אם אין מושב ליד החלון, אני רוצה מושב ליד המעבר.

If there is no seat by the window, I want a seat by the aisle.

Breakdown of אם אין מושב ליד החלון, אני רוצה מושב ליד המעבר.

• אני: I
• אין: there is no
• לרצות: to want
• חלון: window

Questions & Answers about אם אין מושב ליד החלון, אני רוצה מושב ליד המעבר.

What does אם mean here?

אם means if.

It introduces a condition:

• אם אין מושב ליד החלון = If there isn’t a seat by the window

In other contexts, אם can also mean whether, but in this sentence it clearly means if.

Why does the sentence use אין instead of a normal verb for is not?

אין is the standard Hebrew word for there is no / there isn’t / there are no.

Hebrew often expresses existence with:

• יש = there is / there are
• אין = there isn’t / there aren’t

So:

• אין מושב ליד החלון = There is no seat by the window

Hebrew does not use a present-tense verb like English is in this kind of sentence.

Why is there no word for a before מושב?