זאת לא כורסה חדשה, אלא הכורסה של סבתא.

זאת is the feminine singular demonstrative, meaning this in sentences like this.

Because כורסה is a feminine noun, Hebrew uses the feminine form:

• זאת כורסה = This is an armchair
• זה שולחן = This is a table (masculine)

In natural English, זאת לא כורסה חדשה may be translated as either This is not a new armchair or It’s not a new armchair, depending on context.

Also, in modern Hebrew, זאת and זו are both used for this with feminine nouns.

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

So:

• זאת כורסה literally = This armchair
• but it means This is an armchair

Likewise:

• זאת לא כורסה חדשה = This is not a new armchair

Hebrew does use forms of to be in the past and future, but normally not in the present.

לא means not.

It negates the statement:

• זאת כורסה חדשה = This is a new armchair
• זאת לא כורסה חדשה = This is not a new armchair

It is the standard way to make a sentence negative in Hebrew.

אלא means something like but rather or rather.

It is commonly used after a negative statement when you correct it with the true statement:

• לא X, אלא Y = not X, but rather Y

So here:

• זאת לא כורסה חדשה, אלא הכורסה של סבתא
• This is not a new armchair, but rather Grandma’s armchair

This is different from אבל, which usually means ordinary but.

A very useful rule:

• use אבל to add contrast
• use אלא to correct something after negating it

Example:

• הוא עייף, אבל שמח = He is tired, but happy
• הוא לא עייף, אלא חולה = He isn’t tired, but rather sick

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• כורסה חדשה = a new armchair
• literally: armchair new

This is the normal Hebrew word order for noun + adjective.

Because adjectives in Hebrew must agree with the noun in gender and number.

כורסה is:

• singular
• feminine

So the adjective must also be singular feminine:

• masculine singular: חדש
• feminine singular: חדשה
• masculine plural: חדשים
• feminine plural: חדשות

That is why Hebrew says:

• כורסה חדשה

If the noun were masculine, for example כיסא (chair), you would say:

• כיסא חדש

הכורסה means the armchair.

The second part is talking about a specific armchair, not just any armchair:

• כורסה של סבתא = a/Grandma’s armchair depending on context
• הכורסה של סבתא = Grandma’s armchair / the armchair of Grandma

Adding ה־ makes it definite.

Here, the speaker is identifying exactly which armchair it is, so the definite form sounds natural:

• It’s not a new armchair, but Grandma’s armchair.

של means of or shows possession, like English ’s.

So:

• הכורסה של סבתא = Grandma’s armchair
• literally: the armchair of Grandma

This is one of the most common ways to show possession in Hebrew.

More examples:

• הספר של דני = Danny’s book
• הבית של המשפחה = the family’s house

Hebrew does not form possession with an apostrophe like English does.

Instead, it usually uses:

• של or
• a construct form in some cases

In this sentence, the possession is shown with של:

• הכורסה של סבתא

That is the straightforward, common way to say Grandma’s armchair.

Here סבתא means Grandma in a personal, familiar sense, almost like a name or family title.

So:

• של סבתא = of Grandma

If you said של הסבתא, that would sound more like of the grandmother, which is more descriptive and less personal.

In family contexts, Hebrew often uses words like אמא, אבא, סבתא, סבא without ה־ when referring to someone as Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa.

Yes. In modern Hebrew, זו and זאת can both mean feminine singular this.

So both of these are possible:

• זאת לא כורסה חדשה
• זו לא כורסה חדשה

Both are common. You will hear both in speech and see both in writing, though style preferences may differ.

Not exactly.

כורסה usually means armchair or easy chair, not just any chair.

A regular chair is usually:

• כיסא

So:

• כיסא = chair
• כורסה = armchair

That matters here, because the sentence is specifically about an armchair.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

zot lo kursa chadasha, ela ha-kursa shel savta

A few notes:

• כ in כורסה is like the kh/ch sound in German Bach or Scottish loch
• ח in חדשה has a similar throaty sound
• stress is usually:
  • zot
  • lo
  • kur-SA
  • cha-da-SHA
  • e-LA
  • ha-kur-SA
  • shel SAV-ta

More or less, yes:

• זאת = this
• לא = not
• כורסה = armchair
• חדשה = new
• אלא = but rather
• הכורסה = the armchair
• של = of
• סבתא = Grandma

So a very literal translation would be:

• This not armchair new, but-rather the armchair of Grandma

But natural English is:

• This is not a new armchair, but Grandma’s armchair.

The sentence follows a very common Hebrew correction pattern:

• זאת לא X, אלא Y
• This is not X, but rather Y

Here:

• X = כורסה חדשה
• Y = הכורסה של סבתא

So the speaker first rejects one description, then gives the correct one.

This pattern is extremely useful in Hebrew:

• זה לא ספר חדש, אלא הספר שלי = This is not a new book, but my book
• היא לא מורה, אלא תלמידה = She is not a teacher, but a student