השלדה מחזיקה את הכידון.

It is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to English the.

So:

• השלדה = the frame
• הכידון = the handlebar

Unlike English, Hebrew attaches the directly to the noun as a prefix, instead of writing it as a separate word.

Because the subject השלדה is feminine singular, and the Hebrew present-tense verb agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Here are the relevant forms:

• מחזיק = masculine singular
• מחזיקה = feminine singular
• מחזיקים = masculine plural
• מחזיקות = feminine plural

Since שלדה is feminine, the sentence uses מחזיקה.

את is the Hebrew definite direct object marker. It does not get translated into English, but it tells you that the next noun is the direct object of the verb.

So in:

• השלדה מחזיקה את הכידון

the subject is השלדה, the verb is מחזיקה, and את הכידון is the direct object.

A very important point: את is usually used before a definite direct object, such as one with ה־.

So:

• מחזיקה את הכידון = holds the handlebar

But if the object were indefinite, את would usually not appear.

Because השלדה is the subject, not the direct object.

In this sentence:

• השלדה = the thing doing the action
• מחזיקה = holds
• את הכידון = the thing being held

Hebrew uses את only for the direct object, not for the subject.

The dictionary form is להחזיק, which means to hold, to keep, or sometimes to maintain depending on context.

מחזיקה is the feminine singular present-tense form of להחזיק.

So the pattern is:

• להחזיק = to hold
• מחזיק = holding / holds, masculine singular
• מחזיקה = holding / holds, feminine singular

Yes. In Modern Hebrew, the present tense often covers both the English simple present and present progressive.

So השלדה מחזיקה את הכידון could mean:

• The frame holds the handlebar
• The frame is holding the handlebar

Usually the context tells you which English translation sounds more natural.

Yes. This is a very normal subject–verb–object sentence in Modern Hebrew:

• השלדה = subject
• מחזיקה = verb
• את הכידון = object

So structurally it matches English quite well:

• The frame / holds / the handlebar

Hebrew word order can be more flexible than English, especially for emphasis, but this sentence uses the most neutral and common order.

A helpful pronunciation is:

ha-shil-DA makh-zi-KA et ha-ki-DON

A few notes:

• ח in מחזיקה is a throaty sound, like ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
• stress is usually near the end here:
  • shilDA
  • makhziKA
  • kiDON

With vowel marks, the sentence is:

הַשִּׁלְדָה מַחֲזִיקָה אֶת הַכִּידוֹן

In Hebrew, כידון is a singular noun, but it often refers to the bicycle handlebar as a single unit.

So even though English often says handlebars, Hebrew commonly uses singular כידון.

That means you should not always expect Hebrew number to match English word-for-word.

Yes. מחזיקה comes from the root ח־ז־ק, which is connected with ideas like strength and holding firm.

Related words include:

• חזק = strong
• חיזוק = strengthening / reinforcement
• להחזיק = to hold / keep

Knowing the root can help you recognize related vocabulary and remember the general meaning more easily.