בחורף הרוח באה לפעמים מצפון, אבל היום היא באה מדרום.

A natural pronunciation is:

Ba-ḥoref ha-ruaḥ ba’a lif’amim mi-tsafon, aval ha-yom hi ba’a mi-darom.

A rough English-friendly guide:

• בחורף — ba-KHO-ref
• הרוח — ha-RU-aḥ
• באה — ba-A
• לפעמים — lif-a-MIM
• מצפון — mi-tsa-FON
• אבל — a-VAL
• היום — ha-YOM
• מדרום — mi-da-ROM

The sound ḥ is the throaty Hebrew sound, like ch in German Bach or Scottish loch.

The prefix ב־ means in / at / during.

So:

• חורף = winter
• בחורף = in winter / in the winter

With seasons, Hebrew very often uses this form naturally for general time expressions:

• בקיץ = in summer
• בחורף = in winter
• באביב = in spring

In this sentence, בחורף sets the time frame: in winter.

In this kind of sentence, it is usually understood as ba-ḥoref.

That is because Hebrew often uses the definite form with seasons, and ב + ה contracts. So underlyingly it is like:

• ב + החורף → בחורף

In everyday Modern Hebrew, this commonly functions just like English in winter, even though Hebrew uses the definite form.

Because רוח (wind) is a feminine noun in Modern Hebrew.

That means words agreeing with it must also be feminine singular:

• הרוח = the wind
• היא = she / it for a feminine noun
• באה = feminine singular form

So the sentence is grammatically feminine because the subject is הרוח.

Because the subject הרוח is feminine singular.

Hebrew verbs in the present tense agree with gender and number:

• בא = masculine singular
• באה = feminine singular
• באים = masculine plural
• באות = feminine plural

Since הרוח is feminine singular, Hebrew says:

• הרוח באה = the wind comes / is coming

In this sentence, it means comes / is coming, not came.

That is a very common learner question, because באה can look the same in different contexts. Hebrew often relies on context to tell you the time reference.

Here the context makes it present-time/habitual:

• בחורף = in winter
• לפעמים = sometimes
• היום = today

So:

• בחורף הרוח באה לפעמים מצפון = In winter, the wind sometimes comes from the north
• אבל היום היא באה מדרום = But today it is coming / comes from the south

לפעמים means sometimes.

It is an adverb, and Hebrew can place it fairly flexibly. In this sentence it comes after the verb:

• הרוח באה לפעמים מצפון

But Hebrew could also say:

• הרוח לפעמים באה מצפון

Both are understandable and natural, though the original sentence is very normal.

The prefix מ־ means from.

So:

• צפון = north
• מצפון = from the north

And similarly:

• דרום = south
• מדרום = from the south

Hebrew commonly attaches short prepositions directly to the next word:

• ב־ = in
• ל־ = to
• מ־ = from
• כ־ = like/as

So מצפון is not unusual at all; it is just the normal Hebrew way to write from north / from the north.

When talking about compass directions in a general way, Hebrew very often uses the bare directional word:

• מצפון = from the north
• מדרום = from the south
• ממזרח = from the east
• ממערב = from the west

This is the usual pattern when describing where wind, weather, movement, or orientation comes from.

Forms like מהצפון can exist, but they usually sound more specifically definite, like from the northern area / from the north side / from the north in particular.

So in a simple weather sentence, מצפון and מדרום are the most natural choices.

היא refers back to הרוח.

Instead of repeating the noun:

• אבל היום הרוח באה מדרום

the sentence uses the pronoun:

• אבל היום היא באה מדרום

This is very natural in Hebrew.

Could Hebrew omit it completely and say:

• אבל היום באה מדרום?

Sometimes yes, especially in context. But using היא makes the sentence clearer and more balanced, especially because the second clause contrasts with the first one.

Because היום is the normal Hebrew word for today.

Historically and literally, it is related to the day, but in modern usage היום is simply the standard word for today.

So learners should usually treat it as a vocabulary item:

• היום = today

Examples:

• היום חם. = Today it’s hot.
• היום היא באה מדרום. = Today it comes from the south.

Hebrew word order is fairly flexible, especially with time expressions like היום.

The given order is very natural:

• אבל היום היא באה מדרום
• But today it comes from the south

Here is the structure:

• אבל = but
• היום = today
• היא = it
• באה = comes
• מדרום = from the south

Hebrew often puts time words early in the clause, so היום near the front feels very normal.

Yes, grammatically that is possible.

• מן is a fuller form of מ־, both meaning from
• מן הצפון = from the north
• מצפון = from the north

But in everyday Hebrew, especially with directions, the shorter attached form is much more common and natural:

• מצפון
• מדרום

So the sentence as given sounds smooth and idiomatic.

Yes.

Hebrew uses the present tense here for:

• a habitual/general statement: בחורף הרוח באה לפעמים מצפון
• a current contrast: אבל היום היא באה מדרום

This is similar to English:

• In winter the wind sometimes comes from the north
• but today it comes from the south

So the same Hebrew present form can describe both a general tendency and what is happening today, depending on context.