הגלגל הרזרבי באוטו.

car

Breakdown of הגלגל הרזרבי באוטו.

• גלגל רזרבי: spare wheel

Questions & Answers about הגלגל הרזרבי באוטו.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

Because Hebrew often leaves out is / are in the present tense.

So הגלגל הרזרבי באוטו literally looks like:

• the spare wheel/tire
• in the car

But it means:

• The spare tire is in the car.

This is called a nominal sentence. In present-time statements, Hebrew usually does not use a separate word for is.

Compare:

• הילד בבית = The boy is at home
• המפתח על השולחן = The key is on the table

But in past or future, Hebrew does use a verb:

• הגלגל הרזרבי היה באוטו = The spare tire was in the car
• הגלגל הרזרבי יהיה באוטו = The spare tire will be in the car

What does ה־ mean in הגלגל and הרזרבי?

ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• גלגל = wheel
• הגלגל = the wheel

And:

• רזרבי = spare
• הרזרבי = the spare

In Hebrew, when a noun is definite, an adjective describing it usually becomes definite too. So:

• גלגל רזרבי = a spare wheel
• הגלגל הרזרבי = the spare wheel

That is why both words have ה־.

Why does the adjective come after the noun in הגלגל הרזרבי?