הוא לא יכול לבוא איתנו היום, אבל מחר הוא יבוא איתך.

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Breakdown of הוא לא יכול לבוא איתנו היום, אבל מחר הוא יבוא איתך.

• אבל: but
• לא: not
• היום: today

Questions & Answers about הוא לא יכול לבוא איתנו היום, אבל מחר הוא יבוא איתך.

Why is יכול used in the first clause, but יבוא in the second?

Because the two clauses express different ideas:

• הוא לא יכול לבוא = he cannot come / he is not able to come
  Here, יכול means can / is able to.
• מחר הוא יבוא = tomorrow he will come
  Here, יבוא is the future-tense verb will come.

So the first clause talks about ability/possibility today, while the second talks about what will happen tomorrow.

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What form is לבוא, and why does it start with ל־?

לבוא is the infinitive form of the verb to come.

In Hebrew, infinitives usually begin with ל־, which often corresponds to English to:

• לבוא = to come
• ללכת = to go
• לעשות = to do / to make

After a verb like יכול (can), Hebrew uses the infinitive:

• הוא יכול לבוא = he can come

So לבוא is exactly what you would expect after יכול.

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Why is לא placed before ?