Breakdown of מהטרמינל הזה אפשר לקחת אוטובוס או מונית לבית המלון.
Questions & Answers about מהטרמינל הזה אפשר לקחת אוטובוס או מונית לבית המלון.
Why is מהטרמינל written as one word?
Because Hebrew often attaches short prepositions directly to the following word.
Here, מ־ means from, and it is attached to הטרמינל:
- מ־ = from
- הטרמינל = the terminal
So:
- מהטרמינל = from the terminal
This is very normal in Hebrew with prepositions like ב־ (in), ל־ (to), מ־ (from), and כ־ (as/like).
Why does the sentence say הטרמינל הזה and not הזה טרמינל?
In Hebrew, demonstratives like this and that usually come after the noun, not before it.
So:
- הטרמינל הזה = this terminal
- literally: the terminal this
Also, the noun usually becomes definite, so Hebrew says:
- הטרמינל הזה not
- טרמינל הזה
This is a very common Hebrew pattern:
- הספר הזה = this book
- העיר הזאת = this city
What does אפשר mean here?
אפשר here means something like:
- it is possible
- one can
- you can
So אפשר לקחת means it is possible to take or more naturally you can take.
This is an impersonal structure. It does not say who specifically can do it; it just states that the option exists.
Why does Hebrew use אפשר לקחת instead of a form of יכול?
Both can relate to can, but they are used differently.
- אפשר לקחת = it’s possible to take / you can take
- אתה יכול לקחת = you can take if speaking to one male specifically
- את יכולה לקחת = speaking to one female specifically
So אפשר is more general and impersonal. It is often used in signs, announcements, instructions, and neutral statements.
In this sentence, אפשר is a good choice because it means something like:
- From this terminal, it is possible to take...
- From this terminal, you can take...
Why is לקחת in the infinitive form?
Because after אפשר, Hebrew commonly uses an infinitive.
So the pattern is:
- אפשר + infinitive
Examples:
- אפשר ללכת = you can go / it is possible to go
- אפשר לראות = you can see / it is possible to see
- אפשר לקחת = you can take / it is possible to take
So לקחת is exactly what we expect after אפשר.
Is there a subject in this sentence? Who is doing the action?
There is no explicit subject like I, you, or they.
That is because אפשר creates an impersonal sentence. English often translates this as:
- you can
- one can
- it is possible to
So the idea is general: anyone at this terminal has that option.
Why are אוטובוס and מונית without ה־?
Because they are indefinite:
- אוטובוס = a bus
- מונית = a taxi
Hebrew does not have a separate word for a/an. A noun without ה־ is often indefinite.
So:
- אוטובוס = a bus
- האוטובוס = the bus
- מונית = a taxi
- המונית = the taxi
In this sentence, it means a bus or a taxi, not specific ones.
Why is there no את before אוטובוס or מונית?
Because את marks a definite direct object in Hebrew.
You use את before nouns that are definite, such as:
- את האוטובוס = the bus
- את המונית = the taxi
But here the objects are indefinite:
- אוטובוס
- מונית
So there is no את.
That is why Hebrew says:
- לקחת אוטובוס או מונית not
- לקחת את אוטובוס או מונית
What is לבית and why is it not להבית?
לבית is ל־ + בית:
- ל־ = to
- בית = house / בית in a construct phrase
Here it appears in the expression בית המלון.
The reason it is not להבית is that בית is the first word in a construct chain. In Hebrew, the first noun in a construct chain usually does not take ה־ directly.
So:
- בית המלון = the hotel
- literally something like the lodging-house of the hotel
Even though that literal breakdown is not how we translate it, grammatically it is a construct phrase.
Why does Hebrew say בית המלון for hotel?
בית מלון is a standard Hebrew expression meaning hotel.
It is a construct phrase:
- בית מלון = hotel
- literally something like house of lodging
When the phrase becomes definite, the ה־ appears on the second noun:
- בית המלון = the hotel
This is how definiteness works in many Hebrew construct chains: the whole phrase becomes definite through the second noun.
In everyday speech, many people also simply say:
- מלון = hotel
- למלון = to the hotel
So לבית המלון is correct, but למלון is also very common.
Why does the sentence begin with מהטרמינל הזה?
Hebrew often puts a location phrase at the beginning to set the scene or give the context first.
So:
- מהטרמינל הזה אפשר לקחת... means
- From this terminal, you can take...
This word order sounds natural and highlights the departure point first.
A different order could also be understood, but this one is very normal when the speaker wants to start with the location.
Does לקחת אוטובוס really mean take a bus the same way it does in English?
Yes. In Modern Hebrew, לקחת is commonly used with transportation in the same general way English uses take:
- לקחת אוטובוס = take a bus
- לקחת מונית = take a taxi
So this is a natural Hebrew way to express using that means of transport.
Is מהטרמינל הזה אפשר לקחת אוטובוס או מונית לבית המלון formal or everyday Hebrew?
It is natural Hebrew, but it sounds a little more formal or informational because of בית המלון and the impersonal אפשר.
A more everyday spoken version might be:
- מהטרמינל הזה אפשר לקחת אוטובוס או מונית למלון
Both are correct. The original sentence sounds like something you might read in a guide, hear in an announcement, or see in written directions.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HebrewMaster Hebrew — from מהטרמינל הזה אפשר לקחת אוטובוס או מונית לבית המלון to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions