בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה, קצת מנוחה עוזרת לי יותר מקפה.

Questions & Answers about בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה, קצת מנוחה עוזרת לי יותר מקפה.

Why does the sentence start with בכל פעם? Does it just mean every time?

Yes. בכל פעם means every time or whenever.

It is made of:

  • ב־ = in / at
  • כל = every
  • פעם = time / occasion

So literally it is something like at every time.

You may also hear כל פעם in everyday speech. Both are common, but בכל פעם can sound a bit fuller or slightly more formal in some contexts.


Why does Hebrew say שיש לי בחילה instead of something like כשאני בחילה or אני יש לי בחילה?

Hebrew often expresses having something with יש ל־, literally there is to...

So:

  • יש לי = I have
    literally: there is to me

That is why:

  • יש לי בחילה = I have nausea / I feel nauseous

And in the sentence:

  • בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה = every time I have nausea

A few important points:

  • אני יש לי is not standard here.
  • כשאני בחילה is not grammatical, because בחילה is a noun, not an adjective meaning nauseous.

What exactly is בחילה here?

בחילה means nausea.

In this sentence, יש לי בחילה is a very natural way to say:

  • I feel nauseous
  • I have nausea

Hebrew often uses a noun in these body/health expressions:

  • יש לי כאב ראש = I have a headache
  • יש לי חום = I have a fever
  • יש לי בחילה = I have nausea / I feel nauseous

So even if English sometimes prefers an adjective like nauseous, Hebrew commonly uses this noun pattern.


Why is there no ה־ on בחילה? Why not הבחילה?

Because the sentence is talking about nausea in general / an episode of nausea, not a specific previously identified nausea.

So:

  • בחילה = nausea / a feeling of nausea
  • הבחילה = the nausea

In this sentence, the indefinite form is the natural choice:

  • בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה = every time I have nausea

If you said הבחילה, it would usually sound like you mean a specific nausea already known from context.


Why is it קצת מנוחה? What does קצת do here?

קצת means a little, a bit of, or some.

So:

  • קצת מנוחה = a little rest / some rest

This is a very common structure in Hebrew:

  • קצת מים = a little water
  • קצת זמן = a little time
  • קצת אוכל = a little food

So here קצת modifies מנוחה and tells you the amount.


Why is the verb עוזרת feminine?

Because the subject is מנוחה, and מנוחה is a feminine singular noun.

In the present tense, Hebrew verbs agree with the subject in gender and number.

So:

  • מנוחה עוזרת = rest helps
    feminine singular
  • קפה עוזר = coffee helps
    masculine singular

That is why the sentence says:

  • קצת מנוחה עוזרת לי

The verb agrees with מנוחה, not with לי.


Why is לי used after עוזרת?

Because לעזור means to help, and the person being helped is expressed with ל־ (to).

So:

  • עוזר לי = helps me
  • עוזר לך = helps you
  • עוזר לו = helps him

Literally, עוזרת לי is something like helps to me, though in natural English we just say helps me.

So:

  • קצת מנוחה עוזרת לי = a little rest helps me

How does יותר מקפה work? Why is there a מ־ attached to קפה?

This is the normal Hebrew way to make comparisons.

  • יותר = more
  • מ־ = than / from

So:

  • יותר מקפה = more than coffee

Hebrew uses מ־ after comparatives:

  • יותר טוב ממני = better than me
  • יותר מהר מהאוטובוס = faster than the bus
  • יותר מקפה = more than coffee

So in the sentence:

  • עוזרת לי יותר מקפה = helps me more than coffee does

The second verb is not repeated, because Hebrew often leaves it understood.


Is there an implied word after יותר, like יותר טוב?

Not necessarily. Here יותר directly compares how much something helps.

So:

  • עוזרת לי יותר מקפה = helps me more than coffee

You do not need to add טוב.

Compare:

  • זה טוב יותר = this is better
  • זה עוזר יותר = this helps more

In your sentence, the idea is:

  • rest helps me more than coffee helps me

So the comparison is built into עוזרת ... יותר מקפה.


Why is the subject קצת מנוחה placed before the verb? Could the order be different?

The given order is the most straightforward and natural here:

  • קצת מנוחה עוזרת לי יותר מקפה

Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, but this version is clear and neutral:

  1. condition: בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה
  2. subject: קצת מנוחה
  3. verb + object/complement: עוזרת לי יותר מקפה

You might hear different orders for emphasis, but they would sound more marked. For a learner, the sentence as written is an excellent default pattern.


Could I say כשיש לי בחילה instead of בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה?

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly.

  • כשיש לי בחילה = when I have nausea
  • בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה = every time I have nausea

The second one is more explicit and repetitive: it stresses that this happens whenever that situation occurs.

So both can work, but:

  • כש... is a general when
  • בכל פעם ש... is specifically every time that...

Is this a very natural everyday Hebrew sentence?

Yes, it sounds natural.

A native speaker might also say close variations such as:

  • כשיש לי בחילה, קצת מנוחה עוזרת לי יותר מקפה.
  • כשיש לי בחילה, מנוחה עוזרת לי יותר מקפה.
  • כשיש לי בחילה, עדיף לי לנוח מאשר לשתות קפה.

But the original sentence is perfectly normal and understandable.


How would this sentence be pronounced?

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

Be-khol pa'am she-yesh li bekhi-lá, ktzát menukhá o-zé-ret li yo-tér mi-ká-fe.

A few notes:

  • בכל = be-khol
  • פעם = pa'am
  • שיש = often sounds like she-yesh
  • בחילה = bekhi-lá
  • קצת = ktzát
  • מנוחה = menukhá
  • עוזרת = o-zé-ret
  • יותר = yo-tér
  • מקפה = mi-ká-fe

The stress usually falls near the end in many of these words, especially:

  • בחילָה
  • מנוחָה
  • יֹותר
  • קָפה
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
What's the best way to learn Hebrew grammar?
Hebrew grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Hebrew

Master Hebrew — from בכל פעם שיש לי בחילה, קצת מנוחה עוזרת לי יותר מקפה to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • AI tutor to answer your grammar questions