Questions & Answers about הוא היה עייף היום כולו.
How is this sentence pronounced?
Hu haya ayef hayom kulo.
A slightly more detailed breakdown:
- הוא = hu
- היה = haya
- עייף = ayef
- היום = hayom
- כולו = kulo
In modern Israeli Hebrew, ע in עייף is usually not strongly pronounced, so the word begins more or less with the vowel sound a.
Why does the sentence use היה if עייף is an adjective?
Because Hebrew often says was + adjective exactly this way.
- היה = was
- עייף = tired
So היה עייף means was tired.
Hebrew does not need a separate special form for was tired. It simply uses the past tense of to be plus the adjective.
Why is there no word for is in the present tense, but there is היה here?