אם יש בעיה אמיתית, אני אבוא מיד.

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Breakdown of אם יש בעיה אמיתית, אני אבוא מיד.

• יש: there is
• לבוא: to come
• אם: if

Questions & Answers about אם יש בעיה אמיתית, אני אבוא מיד.

Why does the sentence begin with אם?

אם means if and introduces a condition. In this sentence, אם יש בעיה אמיתית is the if-clause: if there is a real problem.

Hebrew commonly uses אם at the start of conditional sentences, just like English uses if.

Why is it יש and not a form of the verb to be?

In Hebrew, present-tense sentences like there is / there are usually use יש rather than a present-tense verb meaning to be.

So:

• יש בעיה = there is a problem
• literally, this is not built with a present-tense is

Hebrew usually does not use a separate present-tense word for am / is / are in simple statements. יש is the normal way to express existence.

Why is there no word for a before בעיה?