ELONIO
Log inSign up

מחר הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה, אבל קודם מישהו צריך לתקן את הפעמון ואת האינטרקום.

מחר הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה, אבל קודם מישהו צריך לתקן את הפעמון ואת האינטרקום.mâchâr holekhet lihyot yeshivâ arukhâ, aval kodem mishehu tsarikh letaken et hapa'amon ve'et ha'interkom.
Tomorrow there is going to be a long meeting, but first someone needs to fix the doorbell and the intercom.
FromLesson 65inHardcore Hebrew

Questions & Answers about מחר הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה, אבל קודם מישהו צריך לתקן את הפעמון ואת האינטרקום.

Why does the sentence use הולכת להיות instead of a simple future form like תהיה?

הולכת להיות is a very common colloquial way to say is going to be.

So:

  • מחר הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה = Tomorrow there’s going to be a long meeting
  • A simpler, more neutral version would be מחר תהיה ישיבה ארוכה

Both are natural. The difference is mostly style:

  • תהיה is simpler and a bit more straightforward
  • הולכת להיות sounds more like spoken Hebrew and emphasizes that something is expected/upcoming

This is similar to English It will be vs. It’s going to be.

Why is it הולכת and not הולך?

Because ישיבה is a feminine singular noun, and הולכת agrees with it.

In this pattern, הולך/הולכת/הולכים/הולכות להיות changes to match the noun that follows:

  • הולך להיות יום ארוך = There’s going to be a long day
  • הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה = There’s going to be a long meeting

Since ישיבה is feminine singular, the form is הולכת.

Could I say מחר תהיה ישיבה ארוכה instead?

Yes — absolutely.

That version is very natural and may even be the first version many teachers would introduce.

Compare:

  • מחר תהיה ישיבה ארוכה = Tomorrow there will be a long meeting
  • מחר הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה = Tomorrow there’s going to be a long meeting

The second one is a bit more conversational and feels slightly more like spoken Hebrew.

Why is ישיבה feminine, and how can I tell?

ישיבה is grammatically feminine. One clue is the ending ־ה, which often marks feminine nouns in Hebrew.

Because it is feminine singular, other words around it also become feminine singular:

  • הולכת
  • ארוכה

So the grammar is:

  • noun: ישיבה
  • adjective agreeing with it: ארוכה

Not every noun ending in ־ה is feminine in every possible case, but very often it is.

Why is the adjective ארוכה after the noun?

In Hebrew, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

So:

  • ישיבה ארוכה = a long meeting
  • literally: meeting long

This is normal Hebrew word order.

Also, the adjective must agree with the noun in:

  • gender
  • number
  • definiteness

So here:

  • ישיבה = feminine singular
  • ארוכה = feminine singular
Why doesn’t ישיבה have ה־ at the beginning?

Because it is indefinite here: a long meeting, not the long meeting.

Compare:

  • ישיבה ארוכה = a long meeting
  • הישיבה הארוכה = the long meeting

In Hebrew, if the noun is definite, the adjective usually becomes definite too:

  • הישיבה
  • הארוכה

Since the sentence is talking about a meeting in general, not a specifically identified one, ישיבה stays indefinite.

What does קודם mean here, and why not לפני?

Here קודם means first or before that.

So:

  • אבל קודם = but first / but קודם all that

It is being used as an adverb.

By contrast, לפני usually works as a preposition meaning before something:

  • לפני הישיבה = before the meeting
  • לפני כן = before that

So in this sentence, קודם is the natural choice because the meaning is but first, someone needs to...

Why is it מישהו צריך?

מישהו means someone.

It is grammatically treated as masculine singular, so the verb-like adjective צריך also appears in the masculine singular form.

That is why you get:

  • מישהו צריך לתקן = someone needs to fix

If the subject were feminine, you might see:

  • מישהי צריכה לתקן = some woman/someone feminine needs to fix

And if it were plural:

  • מישהוים צריכים is not correct Hebrew; you would instead use something like אנשים צריכים = people need to
Why is צריך not in a regular future tense?

Because צריך means need(s) to, and in Hebrew it often behaves more like an adjective or modal expression than a simple ordinary verb.

So:

  • מישהו צריך לתקן = someone needs to fix
  • literally: someone is-needful to fix

This is a very common Hebrew structure:

  • אני צריך ללכת = I need to go
  • היא צריכה ללמוד = she needs to study

The word צריך changes for gender and number:

  • masculine singular: צריך
  • feminine singular: צריכה
  • masculine plural: צריכים
  • feminine plural: צריכות
Why does לתקן start with ל־?

Because ל־ marks the infinitive in Hebrew, like English to in to fix.

So:

  • לתקן = to fix / to repair

In the phrase:

  • צריך לתקן = needs to fix

This is one of the most common patterns in Hebrew:

  • רוצה לאכול = wants to eat
  • יכול לבוא = can come
  • צריך לתקן = needs to fix
What does את do in את הפעמון ואת האינטרקום?

את marks a definite direct object.

Hebrew uses את before a direct object when that object is definite, such as:

  • a noun with ה־
  • a proper name
  • a pronoun

Here both objects are definite:

  • הפעמון = the bell
  • האינטרקום = the intercom

So Hebrew says:

  • לתקן את הפעמון
  • ואת האינטרקום

A very important point: את does not mean with here. It is just a grammatical marker.

Why is את repeated before האינטרקום?

Because there are two coordinated definite direct objects:

  • את הפעמון
  • ואת האינטרקום

Repeating את before the second object is very common and very natural.

You may also hear:

  • לתקן את הפעמון והאינטרקום

But repeating את often sounds clearer and slightly more careful, especially in standard Hebrew.

Why does האינטרקום take ה־ even though it’s a borrowed word?

Because borrowed nouns in Hebrew usually behave like normal Hebrew nouns in grammar.

So אינטרקום can become definite just like other nouns:

  • אינטרקום = an intercom
  • האינטרקום = the intercom

The same happens with many loanwords in Hebrew. Even if the word came from another language, it still usually takes normal Hebrew markers like:

  • ה־ for definiteness
  • plural endings
  • prepositions attached at the front
Is the word order in this sentence fixed?

Not completely. Hebrew word order is fairly flexible, especially with time words like מחר.

This sentence starts with מחר to set the time right away:

  • מחר הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה

That is very natural.

You could also see other orders depending on emphasis, for example:

  • הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה מחר
  • מחר תהיה ישיבה ארוכה

But the original order is especially common because Hebrew often puts time expressions near the beginning of the sentence.

Is פעמון really something that can be fixed with לתקן?

Yes. לתקן is the normal verb for fix / repair in many contexts.

So it works naturally with things like:

  • פעמון = bell/doorbell
  • אינטרקום = intercom

Depending on context, פעמון here may especially suggest a doorbell, not just a freestanding bell. Hebrew often relies on context for that.

So לתקן את הפעמון can very naturally mean to fix the doorbell.

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 מחר הולכת להיות ישיבה ארוכה, אבל קודם מישהו צריך לתקן את הפעמון ואת האינטרקום 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
Start learning Hebrew →