הכדור אצל הילדים, אבל אחותי רוצה להיות בקבוצה של הגדולים.

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not written or spoken in the present tense.

So:

• הכדור אצל הילדים = The ball is with the children
• literally: the ball with the children

This is completely normal Hebrew. In past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be, but in the present tense it is usually left out in sentences like this.

Examples:

• הספר על השולחן = The book is on the table
• אני בבית = I am at home

So the missing is is not really missing—it is just understood.

אצל is a very common Hebrew word that can mean things like:

• with
• at
• by someone / in someone’s possession

In this sentence:

• הכדור אצל הילדים = The ball is with the children

That means the children have the ball, or the ball is in their possession.

You will also see אצל in other contexts:

• אני אצל דני = I’m at Danny’s place
• הטלפון אצל המורה = The phone is with the teacher

So אצל is broader than just one English preposition.

ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• ילדים = children
• הילדים = the children

In the sentence, we are talking about a specific group of children, so Hebrew uses הילדים.

The same thing happens later with:

• הגדולים = the big/older ones

Hebrew adds ה־ directly to the beginning of the word, unlike English, which uses a separate word (the).

Because the ending ־י on a noun can mean my.

So:

• אחות = sister
• אחותי = my sister

This is called a possessive suffix.

Hebrew often expresses possession this way, especially with family words and very common nouns.

Compare:

• אחי = my brother
• אמי = my mother
• שמי = my name

You can also say אחות שלי, which also means my sister, but אחותי is very natural and common.

Because אחותי is feminine singular, and Hebrew verbs in the present tense must agree with the subject in gender and number.

The base verb is לרצות = to want.

Present tense forms include:

• רוצה = wants / want for masculine singular
• רוצה = also the same spelling for feminine singular
• רוצים = masculine plural
• רוצות = feminine plural

So in writing, רוצה fits אחותי.

If the subject were masculine:

• אחי רוצה = my brother wants

If plural:

• האחיות שלי רוצות = my sisters want

להיות means to be.

After רוצה (wants), Hebrew often uses an infinitive, just like English does:

• רוצה להיות = wants to be

So:

• אחותי רוצה להיות בקבוצה... = My sister wants to be in the group...

This pattern is very common:

• אני רוצה ללכת = I want to go
• הם רוצים לאכול = They want to eat
• היא רוצה ללמוד = She wants to study

So רוצה + infinitive works much like want to + verb in English.

Because ב־ means in (or sometimes at), and it is attached directly to the noun.

So:

• קבוצה = group
• בקבוצה = in a group / in the group

In this sentence:

• להיות בקבוצה = to be in the group

Hebrew often attaches short prepositions to the beginning of words:

• בבית = in the house
• לילד = to the boy
• מהספר = from the book

So ב + קבוצה = בקבוצה.

Literally, של הגדולים means of the big ones or of the older ones.

Breaking it down:

• של = of
• הגדולים = the big ones / the older ones

So:

• בקבוצה של הגדולים = in the group of the older children
• or more naturally: in the older kids’ group

In Hebrew, adjectives can sometimes act like nouns when the noun is understood from context.

So הגדולים does not need a separate noun like ילדים after it. It can mean:

• the big ones
• the older ones
• the older kids

depending on context.

The adjective גדול literally means big.

But in context, especially when talking about children or groups by age, הגדולים often means the older ones rather than just the bigger ones.

So here:

• קבוצה של הגדולים most naturally means the older kids’ group

This is a good example of how Hebrew sometimes uses big/small in ways that overlap with older/younger, depending on context.

For example:

• הילדים הגדולים can mean the older children
• הילדים הקטנים can mean the younger/smaller children

Because the phrase refers to a specific known group: the older ones.

So:

• גדולים = big/older ones
• הגדולים = the big/older ones

This is important because Hebrew often uses the adjective with ה־ when it stands on its own as a noun-like word.

Compare:

• ילדים גדולים = big/older children
• הגדולים = the older ones

The ה־ makes it definite, just like the in English.

אבל means but.

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• הכדור אצל הילדים = The ball is with the children
• אבל אחותי רוצה להיות בקבוצה של הגדולים = but my sister wants to be in the older kids’ group

So the full sentence contrasts two ideas. Hebrew uses אבל very much like English but.

Yes. Hebrew often allows a little flexibility in translation.

Possible natural translations include:

• My sister wants to be in the older kids’ group
• My sister wants to be on the older kids’ team
• My sister wants to join the group of the older children

That is because קבוצה can mean:

• group
• team

depending on context.

So the exact English wording may change, even though the Hebrew structure stays the same.