Breakdown of בטבלה הזאת יש שלוש עמודות, אבל העמודה האחרונה עדיין ריקה.
Questions & Answers about בטבלה הזאת יש שלוש עמודות, אבל העמודה האחרונה עדיין ריקה.
How do you pronounce this sentence?
A common pronunciation is:
ba-tabla ha-zot yesh sha-losh a-mu-dot, a-val ha-a-mu-da ha-a-kha-ro-na a-da-yin rei-ka
More naturally, with a smoother flow:
Ba-tabla hazot yesh shalosh amudot, aval ha-amuda ha-acharona adayin reika.
A few notes:
- ח in האחרונה is the throaty kh sound, like in Bach.
- ר in modern Hebrew is usually pronounced in the back of the throat.
- Stress is often near the end:
- taBLA
- haZOT
- amuDOT
- acharoNA
- reiKA
Why does בטבלה mean in the table?
Because ב־ means in, and when it attaches to a definite noun with ה־ (the), they combine.
So:
- טבלה = table
- הטבלה = the table
- ב + הטבלה = בטבלה = in the table
This kind of contraction is very common in Hebrew:
- בבית = in the house
- בספר = in the book
- במכונית = in the car
So בטבלה הזאת literally means in this table.
Why is הזאת after טבלה instead of before it?
In Hebrew, demonstratives like this and that usually come after the noun.
So:
- הטבלה הזאת = this table
- הספר הזה = this book
- הילדה הזאת = this girl
This is the normal Hebrew pattern:
- noun + this/that
Also notice that the noun is usually definite:
- הטבלה הזאת not normally
- טבלה הזאת
So Hebrew says something closer to the table this.
Why is the sentence using יש?
יש is the standard Hebrew way to say there is or there are.
So:
- יש שלוש עמודות = there are three columns
Hebrew does not use a structure like English there are with a form of to be here. Instead, it uses יש.
Examples:
- יש ספר על השולחן = There is a book on the table
- יש שני חדרים בבית = There are two rooms in the house
So in this sentence:
- בטבלה הזאת יש שלוש עמודות literally: In this table, there are three columns
Why is it שלוש עמודות and not שלושה עמודות?
Because עמודות is a feminine noun, and the number 3 must match that.
Here are the forms:
- שלושה is used with masculine nouns
- שלוש is used with feminine nouns
So:
- שלושה ספרים = three books (masculine noun)
- שלוש עמודות = three columns (feminine noun)
The singular noun is:
- עמודה = column
Since עמודה is feminine, its plural עמודות is also feminine, so the number is שלוש.
How do I know that עמודה is feminine?
A strong clue is the ending ־ה in the singular form:
- עמודה = column
Many Hebrew nouns ending in ־ה are feminine.
You can also see the feminine agreement elsewhere in the sentence:
- שלוש (feminine form of three)
- האחרונה (feminine last)
- ריקה (feminine empty)
So the sentence is giving you several signals that עמודה is feminine.
Why do both העמודה and האחרונה have ה־?
Because in Hebrew, when a noun is definite, its adjective is usually definite too.
So:
- עמודה אחרונה = a last/final column
- העמודה האחרונה = the last column
This is a very important pattern:
- הספר הגדול = the big book
- הילד הקטן = the small boy
- העמודה האחרונה = the last column
So both the noun and the adjective take ה־ when the phrase is definite.
Why is there no word for is in העמודה האחרונה עדיין ריקה?
In present-tense Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted.
So:
- העמודה האחרונה עדיין ריקה literally: the last column still empty but naturally: the last column is still empty
This is normal Hebrew:
- הוא עייף = He is tired
- החדר גדול = The room is big
- העמודה האחרונה ריקה = The last column is empty
Hebrew does use forms of to be in past and future, but not usually in simple present-tense sentences like this one.
Why is it ריקה and not ריק?
Because adjectives in Hebrew must agree with the noun in gender and number.
The noun here is:
- העמודה = the column
and it is feminine singular
So the adjective must also be feminine singular:
- ריקה = empty (feminine singular)
Compare:
- עמוד ריק = an empty column / a blank column (masculine singular)
- עמודה ריקה = an empty column (feminine singular)
- עמודות ריקות = empty columns (feminine plural)
What does עדיין mean here?
עדיין means still.
So:
- העמודה האחרונה עדיין ריקה = the last column is still empty
It shows that the situation continues up to now. The column was empty before, and it remains empty now.
Examples:
- אני עדיין מחכה = I’m still waiting
- הוא עדיין לא בא = He still hasn’t come
- החדר עדיין מלוכלך = The room is still dirty
What is the basic structure of the whole sentence?
The sentence has two parts joined by אבל (but):
בטבלה הזאת יש שלוש עמודות
= In this table, there are three columnsאבל העמודה האחרונה עדיין ריקה
= but the last column is still empty
So the structure is:
- location + יש + noun phrase
- אבל + subject + adverb + adjective
This is a very natural Hebrew sentence pattern:
- first, state what exists
- then, contrast it with additional information
Could I also say בטבלה הזו instead of בטבלה הזאת?
Yes. In modern Hebrew, הזו and הזאת can both mean this for feminine singular nouns.
So both are possible:
- בטבלה הזאת
- בטבלה הזו
Very roughly:
- הזאת can sound a bit more formal or careful
- הזו is very common in everyday speech
A learner should understand both. In written Hebrew, הזאת is very standard.
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