יש שאלה לגבי השופט.

יש is a very common Hebrew word used to express there is / there are / has / have, depending on context.

In this sentence, יש שאלה means there is a question.

A key point for English speakers:
Hebrew often does not use a verb like to be in the present tense the way English does. Instead, יש is used to express existence.

Examples:

• יש ספר. — There is a book.
• יש בעיה. — There is a problem.
• יש לי זמן. — I have time.
  (Literally: There is to me time.)

So in יש שאלה לגבי השופט, יש introduces the existence of a question.

Because שאלה here is indefinite: a question, not the question.

Hebrew uses the prefix ה־ to make a noun definite:

• שאלה — a question
• השאלה — the question

So:

• יש שאלה = there is a question
• יש השאלה would generally not be the natural way to say there is the question

If you wanted to say There is the question regarding the judge, you would usually need a different structure, depending on context. In this sentence, the idea is simply that some question exists, so the indefinite שאלה is the natural choice.

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to English the.

So:

• שופט — a judge
• השופט — the judge

In לגבי השופט, the speaker is referring to the judge, not just any judge.

This gives the sentence the pattern:

• יש — there is
• שאלה — a question
• לגבי השופט — regarding the judge

לגבי means regarding / concerning / about. It is very common in formal and neutral Hebrew.

So לגבי השופט means:

• regarding the judge
• concerning the judge
• about the judge

It overlaps with על, which can also mean about, but they are not always identical in tone or usage.

Very roughly:

• על is often the most basic and common word for about
• לגבי can sound a bit more formal, administrative, or precise: regarding / concerning

Examples:

• שאלה על השופט — a question about the judge
• שאלה לגבי השופט — a question regarding the judge

Both can be correct, but לגבי often sounds a little more formal or official.

Because יש does not change for gender or number.

Unlike many Hebrew verbs, יש stays the same whether the noun after it is singular, plural, masculine, or feminine.

Examples:

• יש שאלה. — There is a question.
• יש שאלות. — There are questions.
• יש ספר. — There is a book.
• יש ספרים. — There are books.

So even though שאלה is feminine singular, יש does not change.

Yes, שאלה is a feminine singular noun.

One clue is the ending ־ה, which often marks feminine nouns in Hebrew. It is not a universal rule, but it is very common.

So:

• שאלה — question (feminine singular)
• שאלות — questions (feminine plural)

Because the noun is feminine, if you used adjectives with it, those adjectives would also need to be feminine:

• שאלה חשובה — an important question

In your sentence, though, there is no adjective, so you only need to recognize the noun’s gender.

The sentence follows a very common Hebrew existential pattern:

יש + noun + prepositional phrase

Here:

• יש — there is
• שאלה — a question
• לגבי השופט — regarding the judge

So the structure is: There is + something + about/regarding + something

This is very natural Hebrew word order. English speakers sometimes expect a structure more like A question exists regarding the judge, but Hebrew strongly prefers יש in this kind of sentence.

No. As written, it is singular: שאלה = a question.

If you wanted There are questions regarding the judge, you would say: יש שאלות לגבי השופט.

The difference is:

• שאלה — question
• שאלות — questions

Since יש itself does not change, the singular/plural meaning comes from the noun.

You would replace יש with אין.

So:

• יש שאלה לגבי השופט. — There is a question regarding the judge.
• אין שאלה לגבי השופט. — There is no question regarding the judge.

אין is the standard negative counterpart of יש in this kind of sentence.

Yes. After a preposition like לגבי, the word השופט keeps its definite article ה־, but in pronunciation the ה is usually light, and the stress of השופט stays on the last syllable.

A learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be something like:

yesh she'elah legabey hashofet

A few pronunciation notes:

• שאלה has a break between the vowels: she-'e-lah
• לגבי is commonly pronounced le-ga-BEY
• השופט is ha-sho-FET

You do not remove the ה־ after לגבי.
So it is לגבי השופט, not לגבי שופט if you mean regarding the judge.

Often yes, especially in everyday speech, but the tone may shift a little.

Compare:

• יש שאלה לגבי השופט.
• יש שאלה על השופט.

Both can be understood, but לגבי usually sounds more like regarding / concerning, while על is broader and more conversational as about.

In many real situations, either one would work. If you want a slightly more formal or precise feel, לגבי is a very good choice.