זאת לא כורסה חדשה, אלא הכורסה של סבתא.

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

Breakdown of זאת לא כורסה חדשה, אלא הכורסה של סבתא.

• זאת: this
• חדש: new
• לא: not
• של: of

Questions & Answers about זאת לא כורסה חדשה, אלא הכורסה של סבתא.

Why does the sentence start with זאת? Does it mean this or it?

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.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

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.

What does לא do here?