אי אפשר לצאת עכשיו, כי היציאה סגורה.

אי אפשר is a fixed Hebrew expression meaning it’s impossible, it can’t be done, or one cannot.

So:

• אי אפשר לצאת = It’s impossible to go out / You can’t go out

Hebrew normally uses אי אפשר for this idea, not לא אפשר.

A useful way to think of it is:

• לא usually negates verbs and many ordinary statements.
• אי is a more formal/literary negating element used in certain set expressions, especially with nouns and adjectives.

So אי אפשר is just the standard phrase you learn as a whole.

Examples:

• אי אפשר לדעת = It’s impossible to know / You can’t know
• אי אפשר להבין = It’s impossible to understand / You can’t understand

Because after אי אפשר, Hebrew usually uses an infinitive to say what cannot be done.

• לצאת = to go out / to leave

So the structure is:

• אי אפשר + infinitive
• אי אפשר לצאת = It’s impossible to go out

This is very common in Hebrew:

• אי אפשר להיכנס = You can’t enter
• אי אפשר לחכות = It’s impossible to wait
• אי אפשר לדבר עכשיו = You can’t talk עכשיו

So לצאת is not conjugated for person here. It stays in the basic to leave / to go out form.

Yes, they are related.

They both come from the same root:

• י-צ-א = the root connected with going out / exiting

From that root:

• לצאת = to go out / to leave (verb, infinitive)
• יציאה = exit / departure / way out (noun)

So in this sentence:

• אי אפשר לצאת עכשיו = You can’t go out now
• כי היציאה סגורה = because the exit is closed

This is a very common feature of Hebrew: one root produces related verbs and nouns.

The prefix ה־ is the definite article in Hebrew, meaning the.

So:

• יציאה = an exit / exit
• היציאה = the exit

In this sentence, it is a specific exit, so Hebrew uses the:

• כי היציאה סגורה = because the exit is closed

Unlike English, Hebrew attaches the directly to the word as a prefix.

More examples:

• דלת = a door

• הדלת = the door

• חנות = a store
• החנות = the store

Because it agrees with היציאה, which is a feminine singular noun.

• יציאה is feminine singular
• Therefore the adjective must also be feminine singular:
  • סגורה = closed (feminine singular)

Compare:

• הפתח סגור = the opening is closed
  (פתח is masculine singular, so סגור)
• היציאה סגורה = the exit is closed
  (יציאה is feminine singular, so סגורה)

This kind of adjective agreement is very important in Hebrew.

In present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted.

So Hebrew says:

• היציאה סגורה literally: the exit closed

But in natural English, we translate it as:

• the exit is closed

This is completely normal in Hebrew.

Compare:

• הוא עייף = he is tired
• הדלת פתוחה = the door is open
• החנות סגורה = the store is closed

In past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be when needed, but in the present it is usually left out.

In this sentence, כי means because:

• כי היציאה סגורה = because the exit is closed

That is its most common meaning in everyday Hebrew.

It can also sometimes mean that, especially in more formal or biblical-style language, but for learners the main everyday meaning to remember is because.

Example:

• אני נשאר בבית כי אני עייף = I’m staying home because I’m tired

So in your sentence, כי simply introduces the reason.

Yes. Hebrew word order is fairly flexible, and עכשיו can often move.

Your sentence has:

• אי אפשר לצאת עכשיו = You can’t go out now

But you could also hear:

• עכשיו אי אפשר לצאת

Both are natural. The difference is mostly one of emphasis:

• אי אפשר לצאת עכשיו = neutral, very natural
• עכשיו אי אפשר לצאת = emphasizes now

English does something similar:

• You can’t leave now.
• Now you can’t leave.

So the original word order is standard, but not the only possible one.

It can mean either, depending on context.

לצאת has a general idea of going out / exiting / leaving.

Possible translations include:

• to go out
• to leave
• to exit

In this sentence, because the next clause mentions the exit, to go out or to exit fits especially well:

• You can’t go out now, because the exit is closed.

But in other contexts, לצאת can also mean:

• to leave home
• to leave a building
• to go out socially
• to set off / depart

So it is a flexible verb.

A common pronunciation is roughly:

• ha-yetsi-AH

Breaking it down:

• ה = ha- = the
• יציאה = yetsi’a

The written form includes letters that help build the noun pattern, not just the root itself. Hebrew nouns are formed from roots using patterns, so the word is not just the bare root י-צ-א.

You do not need to derive it yourself every time. It is best to learn:

• לצאת = to go out
• יציאה = exit

as related vocabulary items.

Yes, but the nuance is a little different.

• אי אפשר לצאת עכשיו = It’s impossible to leave now / One can’t leave now
• לא יכולים לצאת עכשיו = We/they/you can’t leave now depending on context

The sentence with אי אפשר is more impersonal. It focuses on the situation itself, not on a specific subject.

That works especially well with the reason:

• כי היציאה סגורה = because the exit is closed

So אי אפשר is the most natural choice here if you mean nobody can go out / it cannot be done.

People could definitely say it. It sounds natural and standard.

• אי אפשר is extremely common in spoken Hebrew.
• היציאה סגורה is also perfectly normal.

So the whole sentence sounds like normal modern Hebrew, especially in a public-place or practical situation such as a building, station, event, or emergency setting.

It is neither overly formal nor unnatural.