חבל שהפגישה נדחתה שוב.

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

This is a very common Hebrew expression:

• חבל ש... = It’s a shame that...
• חבל על הזמן = literally a shame about the time, but idiomatically it can mean something like awesome / unbelievable in colloquial Hebrew, depending on context.

So in חבל שהפגישה נדחתה שוב, חבל is not the noun rope. It is an expression of regret.

The ש is the Hebrew conjunction meaning that.

So:

• חבל ש... = It’s a shame that...
• שהפגישה = that the meeting...

Hebrew often attaches this ש directly to the following word, instead of writing it as a separate word.

So:

• ש + הפגישה
• becomes שהפגישה

This is very normal and extremely common in Hebrew.

The ה at the beginning is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• פגישה = a meeting
• הפגישה = the meeting

In this sentence, we are talking about a specific meeting, so Hebrew uses the definite article.

Because הפגישה (the meeting) is a feminine singular noun, and in the past tense, Hebrew verbs agree with the subject in gender and number.

So:

• פגישה is feminine singular
• therefore the verb is also feminine singular
• נדחתה = was postponed / got postponed for a feminine singular subject

If the subject were masculine singular, the form would be different.

For example:

• הדיון נדחה = the discussion was postponed
  (דיון is masculine)

But:

• הפגישה נדחתה = the meeting was postponed
  (פגישה is feminine)

נדחתה is a past-tense verb in the Nif‘al pattern, which often gives a passive or passive-like meaning.

The root is ד-ח-ה, which is related to pushing away, rejecting, or postponing.

So:

• דחה = he postponed / pushed off / rejected
• נדחה = was postponed / was rejected (masculine singular)
• נדחתה = was postponed / was rejected (feminine singular)

In this sentence, נדחתה means was postponed.

Hebrew often uses passive or passive-like phrasing when the person responsible is unknown, unimportant, or simply not mentioned.

So:

• הפגישה נדחתה שוב = the meeting was postponed again

This focuses on what happened to the meeting, not on who did it.

If you wanted an active sentence, you could say something like:

• דחו שוב את הפגישה = They postponed the meeting again

But the original sentence sounds very natural and common.

שוב means again.

So:

• נדחתה שוב = was postponed again

Putting שוב at the end is very natural in Hebrew. It modifies the action and means that this happened one more time.

You may also hear עוד פעם for again, especially in speech:

• הפגישה נדחתה עוד פעם = The meeting was postponed again

But שוב is very common and a bit more neutral or standard.

Hebrew often uses the simple past where English might use either:

• was postponed again
• or has been postponed again

So נדחתה can fit either translation depending on context.

Hebrew does not have a separate present perfect tense like English has postponed / has been postponed. Instead, the simple past often covers that meaning.

A common pronunciation is:

Khaval sheha-pgishá nidkhetá shuv

A few pronunciation notes:

• ח sounds like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
• שהפגישה is usually pronounced smoothly as one unit: sheha-pgishá
• פגישה often sounds like pgishá, with a very short or reduced vowel before the p
• נדחתה is stressed at the end: nidkhetá
• שוב = shuv

Different speakers may pronounce some vowels a little differently, but this is a good practical pronunciation.

Yes. פגישה (meeting) is a feminine noun.

That matters because adjectives and past-tense verbs must agree with it. For example:

• פגישה חשובה = an important meeting
• הפגישה הייתה ארוכה = the meeting was long
• הפגישה נדחתה = the meeting was postponed

So when learning new Hebrew nouns, it’s very useful to learn their gender too.

Yes. Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible.

The original:

• חבל שהפגישה נדחתה שוב

is perfectly natural.

You could also hear:

• חבל שהפגישה שוב נדחתה

This also means It’s a shame that the meeting was postponed again.

The difference is mostly one of rhythm or emphasis. In many contexts, both are fine.

It is mostly neutral and very natural.

• חבל ש... is common in everyday conversation
• it is not slang
• it is not especially formal either

So it works well in normal speech and writing.

If you wanted something more formal, you might say:

• צר לי שהפגישה נדחתה שוב = I am sorry that the meeting was postponed again

That sounds more formal or official.

Usually yes. It expresses regret, disappointment, or pity about something.

Examples:

• חבל שאיחרת = It’s a shame you were late
• חבל שלא באת = It’s a shame you didn’t come
• חבל שהפגישה נדחתה שוב = It’s a shame the meeting was postponed again

So it normally introduces something unfortunate or disappointing.