חבל שאין לנו זמן לשבת ביחד.

there is no

Breakdown of חבל שאין לנו זמן לשבת ביחד.

• ביחד: together
• לשבת: to sit
• זמן: time

Questions & Answers about חבל שאין לנו זמן לשבת ביחד.

What does חבל mean here? I thought it meant rope.

Yes, חבל can literally mean rope, but in this sentence it means it’s a shame / what a pity.

This is a very common expression in Hebrew:

חבל ש... = It’s a shame that...

So:

חבל שאין לנו זמן... = It’s a shame that we don’t have time...

Hebrew often uses the same word in very different meanings, and this is one of those cases.

Why is it שאין and not just אין?

The ש means that.

So:

• אין לנו זמן = We don’t have time
• חבל שאין לנו זמן = It’s a shame that we don’t have time

In writing, Hebrew often attaches ש directly to the next word, so:

• ש + אין = שאין

That whole part introduces the clause after חבל.

What does אין לנו זמן literally mean?