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Present Tense & 'to be'

Nominal sentences

No verb 'to be' in the present

Subject and predicate are simply placed together.

💬 Examples
הבית גדול
ha-bayit gadol
The house is big
📝 No 'is'
אני עייף
ani ayef
I am tired
📝 Zero copula in the present
Optional pronoun copula for emphasis

With two nouns, a pronoun (הוא/היא/הם) can link them.

💬 Examples
דוד הוא מורה
David hu more
David is a teacher
📝 הוא links the two nouns
אלה הם החברים שלי
ele hem ha-chaverim sheli
These are my friends
📝 הם as a copula
Present verbs agree in gender/number, not person

The present tense is really a participle.

💬 Examples
אני כותב / אני כותבת
ani kotev / ani kotevet
I write (m / f)
📝 Agrees with the speaker's gender
הם כותבים
hem kotvim
they write
📝 Masculine plural form