Breakdown of ביום רביעי המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר, ולכן אפשר לבוא גם בערב.
Questions & Answers about ביום רביעי המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר, ולכן אפשר לבוא גם בערב.
Why does ביום רביעי mean on Wednesday? What is the ב־ doing there?
The prefix ב־ usually means in / on / at, depending on context.
So:
- יום = day
- רביעי = fourth
- ביום רביעי = literally on day four / on the fourth day, which is the normal Hebrew way to say on Wednesday
Hebrew days of the week are mostly numbered:
- יום ראשון = Sunday, literally first day
- יום שני = Monday, literally second day
- יום שלישי = Tuesday, literally third day
- יום רביעי = Wednesday, literally fourth day
So ב־ is the preposition that gives the meaning on Wednesday.
Why is it רביעי and not הרביעי?
In the expression ביום רביעי, Hebrew normally does not use the definite article on the weekday name.
So:
- ביום רביעי = on Wednesday
- ביום הרביעי usually means on the fourth day in a sequence, not the ordinary weekday name
That is an important distinction. In everyday Hebrew, יום רביעי is just the standard name for Wednesday.
Why does המאפייה have ה־ at the beginning?
The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.
So:
- מאפייה = a bakery
- המאפייה = the bakery
In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a specific bakery, probably one that is already known from context.
Why is the verb נסגרת feminine singular?
Because it agrees with המאפייה, and מאפייה is a feminine singular noun.
In Hebrew present tense, verbs often agree with the subject in gender and number.
So:
- המאפייה = feminine singular
- נסגרת = feminine singular form
If the subject were masculine singular, you would get a different form. For example:
- החנות נסגרת = the store closes or is closing
(חנות is also feminine) - הסניף נסגר = the branch closes
(סניף is masculine)
Why is it נסגרת and not סוגרת?
This is a very common learner question.
- סוגר / סוגרת often means closes something
- נסגר / נסגרת often means closes / gets closed / is closed in an intransitive sense
With places, shops, doors, and businesses, Hebrew very often uses נפעל forms like נסגר:
- החנות נסגרת בשמונה = the store closes at eight
- הדלת נסגרת = the door closes
- הכביש נסגר = the road is closed / closes
So המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר is the natural way to say that the bakery closes late.
Why is נסגרת in the present tense if the English meaning is future-like?
Hebrew often uses the present tense for:
- schedules
- regular habits
- fixed arrangements
- general truths
So המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר can mean:
- the bakery closes late
- the bakery is closing late
- in context, even something like the bakery will close late
Because ביום רביעי suggests a regular Wednesday schedule, the present tense sounds very natural.
If you used the future tense תיסגר, that would sound more like a specific future event or a prediction.
Why is it מאוחר and not מאוחרת, since מאפייה is feminine?
Because מאוחר here is functioning like an adverb, not like an adjective describing the bakery.
It describes how the bakery closes:
- נסגרת מאוחר = closes late
Hebrew often uses the masculine singular form of an adjective in an adverb-like way:
- לדבר ברור = to speak clearly
- לנסוע מהר = to drive fast
- לבוא מוקדם = to come early
- להיסגר מאוחר = to close late
So מאוחר does not agree with המאפייה here, because it is not saying the bakery is late. It is saying the bakery closes late.
What does ולכן mean exactly?
ולכן means and therefore, and so, or and that’s why.
It is made of:
- ו־ = and
- לכן = therefore / so
So:
- המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר, ולכן אפשר לבוא גם בערב
- The bakery closes late, therefore / so it’s possible to come also in the evening
It is slightly more formal or written-sounding than just אז in many contexts, but still very normal.
How does אפשר לבוא work grammatically?
אפשר is an impersonal expression meaning it is possible, one can, or it’s possible to.
So:
- אפשר = it is possible / one can
- לבוא = to come
Together:
- אפשר לבוא = it’s possible to come / you can come
Hebrew uses this structure all the time:
- אפשר לשבת? = Can I sit? / Is it possible to sit?
- אפשר להיכנס? = May I come in?
- אפשר לראות? = Can I see?
There is no explicit subject like you. Hebrew often leaves that general or impersonal.
Why is the verb after אפשר in the form לבוא?
Because after אפשר, Hebrew normally uses the infinitive, which often corresponds to English to + verb.
So:
- לבוא = to come
- אפשר לבוא = it is possible to come
This pattern is extremely common:
- אפשר לאכול = it’s possible to eat
- אפשר לדבר = it’s possible to speak
- אפשר לחכות = it’s possible to wait
So the infinitive after אפשר is exactly what you would expect.
What does גם בערב mean, and why is it בערב?
גם means also / too.
So:
- גם בערב = also in the evening
The word בערב is ב־ + ערב:
- ערב = evening
- בערב = in the evening
This is the normal way to express time with parts of the day:
- בבוקר = in the morning
- בצהריים = in the afternoon / at noon
- בערב = in the evening
- בלילה = at night
In this sentence, גם בערב implies that coming in the evening is possible in addition to some other time, such as during the day.
Is the sentence talking about one Wednesday, or every Wednesday?
Most naturally, it sounds like a regular fact about Wednesdays:
- On Wednesday, the bakery closes late, so you can also come in the evening.
Because the sentence uses present tense and a weekday expression, native speakers will often understand it as a routine or schedule.
However, depending on context, it could also refer to a specific upcoming Wednesday. Hebrew often leaves that to context instead of marking the distinction very explicitly.
Could the word order be different?
Yes. Hebrew word order is fairly flexible.
The given sentence:
- ביום רביעי המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר, ולכן אפשר לבוא גם בערב.
is completely natural.
But Hebrew could also say things like:
- המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר ביום רביעי, ולכן אפשר לבוא גם בערב.
- ולכן גם אפשר לבוא בערב in some contexts
The original version puts ביום רביעי first to frame the sentence right away with the time: as for Wednesday...
That is a very common and natural structure in Hebrew.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HebrewMaster Hebrew — from ביום רביעי המאפייה נסגרת מאוחר, ולכן אפשר לבוא גם בערב 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