cup, even though you do not see a separate ה־ before ספל.

This same thing happens a lot:

• בבית = in the house
• למלך = to the king
• כש... = when/as...

So בספל הזה is completely normal.

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What does יש mean here?

יש means there is / there are.

So:

• יש תה חם = there is hot tea
• בספל הזה יש תה חם = In this cup there is hot tea

Hebrew often uses יש to express existence or presence, where English uses there is/there are.

It is one of the most common Hebrew words.

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Why is the sentence structured as In this cup there is hot tea instead of This cup has hot tea?

Hebrew often prefers an existence/location structure instead of using have the way English does.

So Hebrew naturally says something like:

• בספל הזה יש תה חם
• literally: In this cup there is hot tea

This is a very normal Hebrew way to express that something is inside something.

Hebrew does have ways to express possession, but in sentences about what is physically present somewhere, יש is very common and natural.

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Why does חם come after תה?

Because adjectives usually come after the noun in Hebrew.

So:

• תה חם = hot tea
• literally: tea hot

This is the normal order in Hebrew:

• ילד קטן = small boy
• בית גדול = big house
• מים קרים = cold water

So תה חם is exactly what you should expect.

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Why is it חם and not some other form?

Because adjectives in Hebrew usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

Here:

• תה is grammatically masculine singular
• so the adjective must also be masculine singular
• therefore: חם

Compare:

• תה חם = hot tea
• ארוחה חמה = hot meal (feminine singular)
• משקאות חמים = hot drinks (masculine plural)
• ארוחות חמות = hot meals (feminine plural)

So חם matches תה.

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Why does the second part say הספל שלך? Why not just ספל שלך?

Both patterns can exist in Hebrew, but they are not always exactly the same in feel.

• הספל שלך = your cup / the cup that is yours
• ספל שלך = a cup of yours / one of your cups (often less specific)

In this sentence, הספל שלך sounds natural because it refers to a specific cup already understood in the situation: your cup as opposed to this cup.

So:

• אבל הספל שלך ריק = but your cup is empty

Using ה־ here helps make it specific and definite.

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What exactly does שלך mean, and does it change?

שלך means your.

More literally, של means of, and forms like שלי, שלך, שלו etc. express possession:

• שלי = mine / my
• שלך = yours / your
• שלו = his
• שלה = her
• שלנו = our
• שלהם / שלהן = their

Important: שלך changes depending on who is being addressed:

• שלך = your when speaking to a male
• שלך = also written the same way when speaking to a female, but pronounced differently in careful speech:
  • to a male: shelkha
  • to a female: shelakh

In everyday writing, both are spelled שלך.

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Why is there no word for is in הספל שלך ריק?

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

So:

• הספל שלך ריק
• literally: your cup empty
• natural English: your cup is empty

This is one of the biggest differences from English.

Compare:

• אני עייף = I am tired
• היא שמחה = she is happy
• הבית גדול = the house is big

No present-tense is/are is needed.

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Why is it ריק and not ריקה?

Because ריק describes הספל (the cup), and ספל is a masculine singular noun.

So the adjective must also be masculine singular:

• ספל ריק = empty cup

If the noun were feminine, you would use ריקה:

• כוס ריקה = empty glass/cup

So in your sentence:

• הספל שלך ריק = your cup is empty

The adjective agrees with ספל, not with the person being addressed.

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Could the sentence also be written with a different word order, like יש תה חם בספל הזה?

Yes. Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible.

These are both possible:

• בספל הזה יש תה חם
• יש תה חם בספל הזה

The version in your sentence starts with בספל הזה to emphasize the location first: in this cup...

That works well because the sentence then contrasts it with:

• אבל הספל שלך ריק = but your cup is empty

So the original wording helps create a clear comparison between this cup and your cup.

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What is the role of אבל in the sentence?

אבל means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• בספל הזה יש תה חם = This cup has hot tea in it
• אבל הספל שלך ריק = but your cup is empty

So אבל signals contrast, just like English but.

It is a very common everyday word.