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Questions & Answers about זה נבדל!
Why is there no word for is in זה נבדל?
Because Hebrew usually leaves out the verb to be in the present tense.
So זה נבדל is literally something like:
- this distinct
- it separate
- this set apart
But in natural English, you translate it with is.
Compare:
- זה נבדל = This is distinct / separate
- זה היה נבדל = This was distinct / separate
- זה יהיה נבדל = This will be distinct / separate
In past and future, Hebrew does use forms of to be, but not normally in the present.
What does זה mean here?
זה usually means this, this one, or sometimes it / that, depending on context.
In this sentence, it is the subject of the sentence. So it points to whatever is being talked about:
- an object
- an idea
- a situation
- something just mentioned
A native English speaker often wants to pin it down to one exact word, but Hebrew זה is flexible. In context, it can feel like:
- this
- this thing
- it
- that