הדרכון שלי עדיין בתוקף, אבל הוא עומד לפוג בחודש הבא.

Breakdown of הדרכון שלי עדיין בתוקף, אבל הוא עומד לפוג בחודש הבא.

אבל
but
ב
in
הוא
it
שלי
my
הבא
next
דרכון
passport
עדיין
still
חודש
month
לעמוד ל
to be about to
לפוגlafug
to expire
בתוקףbetokef
valid

Questions & Answers about הדרכון שלי עדיין בתוקף, אבל הוא עומד לפוג בחודש הבא.

How do you pronounce this sentence?

A natural pronunciation is:

ha-darkón sheli adáyin be-tókef, avál hu oméd la-fóg ba-chódesh ha-bá.

A rough word-by-word guide:

  • הדרכוןha-darkón
  • שליsheli
  • עדייןadáyin
  • בתוקףbe-tókef
  • אבלavál
  • הואhu
  • עומדoméd
  • לפוגla-fóg
  • בחודשba-chódesh
  • הבאha-bá
Why is it הדרכון שלי and not just דרכון שלי?

הדרכון שלי means my passport in the normal, specific sense.

In Modern Hebrew, when you say the + noun + שלי/שלך/שלו..., you usually mean a specific possessed item:

  • הדרכון שליmy passport
  • הספר שליmy book

If you say דרכון שלי without ה־, it can sound more like a passport of mine, which is less neutral and less common in a sentence like this.

So for a normal statement about your passport, הדרכון שלי is the expected form.

What does עדיין mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

עדיין means still.

So:

  • הדרכון שלי עדיין בתוקף = My passport is still valid

Its placement here is very natural: it comes before the part it modifies, בתוקף.

You will often see עדיין in similar places:

  • אני עדיין כאןI am still here
  • הוא עדיין עובדHe is still working
What does בתוקף mean exactly?

בתוקף is a fixed expression meaning valid, in force, or currently effective.

Literally, it is:

  • ב־ = in
  • תוקף = validity / force

So בתוקף is literally something like in effect or in force.

It is commonly used for:

  • passports
  • visas
  • contracts
  • laws
  • licenses

For example:

  • הוויזה עדיין בתוקףThe visa is still valid
  • החוק בתוקףThe law is in force

A more direct adjective also exists:

  • הדרכון שלי עדיין תקףMy passport is still valid

That is also correct. The sentence you were given uses the very common phrase בתוקף.

Why is there a separate הוא in אבל הוא עומד לפוג?

הוא means it/he, and here it refers back to הדרכון (the passport), which is masculine singular.

So:

  • הדרכון — masculine singular noun
  • הוא — the matching pronoun: it / he

Hebrew often uses an explicit subject pronoun in present-tense clauses, especially when starting a new clause after אבל (but):

  • הדרכון שלי עדיין בתוקף, אבל הוא עומד לפוג...

This is very natural and clear.

In English, we also repeat the subject:

  • My passport is still valid, but it is about to expire...
What does עומד לפוג mean? Does עומד literally mean standing here?

Yes, עומד literally means standing, but here it is part of an idiomatic pattern:

עומד ל־ + infinitive

This pattern means:

  • is about to...
  • is going to...
  • is set to...

So:

  • הוא עומד לפוג = it is about to expire

Other examples:

  • הגשם עומד להתחילThe rain is about to start
  • הם עומדים לצאתThey are about to leave

So in this sentence, עומד should not be understood literally as physical standing.

Why is it לפוג after עומד?

After the pattern עומד ל־, Hebrew uses the infinitive form of the verb.

Here the verb is פג / לפוג, meaning to expire or to lapse.

So:

  • עומדis about to
  • לפוגto expire

Together:

  • עומד לפוגis about to expire

This is the same structure as:

  • עומד ללכתis about to go
  • עומד להתחילis about to begin
Is לפוג specifically used for passports and documents?

Yes, לפוג is commonly used for things whose validity ends, such as:

  • passports
  • visas
  • subscriptions
  • permits
  • medicines
  • deadlines or periods

Examples:

  • האשרה עומדת לפוגThe visa is about to expire
  • המנוי פג בסוף החודשThe subscription expires at the end of the month
  • פג תוקף הדרכוןThe passport’s validity expired / The passport expired

So לפוג is a very appropriate verb here.

Why is it בחודש הבא and not some other order?

בחודש הבא means next month.

Breakdown:

  • ב־ = in
  • חודש = month
  • הבא = the next / coming

So literally it is in the coming month.

Two important grammar points are happening here:

  1. The adjective comes after the noun in Hebrew

    • חודש הבא = next month
    • not הבא חודש
  2. The adjective matches the noun in gender and definiteness

    • חודש is masculine singular
    • so the adjective is הבא (masculine singular)
    • both noun and adjective are definite here

Compare:

  • השנה הבאהnext year
    because שנה is feminine, so הבאה
Why does בחודש become one word?

Because ב־ (in) is a prefix in Hebrew and attaches directly to the following word.

So:

  • ב + חודשבחודש

Since החודש הבא is definite, the ב־ combines with the article in the usual Hebrew way:

  • ב + החודשבחודש

This kind of contraction is very common:

  • בביתin the house
  • בשבוע הבאnext week
  • בעירin the city
Could Hebrew also say this without בתוקף, using a simpler adjective?

Yes. A very common alternative is:

הדרכון שלי עדיין תקף, אבל הוא עומד לפוג בחודש הבא.

That means the same thing: My passport is still valid, but it is about to expire next month.

So you may hear both:

  • עדיין בתוקף
  • עדיין תקף

Both are correct.
בתוקף sounds slightly more formal or official, which fits documents like passports very well.

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