Breakdown of אם יש לך תירוץ אחר, תגיד אותו עכשיו ואל תחכה לסוף הפגישה.
יש
there is
עכשיו
now
לך
to you
ו
and
Questions & Answers about אם יש לך תירוץ אחר, תגיד אותו עכשיו ואל תחכה לסוף הפגישה.
Why does the sentence start with אם? Does it always mean if?
Yes, אם usually means if and introduces a condition.
In this sentence:
אם יש לך תירוץ אחר...
= If you have another excuse...
So the structure is:
- אם = if
- יש לך = you have
- תירוץ אחר = another excuse
Very often, Hebrew uses אם just like English if in conditional sentences.
Why does Hebrew say יש לך for you have instead of using a verb meaning to have?
Hebrew usually expresses possession with יש + a prepositional phrase.
- יש = there is / there exists
- לך = to you
So יש לך literally means there is to you, but in natural English that becomes you have.
Examples:
- יש לי זמן = I have time
- יש לך שאלה? = Do you have a question?
- אם יש לך תירוץ אחר = If you have another excuse
This is one of the most important basic Hebrew patterns.
What exactly is לך here?