הרצועה ארוכה.

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense.

So:

• הרצועה ארוכה = The strap is long
• literally, it is more like the strap long

But in the past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be:

• הרצועה הייתה ארוכה = The strap was long
• הרצועה תהיה ארוכה = The strap will be long

So the missing is is completely normal.

The prefix ה־ means the.

So:

• רצועה = a strap / strap
• הרצועה = the strap

This prefix is called the definite article in Hebrew.

When attached, it is usually pronounced ha-, so הרצועה is roughly ha-r'tzu-a.

Because רצועה is a feminine singular noun, and Hebrew adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe.

Here:

• רצועה = feminine singular
• ארוכה = feminine singular form of long

Compare:

• רצועה ארוכה = a long strap / the strap is long
• חוט ארוך = a long string/thread
  because חוט is masculine, so the adjective is ארוך

This kind of agreement is very important in Hebrew.

One clue is the ending ־ה, which often marks a feminine singular noun.

So רצועה looks like a typical feminine noun. Not every noun follows the most common pattern, but this is a strong clue.

You can also see it from the adjective:

• ארוך = masculine singular
• ארוכה = feminine singular

Since the sentence uses ארוכה, that confirms the noun is feminine.

Because in this sentence the adjective is being used as a predicate, not as part of a noun phrase.

• הרצועה ארוכה = The strap is long
  Here long is the predicate, so it does not take ה־.

But if you want to say the long strap, where the adjective directly modifies the noun inside one noun phrase, then both noun and adjective are definite:

• הרצועה הארוכה = the long strap

So:

• הרצועה ארוכה = The strap is long
• הרצועה הארוכה = the long strap

That is a very useful distinction in Hebrew.

Grammatically, it is a subject + predicate adjective sentence.

• הרצועה = the subject, the strap
• ארוכה = a predicate adjective, long

Because present-tense to be is omitted, Hebrew simply places them next to each other:

• subject + adjective

So although it looks like noun + adjective, it actually means The strap is long, not automatically the long strap.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• הרצועה = ha-r'tsu-A
• ארוכה = a-ru-KHA

A few notes:

• The stress is usually near the end: r'tsu-A, aru-KHA
• The kh sound in ארוכה is like the sound in German Bach or Hebrew ח/כ without dagesh
• The ר may sound a bit different depending on the speaker’s accent

A rough full pronunciation: ha-r'tsu-A a-ru-KHA

The normal neutral order here is:

• הרצועה ארוכה

This is the most straightforward way to say The strap is long.

Hebrew can sometimes vary word order for style, emphasis, or poetic effect, but for learners, this is the standard order to use.

So if you are just learning, stick with:

• subject first
• adjective second

The masculine singular form is ארוך.

So the adjective long changes like this:

• ארוך = masculine singular
• ארוכה = feminine singular

Examples:

• החוט ארוך = The string is long
• הרצועה ארוכה = The strap is long

Learning masculine/feminine adjective pairs like this is very useful in Hebrew.

Normally, no. הרצועה ארוכה is understood as The strap is long.

If you want to say the long strap, Hebrew usually says:

• הרצועה הארוכה

That extra ה־ on the adjective shows that the adjective is part of the definite noun phrase.

So the difference is:

• הרצועה ארוכה = The strap is long
• הרצועה הארוכה = the long strap