מה הפירוש של המילה הזאת, ומה המשמעות שלה בשיחה הזאת?

They are very close, but not exactly the same.

• פירוש usually means definition, explanation, or literal meaning.
• משמעות usually means meaning, sense, or significance, especially in a particular context.

So in this sentence:

• מה הפירוש של המילה הזאת = What is the meaning / definition of this word?
• ומה המשמעות שלה בשיחה הזאת = And what does it mean in this conversation?

In other words, the speaker is asking:

1. what the word means in general, and
2. what it means specifically here, in this context.

Literally, מה הפירוש של... means What is the explanation/meaning of...

Breaking it down:

• מה = what
• הפירוש = the explanation / the meaning
• של = of

So מה הפירוש של המילה הזאת is literally:

What is the meaning of this word?

This is a very common way to ask what something means in Hebrew.

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

So:

• פירוש = meaning / explanation
• הפירוש = the meaning / the explanation

And:

• מילה = word
• המילה = the word

Hebrew uses ה־ attached directly to the noun instead of a separate word like English the.

של means of and is used to show possession or connection.

So:

• הפירוש של המילה הזאת = the meaning of this word

This is one of the most common structures in modern Hebrew.

You can think of it as:

• X של Y = X of Y / Y’s X

For example:

• הצבע של הבית = the color of the house
• השם של הילד = the name of the boy

Both הזאת and הזו mean this in feminine singular Hebrew, and both are correct.

Since מילה is a feminine noun, you need a feminine form of this:

• המילה הזאת
• המילה הזו

Both mean this word.

A few notes:

• הזאת is very common in everyday speech and writing.
• הזו is also common, and some speakers feel it sounds a little shorter or slightly more natural in some contexts.

So this is mainly a matter of style and preference, not meaning.

שלה means her / hers / its, depending on context.

Here it means its, and it refers back to המילה (the word), which is a feminine noun in Hebrew.

So:

• המשמעות שלה = its meaning

Even though English usually says its, Hebrew uses the same possessive form that can also mean her when referring to a feminine noun.

Because מילה is feminine, Hebrew uses:

• שלה = its/her

If the noun were masculine, you would use שלו.

בשיחה הזאת means in this conversation.

Breaking it down:

• ב־ = in
• שיחה = conversation
• הזאת = this

So:

• בשיחה הזאת = in this conversation

Notice that the preposition ב־ attaches directly to the noun:

• ב + שיחה = בשיחה

This part tells you the speaker is asking about the word’s meaning in a specific context, not just in general.

The ו־ means and.

So the sentence has two connected questions:

1. מה הפירוש של המילה הזאת = What is the meaning of this word
2. ומה המשמעות שלה בשיחה הזאת = and what does it mean in this conversation

The second part adds a follow-up question. It is very natural in Hebrew to connect related questions this way.

A little, but it is quite natural for Hebrew.

The sentence is:

מה הפירוש של המילה הזאת, ומה המשמעות שלה בשיחה הזאת?

A very literal order is:

What the meaning of this word, and what the meaning of it in this conversation?

English usually needs is:

What is the meaning of this word, and what is its meaning in this conversation?

Hebrew often omits the verb to be in the present tense. That is why there is no separate word for is here.

Because in Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So Hebrew says:

• מה הפירוש של המילה הזאת?

Literally:

• What the meaning of this word?

But in natural English, you translate it as:

• What is the meaning of this word?

This is a basic and very important feature of Hebrew grammar.

Yes, it is natural and correct.

It sounds like someone wants both:

• the dictionary meaning of a word, and
• its contextual meaning in a specific conversation.

A native speaker might also say similar things like:

• מה המילה הזאת אומרת? = What does this word mean?
• למה הכוונה כאן? = What is meant here?
• איזו משמעות יש למילה הזאת בהקשר הזה? = What meaning does this word have in this context?

But the original sentence is perfectly natural, especially when someone is carefully distinguishing between general meaning and contextual meaning.