אפשר and אי אפשר: Possible and Impossible | Hebrew Grammar

אפשר means “it is possible,” “one may,” or—in a request—“could I/we have…?” It is a frozen impersonal modal: it has no referential subject and never changes for person, gender, or number. Put an infinitive after it, and use the separate two-word negative אי אפשר.

The basic frame: אפשר plus an infinitive

Meaning	Frame	Example
practical possibility	אפשר + infinitive	אפשר להזמין באתר
permission	אפשר + infinitive	אפשר לשבת כאן
negative possibility or permission	אי אפשר + infinitive	אי אפשר לחנות פה

אפשר להזמין כרטיסים באתר עד חצות.

efshár lehazmín kartisím ba'atár ad khatsót

Tickets can be booked on the website until midnight. (neutral)

אפשר לשבת כאן או שהשולחן שמור?

efshár lashévet kan o shehashulkhán shamúr?

Can we sit here, or is the table reserved? (permission question)

Nothing in אפשר identifies who will perform the action. The surrounding situation supplies that participant: at a ticket office, אפשר להזמין? may mean “Can I book?”; on an information page, the same frame means “Booking is possible.” If a particular person must be named, Hebrew can add a dative phrase—אפשר לי לצאת?, “May I leave?”—but that לי is not a grammatical subject.

This makes אפשר different from personal יכול, which takes a subject and agrees: אני יכול, היא יכולה, הם יכולים. The full choice is on אפשר or יכול?.

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If English “can” describes somebody's ability, use יכול and agree with that person. If it asks whether the situation, rule, or service makes an action possible, use invariant אפשר.

Why אפשר is so useful in service encounters

An impersonal question avoids assigning an action directly to the listener. אפשר לקבל תפריט? literally asks whether receiving a menu is possible; pragmatically, it is a standard polite request. This is ordinary Israeli service language, neither ceremonial nor unusually deferential.

אפשר לקבל תפריט באנגלית, בבקשה?

efshár lekabél tafrít be'anglít, bevakashá?

Could I have a menu in English, please? (neutral-polite service request)

בטח, אפשר. אביא לך אותו מיד.

bétakh, efshár. aví lekhá otó miyád

Of course. I'll bring it to you right away. (server to one man)

Bare אפשר? can be a complete turn at a counter, doorway, or occupied seat. Its missing action is recoverable from what the speaker is pointing at or trying to do. The same economy lets אפשר take a requested noun in conversation: אפשר חשבון?, “Could we have the bill?” The infinitive frame remains the clearest productive pattern for learners.

סליחה, אפשר? אני רק צריך לקחת את התיק שלי.

slikhá, efshár? aní rak tsaríkh lakákhat et hatík shelí

Excuse me, may I? I just need to get my bag. (m. speaker at a blocked doorway)

The negative is אי אפשר, not לא אפשר

The modal selects the conventional negative אי אפשר. אי is the negative element found in compounds such as אי הבנה “misunderstanding” and אי ודאות “uncertainty.” It does not agree, and the expression is never fused as איאפשר. A typographic maqaf, אי־אפשר, also occurs.

אי אפשר לחנות מול השער, משאית צריכה להיכנס.

i efshár lakhanót mul hashá'ar, masa'ít tsrikhá lehikanés

You can't park in front of the gate; a lorry needs to get in. (practical prohibition)

אי אפשר לפתוח את הקובץ בלי הסיסמה.

i efshár liftóakh et hakóvets bli hasismá

The file can't be opened without the password. (impossibility, not permission)

The same Hebrew negative covers both “not possible” and “not permitted.” Context supplies the difference: a broken lock makes entry impossible; a rule can make it forbidden. When the distinction itself matters, use אסור explicitly for prohibition.

Past and future: היה אפשר and יהיה אפשר

Because modal אפשר cannot conjugate, היה carries tense. The whole impersonal frame stays masculine singular: היה אפשר in the past and יהיה אפשר in the future. It does not change to הייתה or יהיו according to the people who might perform the infinitive, because those people are not its grammatical subject.

Time	Form	Meaning
present	אֶפְשָׁר	it is possible
past	הָיָה אֶפְשָׁר	it was possible
future	יִהְיֶה אֶפְשָׁר	it will be possible

לפני השיפוץ היה אפשר לראות את הים מכל חדר.

lifnéi hashipúts hayá efshár lir'ót et hayám mikól khéder

Before the renovation, you could see the sea from every room.

מהשבוע הבא יהיה אפשר לאסוף הזמנות גם בערב.

mehashavúa habá yihyé efshár le'esóf hazmanót gam ba'érev

Starting next week, orders can also be collected in the evening.

The wider tense pattern is covered on modals in the past and future.

The reading trap: אפשר is also a verb form

Unpointed אפשר hides two different words:

Pointed form	Category	Reading	Meaning
אֶפְשָׁר	invariant adverbial/modal	efshár	possible, permitted
אִפְשֵׁר	pi'el past, 3ms	ifshér	enabled, made possible, allowed

The verb has a root and a full paradigm: לְאַפְשֵׁר “to enable,” מְאַפְשֵׁר “enables,” אִפְשֵׁר “enabled.” Pealim lists the invariant אֶפְשָׁר as an adverb but the homographic אִפְשֵׁר under pi'el. Syntax normally resolves the unpointed collision immediately.

זה אפשר לנו לסיים בזמן למרות העיכוב.

ze ifshér lánu lesayém bazmán lamrót ha'ikúv

That enabled us to finish on time despite the delay. (אפשר is the past verb ifshér)

העדכון החדש מאפשר לשמור טיוטות באופן אוטומטי.

ha'idkún hekhadásh me'afshér lishmór tiyutót be'ófen otomáti

The new update makes it possible to save drafts automatically. (present verb)

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When bare אפשר is followed directly by an infinitive and has no subject, read efshár. When a subject before it caused or enabled something, read past-tense ifshér.

Common Mistakes

1. Giving אפשר an English-style subject. The modal has no subject slot. Use personal יכול for ability, or put the relevant person in a dative phrase.

❌ הלקוחות אפשר להחזיר מוצרים בלי קבלה

Incorrect — הלקוחות cannot be the subject of modal אפשר. Say הלקוחות יכולים להחזיר or אפשר ללקוחות להחזיר.

✅ אני יכול לעזור לך עכשיו אם תרצה.

aní yakhól la'azór lekhá akhsháv im tirtsé

I can help you now if you'd like. (m. speaker to one man)

2. Inventing feminine or plural modal forms. אפשר does not agree with the service, object, or people involved.

❌ אפשרים להזמין שני חדרים יחד

Incorrect — there is no plural modal אפשרים. Keep אפשר unchanged.

✅ אפשר להזמין שני חדרים צמודים?

efshár lehazmín shnei khadarím tsmudím?

Can we book two adjoining rooms?

3. Using לא אפשר for modal negation. לא אפשר is real Hebrew, but it is the pi'el verb “he did not allow,” not the negative of efshár. Keep both readings as valid sentences.

✅ אי אפשר להכניס אוכל לאולם.

i efshár lehakhnís ókhel la'ulám

Food cannot be brought into the hall. (impersonal modal)

✅ המנהל לא אפשר להכניס אוכל לאולם.

hamenahél lo ifshér lehakhnís ókhel la'ulám

The manager did not allow food to be brought into the hall. (personal past verb)

4. Joining the negative into one word. Write אי אפשר or typographic אי־אפשר, never fused איאפשר.

❌ איאפשר לשנות את ההזמנה

Incorrect spelling — write the negative as two words: אי אפשר.

✅ אי אפשר לשנות את ההזמנה אחרי התשלום.

i efshár leshanót et hahazmaná akharéi hatashlúm

The order can't be changed after payment.

Key Takeaways

Modal אֶפְשָׁר is invariant and impersonal: no subject and no agreement.
The productive frame is אפשר + infinitive for possibility, permission, and standard polite requests.
Bare אפשר? is a complete contextual request at a counter or doorway.
Negate it with אי אפשר, always two words—not לא אפשר.
Tense is carried by invariant היה אפשר and יהיה אפשר.
Unpointed אפשר is a homograph: modal אֶפְשָׁר versus pi'el past אִפְשֵׁר “enabled.” Syntax and pointing separate them.

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