יש לי כמה דברים לעשות בבית.

there is

Breakdown of יש לי כמה דברים לעשות בבית.

• לי: to me
• בית: home
• ב: at

Questions & Answers about יש לי כמה דברים לעשות בבית.

Why does Hebrew use יש לי for I have instead of a verb meaning to have?

Modern Hebrew usually expresses possession with יש ל־ + possessor.

So יש לי literally means something like there is to me, and that is how Hebrew says I have.

• יש לי ספר = I have a book
• יש לי כמה דברים = I have a few things

The negative version is usually אין לי = I don’t have.

What exactly is the role of לי here?

לי means to me or for me, depending on context.

It is made from:

• ל־ = to, for
• י = me

In יש לי כמה דברים, the phrase literally works as there are to me a few things, which Hebrew uses to mean I have a few things.

Why does כמה mean a few / several here, when I thought it meant how many?