המורה כתבה הערה קצרה במחברת שלי.

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Breakdown of המורה כתבה הערה קצרה במחברת שלי.

• שלי: my
• לכתוב: to write
• מורה: teacher

Questions & Answers about המורה כתבה הערה קצרה במחברת שלי.

Is המורה masculine or feminine?

By itself, המורה can refer to either a male teacher or a female teacher. The noun מורה in the singular does not clearly show gender in everyday unpointed spelling.

The ה־ at the beginning simply means the, so המורה = the teacher.

How do I know the teacher is female in this sentence?

You know from the verb כתבה.

In the past tense, Hebrew verbs show gender in the singular:

• כתב = he wrote
• כתבה = she wrote

So המורה כתבה means the teacher wrote, with the teacher understood as female.

Why is there no separate word for a in הערה קצרה?

Hebrew has no indefinite article. There is no separate word for a or an.

So:

• הערה can mean a note or a comment
• הערה קצרה = a short note/comment

If the noun were definite, Hebrew would use ה־:

• ההערה הקצרה = the short note