# זה/אלה החיים



## airelibre

Is the subject in "That's life!"/"This is the life" seen as life itself or the abstract "this/that"? Ie, can זה החיים be correct or does it always need to agree, as in אלה החיים?


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## arielipi

ככה זה החיים is correct
as well as all the others.


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## ystab

I don't agree. In my opinion, either אלה החיים or ככה זה *ב*חיים.


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## Tararam

ystab said:


> I don't agree. In my opinion, either אלה החיים or ככה זה *ב*חיים.



+1


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## airelibre

Is אלא החיים only used for "this is the life (positive meaning)" and ככה זה בחיים only for "that's life!" or do they both depend on intonation as to meaning?


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## Tararam

"ככה זה בחיים" is used for "that's life!"/"such is life"
"אלה החיים" is used for both "that's life!" and "this is living"/"this is the life".

For the positive meaning, you can add "אלה החיים הטובים/היפים"


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## airelibre

Many thanks


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## scriptum

The three expressions have the same meaning. They seem to differ stylistically.
אלה החיים is literary,
זה החיים is colloquial,
ככה זה בחיים is low colloquial.


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## arielipi

אם אלה החיים נחיה
תראה אותי אתה נהיה דומם.


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