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.

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

נבדל is a masculine singular participle/adjective-like form from the root ב-ד-ל, which is connected to separation or distinction.

In real usage, it can function a lot like an adjective:

• separate
• distinct
• set apart

But it is also connected to a verbal idea, roughly being separated or becoming distinct.

That overlap is very normal in Hebrew: present-tense participles often behave a lot like adjectives.

It can feel like both, depending on how you look at it.

For a learner, the easiest way to think about it is:

• grammatically, it comes from a verbal system
• in this sentence, it behaves very much like an adjective

So in זה נבדל, it is describing the subject, which makes it feel adjective-like: distinct, separate, set apart.

This is common in Hebrew. Many present-tense forms can work in a way that overlaps with English adjectives.

Because it agrees with the thing being referred to, and here the form is masculine singular.

The form נבדל is masculine singular. Other forms would be:

• נבדלת = feminine singular
• נבדלים = masculine plural
• נבדלות = feminine plural

So if the subject were feminine, you would expect something like:

• זאת נבדלת

If the subject were plural:

• אלה נבדלים
• אלה נבדלות

Hebrew adjectives and participle-like forms usually agree in gender and number.

A common pronunciation is:

ze niv-DAL

A few details:

• זה = ze
• נבדל = nivdal
• the stress is on the last syllable: niv-DAL

Also, the letter ב in נבדל is pronounced like v here, not b.

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

ze niv-DAL

Yes. It comes from the root ב-ד-ל, which has to do with separating, distinguishing, or setting apart.

That root appears in related words and forms such as:

• להבדיל = to separate, distinguish
• הבדל = difference
• מובדל or related forms in some contexts = separated / distinguished

So נבדל carries the idea of something being separate, distinct, or set apart from something else.

Knowing the root helps you see that this is not just random vocabulary; it belongs to a whole word family about distinction and separation.

That is a very good question.

שונה is often the more everyday word for different.

נבדל usually sounds more like:

• distinct
• separate
• set apart
• clearly differentiated

So the nuance is a little stronger or more formal. It often suggests not just simple difference, but a clearer sense of separation or distinction.

Very roughly:

• זה שונה = This is different
• זה נבדל = This is distinct / separate / set apart

Depending on context, נבדל can sound more formal, literary, or precise.

The normal order here is זה נבדל.

That is the straightforward way to say it.

Hebrew word order can sometimes change for emphasis or style, but for a basic learner sentence, זה נבדל is the standard and natural order.

So if you are producing simple, neutral Hebrew, this is the order to copy.

The exclamation mark adds emphasis.

So:

• זה נבדל. = neutral statement
• זה נבדל! = stronger, more emphatic, more emotionally marked

It can suggest surprise, insistence, or strong observation, depending on context.

The grammar does not change, but the tone does.