Questions & Answers about אם המעבר ליד המשטרה יהיה פתוח מחר, הנסיעה לעבודה תהיה קלה יותר.
Why are there two forms of will be here: יהיה and תהיה?
Because Hebrew verbs must agree with the subject in gender and number.
- המעבר is a masculine singular noun, so Hebrew uses יהיה = it will be (masculine singular).
- הנסיעה is a feminine singular noun, so Hebrew uses תהיה = it will be (feminine singular).
So:
- המעבר יהיה פתוח = the passage will be open
- הנסיעה תהיה קלה יותר = the trip/commute will be easier
This is very common in Hebrew: even the verb to be in the future changes for gender.
Why is it פתוח but קלה? Why don’t both adjectives look the same?
For the same reason: adjectives in Hebrew also agree with the noun in gender and number.
- המעבר is masculine singular, so the adjective is פתוח = open (masculine singular)
- הנסיעה is feminine singular, so the adjective is קלה = easy (feminine singular)
Compare:
- masculine: פתוח, קל
- feminine: פתוחה, קלה
In this sentence, יותר does not affect agreement. It just means more, so:
- קלה יותר = easier literally more easy
What exactly does אם mean here? Is it always if?
Yes, in this sentence אם means if and introduces a condition:
- אם המעבר... יהיה פתוח מחר = if the passage... is/will be open tomorrow
Very often, אם is the basic Hebrew word for if.
Be careful not to confuse it with im in pronunciation only; its meaning depends on context, but in normal grammar אם is the standard conditional if.
Why is the future tense used after אם? In English we usually say if it is open tomorrow, not if it will be open tomorrow.
That is an excellent question, because Hebrew and English work differently here.
In Hebrew, after אם referring to a future situation, it is very normal to use the future tense:
- אם ... יהיה פתוח מחר
literally: if ... will be open tomorrow
But in natural English, we usually say:
- if ... is open tomorrow
So this is a place where you should not translate word-for-word. Hebrew commonly uses future tense in both parts of the sentence when the condition is about the future.
Why is יותר used instead of a special word for easier?
Because Hebrew often forms comparisons with יותר = more.
So instead of changing easy into easier the way English does, Hebrew usually says:
- קל יותר = easier for masculine
- קלה יותר = easier for feminine
Literally, this is more easy.
This pattern works with many adjectives:
- מהיר יותר = faster
- גדול יותר = bigger
- מעניין יותר = more interesting
So קלה יותר is the normal way to say easier.
Why does the sentence say המעבר, המשטרה, הנסיעה, and העבודה with ה־? Why is everything definite?
The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.
So:
- המעבר = the passage / the crossing
- המשטרה = the police / the police station depending on context
- הנסיעה = the trip / the ride / the commute
- העבודה = the work / the job / work
Hebrew uses definiteness a lot where English also would. In this sentence, the speaker seems to mean a specific passage, a specific police location, and the usual commute to work.
Also note:
- לעבודה = to work
- this is really ל + ה + עבודה
- the ל and ה combine into לַ in fully pointed Hebrew, though in unpointed writing you usually just see לעבודה
What does ליד המשטרה mean exactly? Is it next to the police or near the police station?
ליד means next to, beside, or more loosely near.
So ליד המשטרה literally means next to/near the police. In real usage, המשטרה often stands for the police station or police building, depending on context.
So natural English could be:
- near the police station
- by the police station
- next to the police station
A learner should know that Hebrew sometimes uses institution words a bit more broadly, and context tells you whether המשטרה means the police as an institution or the police station/building.
What does המעבר mean here? Is it a crossing, a passage, or something else?
מעבר is a flexible noun. It can mean:
- passage
- crossing
- route through
- access way
- sometimes even transition, in other contexts
In this sentence, because it is something that can be open, it probably means a passageway, crossing, or route near the police station.
So a natural English translation might vary depending on the situation:
- If the passage near the police station is open tomorrow...
- If the crossing by the police station is open tomorrow...
- If the route past the police station is open tomorrow...
What does הנסיעה לעבודה mean? Is it just the trip to work, or can it mean the commute?
It can mean both, depending on context.
- נסיעה means trip, ride, journey, or drive
- לעבודה means to work
So הנסיעה לעבודה literally means the trip to work.
But in everyday English, if this is part of someone’s daily routine, the commute to work is often the most natural translation.
So all of these may fit:
- the trip to work
- the drive to work
- the ride to work
- the commute to work
Why is the word order like this? Could Hebrew also put the second clause first?
Yes. The sentence begins with the if-clause:
- אם המעבר ליד המשטרה יהיה פתוח מחר
- הנסיעה לעבודה תהיה קלה יותר
This is very normal, just like English:
- If X happens, Y will happen
Hebrew could also rearrange things in some contexts, but this order is the most straightforward and natural.
Also, unlike English, Hebrew punctuation and word order are sometimes a little more flexible, but this sentence is a standard conditional structure:
- condition
- result
Why is there no word for then in the second clause?
Because Hebrew usually does not need it.
English can say:
- If the passage is open tomorrow, then the commute will be easier.
But then is optional in English, and Hebrew also usually leaves it out:
- אם ... , הנסיעה ... תהיה ...
You could add words for emphasis in some contexts, but the basic conditional sentence works perfectly without any explicit then.
How would this sentence be pronounced?
A simple pronunciation guide would be:
Im ha-ma'avar leyad ha-mishtara yihiye patu'ach machar, ha-nesi'a la-avoda tihye kala yoter.
A few notes:
- אם = im
- המעבר = ha-ma'avar
- ליד = leyad
- המשטרה = ha-mishtara
- יהיה = often pronounced roughly yihiye
- פתוח = patu'ach
- מחר = machar
- הנסיעה = ha-nesi'a
- תהיה = tihye
- קלה יותר = kala yoter
One tricky point for English speakers is that נסיעה has a break between vowels: ne-si-a, not one smooth syllable.
Could פתוח be replaced with פתוחה?
Not in this sentence, because פתוח has to match המעבר, which is masculine.
So the correct phrase is:
- המעבר יהיה פתוח
If the noun were feminine, then you would use פתוחה. For example:
- הדרך תהיה פתוחה = the road will be open
So the adjective must always match the noun it describes.
Is מחר definitely modifying יהיה פתוח, or could it affect the whole sentence?
In practice, it mainly tells you the time of the condition:
- if the passage is open tomorrow
That said, semantically it affects the whole situation, because the easier commute is also understood to be tomorrow’s commute.
So grammatically it sits in the first clause, but logically the whole sentence is about tomorrow. This is very natural in both Hebrew and English.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HebrewMaster Hebrew — from אם המעבר ליד המשטרה יהיה פתוח מחר, הנסיעה לעבודה תהיה קלה יותר to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions