המלצר הביא לנו את החשבון אחרי הארוחה.

direct object marker

Breakdown of המלצר הביא לנו את החשבון אחרי הארוחה.

• אחרי: after
• להביא: to bring
• ארוחה: meal

Questions & Answers about המלצר הביא לנו את החשבון אחרי הארוחה.

Why does המלצר mean the waiter and not just waiter?

Because the prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to the.

• מלצר = waiter
• המלצר = the waiter

So המלצר is literally the waiter.

How do I know הביא means brought?

הביא is the past tense, masculine singular form of the verb להביא, meaning to bring.

So:

• להביא = to bring
• הביא = he brought

In this sentence, the subject is המלצר = the waiter, which is masculine singular, so הביא matches it.

Is the ה in הביא the same ה as in המלצר?

No. They just happen to look the same.

• In המלצר, the ה־ is the definite article, meaning the
• In הביא, the ה is part of the verb form itself

So:

• המלצר = the waiter
• הביא = brought

This is a very common thing for learners to notice.

Why does Hebrew use לנו instead of a separate word for to us?