היא לא הייתה זמינה בבוקר בגלל עיכוב בדרך לעבודה.

In Hebrew, when you talk about a state in the past, you often use the past form of להיות (to be).

• היא זמינה = she is available
• היא הייתה זמינה = she was available
• היא לא הייתה זמינה = she was not available

So הייתה is the feminine singular past form of to be, matching היא (she).

Hebrew verbs usually agree with the subject in gender and number.

Since היא means she, the verb must be feminine singular:

• הוא היה = he was
• היא הייתה = she was

This is one of the big differences from English, where was does not change for gender.

Because זמינה is an adjective describing היא (she), and adjectives in Hebrew must also agree in gender and number.

Here are the matching forms:

• זמין = available (masculine singular)
• זמינה = available (feminine singular)
• זמינים = available (masculine plural)
• זמינות = available (feminine plural)

So:

• הוא היה זמין = he was available
• היא הייתה זמינה = she was available

The word לא means not, and it usually comes before the verb or predicate it negates.

So:

• היא הייתה זמינה = she was available
• היא לא הייתה זמינה = she was not available

This is the normal way to negate a sentence in Hebrew.

The prefix ב־ means in / at / during.

So:

• בוקר = morning
• בבוקר = in the morning / in the morning hours

The doubled ב sound happens because the basic noun is often understood as הבוקר (the morning), so ב + ה + בוקר becomes בבוקר in standard spelling and pronunciation.

Common time expressions work the same way:

• בערב = in the evening
• בלילה = at night
• בצהריים = in the afternoon / at noon

בגלל means because of.

It introduces the reason for something:

• בגלל עיכוב = because of a delay
• בגלל הגשם = because of the rain
• בגלל העבודה = because of work

In your sentence:

• היא לא הייתה זמינה בבוקר בגלל עיכוב בדרך לעבודה = she was not available in the morning because of a delay on the way to work

So בגלל is followed by a noun phrase, not by a full clause.

עיכוב means delay.

It comes from the root ע־כ־ב, which has to do with delaying or holding something up.

Examples:

• יש עיכוב = there is a delay
• הטיסה בעיכוב = the flight is delayed / the flight is running late
• בגלל עיכוב = because of a delay

In this sentence, it suggests some kind of interruption or slowdown during the commute.

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

• בגלל עיכוב = because of a delay / some delay
• בגלל העיכוב = because of the delay (a specific delay already known from context)

Your sentence uses עיכוב without ה, which sounds natural if the delay is being mentioned in a general or first-time way.

Literally, it means on the way to work.

Breakdown:

• בדרך = on the way / on the road / in transit
• לעבודה = to work

So together:

• בדרך לעבודה = on the way to work

This is a very common Hebrew expression.

The prefix ל־ means to, and in many everyday expressions Hebrew prefers it over a separate word like אל.

So:

• לעבודה = to work
• לבית הספר = to school
• למשרד = to the office

אל also means to, but it is often a bit more formal, literary, or emphatic. In ordinary speech, ל־ is usually the most natural choice.

Here עבודה means work in the sense of the workplace / going to work.

So בדרך לעבודה is understood as:

• on the way to work
• on the commute to work

Depending on context, עבודה can mean:

• work as an activity
• job
• assignment / piece of work

But in this sentence, it clearly refers to going to one’s workplace.

The given sentence is very natural, but Hebrew allows some flexibility in word order.

Standard version:

• היא לא הייתה זמינה בבוקר בגלל עיכוב בדרך לעבודה.

You could also say:

• בבוקר היא לא הייתה זמינה בגלל עיכוב בדרך לעבודה.
• בגלל עיכוב בדרך לעבודה, היא לא הייתה זמינה בבוקר.

These versions shift the emphasis:

• starting with בבוקר emphasizes the time
• starting with בגלל עיכוב... emphasizes the reason

But the original sentence is a very normal neutral order.

Sometimes yes, but not always—they are similar, not identical.

• זמין / זמינה = available, accessible, obtainable
• פנוי / פנויה = free, unoccupied, available in the sense of having time

In your sentence, זמינה works well if you mean she could not be reached or was not available generally.

If you specifically mean she did not have free time, פנויה might also fit:

• היא לא הייתה פנויה בבוקר = she was not free in the morning

So the best choice depends on the nuance.

Yes. In the past, Hebrew normally uses forms of להיות when needed:

• היא הייתה עייפה = she was tired
• הם היו בבית = they were at home
• אני הייתי מוכן = I was ready

But in the present, Hebrew usually leaves out the verb to be:

• היא עייפה = she is tired
• הם בבית = they are at home
• אני מוכן = I am ready

So learners often notice this contrast:

• no is/am/are in the present
• but was/were is expressed in the past

You would change the forms that agree with the subject:

• הוא לא היה זמין בבוקר בגלל עיכוב בדרך לעבודה.

Changes:

• היא → הוא
• הייתה → היה
• זמינה → זמין

The rest of the sentence stays the same.