Questions & Answers about בזמן הפגישה אני לא עונה לטלפון.
Why does the sentence start with בזמן הפגישה? What exactly does that mean?
בזמן הפגישה means during the meeting or while the meeting is going on.
Literally:
- ב־ = in / at
- זמן = time
- הפגישה = the meeting
So the whole phrase is literally something like in the time of the meeting, but in natural English we usually say during the meeting.
This is a very common Hebrew way to express during X:
- בזמן השיעור = during the lesson
- בזמן הארוחה = during the meal
Why is it הפגישה and not just פגישה?
Because Hebrew often uses the definite article when referring to a specific event that is understood from context.
- פגישה = a meeting
- הפגישה = the meeting
In בזמן הפגישה, the speaker means a particular meeting: during the meeting.
If you said בזמן פגישה, it would sound less natural in most normal contexts. Hebrew usually prefers the definite form here when a specific meeting is meant.
What does פגישה mean exactly? Is it always a business meeting?