הכניסה פתוחה עכשיו, אבל היציאה סגורה.

הכניסה means the entrance or the entry, and היציאה means the exit.

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to the in English.

So:

• כניסה = entrance / entry
• הכניסה = the entrance
• יציאה = exit
• היציאה = the exit

These nouns come from verbs:

• להיכנס = to enter
• לצאת = to go out / to exit

So in a broad sense, כניסה and יציאה are action-related nouns, but in everyday Hebrew they are very commonly used as ordinary nouns meaning entrance and exit.

Because they are feminine singular adjectives, and they must agree with the nouns they describe.

In this sentence:

• הכניסה is feminine singular
• היציאה is feminine singular

So the adjectives must also be feminine singular:

• פתוחה = open (feminine singular)
• סגורה = closed (feminine singular)

Compare:

• פתחוּחַ = open, masculine singular
• פתוחה = open, feminine singular
• סגור = closed, masculine singular
• סגורה = closed, feminine singular

This kind of agreement is very important in Hebrew.

A very common clue is the ending ־ה or ־יה / ־אה in many Hebrew nouns, which often marks a feminine noun.

Both כניסה and יציאה are feminine nouns, so you say:

• כניסה פתוחה
• יציאה סגורה

Not:

• כניסה פתוח
• יציאה סגור

That said, noun gender in Hebrew is not always perfectly predictable from spelling alone, so it is best to learn nouns together with their gender.

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense.

So instead of saying:

• The entrance is open

Hebrew simply says:

• הכניסה פתוחה

And instead of:

• The exit is closed

Hebrew says:

• היציאה סגורה

This is completely normal Hebrew grammar.

In other tenses, Hebrew does use forms equivalent to was / will be, for example:

• הכניסה הייתה פתוחה = The entrance was open
• הכניסה תהיה פתוחה = The entrance will be open

עכשיו means now.

In this sentence:

• הכניסה פתוחה עכשיו = The entrance is open now

Its placement is natural and common. Hebrew often puts time words like עכשיו after the adjective or after the main statement.

You could also hear:

• עכשיו הכניסה פתוחה, אבל היציאה סגורה

That emphasizes now a bit more.

So the original word order is natural, but not the only possible one.

אבל means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• הכניסה פתוחה עכשיו = The entrance is open now
• אבל היציאה סגורה = but the exit is closed

So the sentence expresses contrast, just like English but.

Yes, it is very natural.

The pattern is:

• הכניסה = the entrance
• פתוחה = open
• עכשיו = now
• אבל = but
• היציאה = the exit
• סגורה = closed

Hebrew often uses this kind of structure:

• noun + adjective rather than
• adjective + noun

So:

• הכניסה פתוחה = the entrance is open not
• פתוחה הכניסה in normal neutral speech

The sentence sounds very standard and idiomatic.

A common pronunciation would be:

ha-kni-SA ptu-KHA akh-SHAV, a-VAL ha-yetzi-A sgu-RA

A more careful transliteration:

• הכניסה = haknisa
• פתוחה = ptukha
• עכשיו = akhshav
• אבל = aval
• היציאה = hayetzi'a
• סגורה = sgura

A few pronunciation notes:

• כ in הכניסה here sounds like k
• ח in פתוחה and עכשיו is the throaty Hebrew kh sound
• יציאה has a break before the last syllable: yetzi-a
• Stress is typically near the end in several of these words:
  • hakniSA
  • akhSHAV
  • sguRA

Because יציאה is made up in a way that creates a slight separation between the last vowels.

It is often pronounced something like:

• ye-tzi-A

The final א can create a small break or separate syllable. In careful speech, this is noticeable:

• yetzi'a

In fast everyday speech, some speakers may make the break less clear, but learners should know that the standard form is essentially ye-tzi-a.

For a learner, the most useful answer is: treat them as adjectives meaning open and closed.

Historically and grammatically, forms like these are related to Hebrew participial patterns, but in everyday usage they function very much like adjectives:

• דלת פתוחה = an open door
• חנות סגורה = a closed store

So in this sentence, it is perfectly fine to think of them simply as adjectives that agree with the nouns.

Yes, but it would change the meaning.

With the definite article:

• הכניסה פתוחה עכשיו, אבל היציאה סגורה.
• The entrance is open now, but the exit is closed.

Without the definite article:

• כניסה פתוחה עכשיו, אבל יציאה סגורה.

That version sounds less natural in this exact context unless you are speaking more generally or using a sign-like style. In ordinary speech, when referring to a specific entrance and exit, the definite article is the normal choice.

Because Hebrew, like English, often avoids repeating information that is already understood.

The sentence says:

• הכניסה פתוחה עכשיו, אבל היציאה סגורה.

The word עכשיו naturally applies to the whole situation unless context suggests otherwise. So the meaning is understood as:

• The entrance is open now, but the exit is closed now.

If you wanted to be extra explicit, you could say:

• הכניסה פתוחה עכשיו, אבל היציאה סגורה עכשיו

But that usually sounds repetitive.

It works in both, but it sounds especially natural in announcements, notices, or spoken explanation.

For example:

• at a building
• at a station
• at an event
• in customer service

On a very short sign, Hebrew often uses even more compressed wording, such as:

• הכניסה פתוחה
• היציאה סגורה

But the full sentence with עכשיו and אבל is completely natural if someone is explaining the current situation.

The masculine singular forms are:

• פתוח = open
• סגור = closed

Examples:

• השער פתוח = The gate is open
• החדר סגור = The room is closed

Feminine singular:

• פתוחה
• סגורה

So this sentence uses the feminine forms because כניסה and יציאה are feminine.