Breakdown of המסמך הזה מיותר עכשיו; כבר יש לנו עותק חדש.
Questions & Answers about המסמך הזה מיותר עכשיו; כבר יש לנו עותק חדש.
Why is הזה placed after המסמך instead of before it?
In Hebrew, demonstratives like הזה (this, masculine singular) usually come after the noun:
- המסמך הזה = this document
- literally: the-document this
That is the normal Hebrew pattern. English says this document, but Hebrew says document this.
This same pattern is used with adjectives too:
- מסמך חשוב = an important document
- המסמך החשוב = the important document
- המסמך הזה = this document
So the noun comes first, and words describing it usually follow.
Why does המסמך have ה־ if הזה already means this?
Because in Hebrew, when you say this/that + noun, the noun is still normally marked as definite with ה־.
So:
- מסמך = a document
- המסמך = the document
- המסמך הזה = this document
This is different from English. English does not say the this document, but Hebrew does use the definite article on the noun.
A good rule to remember:
- noun + demonstrative in Hebrew usually has ה־ on the noun.
Why is there no word for is in המסמך הזה מיותר עכשיו?
In present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted.
So:
- המסמך הזה מיותר עכשיו literally looks like this document unnecessary now
- but it means This document is unnecessary now
This is completely normal Hebrew.
Compare:
- הוא עייף = He is tired
- הבית גדול = The house is big
- המסמך הזה מיותר = This document is unnecessary
In past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be:
- המסמך היה מיותר = The document was unnecessary
- המסמך יהיה מיותר = The document will be unnecessary
What exactly does מיותר mean here?
מיותר is an adjective meaning unnecessary, superfluous, or sometimes redundant, depending on context.
Here it means something like:
- no longer needed
- unnecessary now
- there is no need for it anymore
It agrees with המסמך, which is masculine singular, so the form is מיותר.
Other agreement forms would be:
- masculine singular: מיותר
- feminine singular: מיותרת
- masculine plural: מיותרים
- feminine plural: מיותרות
For example:
- החתימה הזאת מיותרת = This signature is unnecessary
- המסמכים האלה מיותרים = These documents are unnecessary
Why is עכשיו at the end of the first clause?
עכשיו means now, and its placement is fairly natural here.
Hebrew often allows some flexibility with adverbs like עכשיו, but this sentence sounds very natural:
- המסמך הזה מיותר עכשיו
It puts the focus on the fact that the document is unnecessary at this point / now.
You could also hear:
- עכשיו המסמך הזה מיותר
- המסמך הזה עכשיו מיותר
But the original sentence is smooth and idiomatic.
What does כבר add to the sentence?
כבר usually means already.
In this sentence:
- כבר יש לנו עותק חדש
- we already have a new copy
It shows that the new copy is already available, which explains why the old document is unnecessary.
So כבר helps express the logic:
- This document is unnecessary now
- because we already have a new copy
It often appears before the verb or verb-like expression:
- כבר ראיתי = I already saw
- כבר סיימנו = We already finished
- כבר יש לנו = We already have
Why does Hebrew say יש לנו for we have?
Hebrew commonly expresses possession with יש plus a phrase meaning to someone.
So:
- יש = there is / there exists
- לנו = to us
Together:
- יש לנו literally = there is to us
- natural English = we have
This is the standard Hebrew way to say have in many situations.
Examples:
- יש לי ספר = I have a book
- יש לה זמן = She has time
- יש להם עותק חדש = They have a new copy
So כבר יש לנו עותק חדש literally means:
- already there is to us a new copy but naturally:
- we already have a new copy
What is לנו made of?
לנו is the preposition ל־ (to/for) plus the pronoun נו (us).
So:
- ל־ = to
- נו = us
- לנו = to us
These attached forms are very common in Hebrew:
- לי = to me
- לך = to you (masc. sg.)
- לך = to you (fem. sg.)
- לו = to him
- לה = to her
- לנו = to us
- לכם / לכן = to you (plural)
- להם / להן = to them
In this sentence, יש לנו is the possession structure meaning we have.
Why is it עותק חדש and not חדש עותק?
Because in Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.
So:
- עותק חדש = a new copy
- literally: copy new
This is the normal word order:
- ספר מעניין = an interesting book
- מכונית גדולה = a big car
- עותק חדש = a new copy
If the noun is definite, the adjective also becomes definite:
- העותק החדש = the new copy
So the sentence uses:
- עותק חדש = a new copy, not a specific one already identified as the new copy
Why doesn’t חדש have ה־?
Because עותק חדש is indefinite: a new copy, not the new copy.
In Hebrew, if a noun is definite, the adjective must also be definite:
- העותק החדש = the new copy
If the noun is indefinite, the adjective stays indefinite too:
- עותק חדש = a new copy
So in the sentence:
- יש לנו עותק חדש the speaker is introducing or mentioning a new copy, not specifically the new copy.
This agreement in definiteness is very important in Hebrew.
Why is there a semicolon in the middle?
The semicolon links two closely related statements:
- המסמך הזה מיותר עכשיו
- כבר יש לנו עותק חדש
The second part explains the first. In English and Hebrew alike, a semicolon can connect two independent clauses that are strongly related in meaning.
It is a stylistic punctuation choice. You could also see a period:
- המסמך הזה מיותר עכשיו. כבר יש לנו עותק חדש.
Or sometimes even a dash, depending on style.
The semicolon makes the relationship feel especially tight: the second clause gives the reason or explanation for the first.
How do the words agree with each other in this sentence?
There are two main agreement points:
המסמך הזה מיותר
- המסמך is masculine singular
- הזה must also be masculine singular
- מיותר must also be masculine singular
עותק חדש
- עותק is masculine singular
- חדש matches it in masculine singular form
So Hebrew is showing agreement in gender and number.
If the noun were feminine, the forms would change:
- התעודה הזאת מיותרת עכשיו = This certificate is unnecessary now
Here:
- הזאת matches a feminine noun
- מיותרת is the feminine form of מיותר
This kind of matching is one of the key things English speakers need to get used to in Hebrew.
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