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Questions & Answers about היא הייתה כל כך מופתעת מהמתנה, שהיא לא אמרה כלום בהתחלה.
How do I know this sentence is talking about a female person?
Because it uses the pronoun היא, which means she, and the other forms agree with it:
- הייתה = was in the feminine singular
- מופתעת = surprised in the feminine singular
- אמרה = said in the feminine singular
If the subject were masculine, you would expect forms like הוא, היה, מופתע, אמר.
Why does the sentence use הייתה? I thought Hebrew often leaves out to be.
Hebrew usually leaves out to be only in the present tense.
So:
- היא מופתעת = she is surprised
- היא הייתה מופתעת = she was surprised
In the past, Hebrew normally does use forms of היה / הייתה. So הייתה here is necessary to show that the situation was in the past.
Why is it מופתעת and not some other form?