Breakdown of במקרה הזה עדיף לשאול שאלה קצרה מאשר לנחש את התשובה.
זה
this
ב
in
את
direct object marker
לשאול
to ask
Questions & Answers about במקרה הזה עדיף לשאול שאלה קצרה מאשר לנחש את התשובה.
Why does במקרה הזה mean in this case?
Because:
- מקרה = case, instance, situation
- הזה = this
- ב־ = in
So במקרה הזה means in this case.
A useful detail: in normal unpointed Hebrew, במקרה can hide either be- or ba- pronunciation. Here it is understood as ba-mikre, effectively in the case, and then הזה gives in this case.
Why is there no word for is or it is in the sentence?
Hebrew usually leaves out the verb to be in the present tense.
So where English says:
- In this case, it is better...
Hebrew can simply say:
- במקרה הזה עדיף...
There is also no need for a dummy subject like English it. Hebrew is happy to make this kind of general statement without one.
What exactly does עדיף mean here?