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Learn Hardcore Hebrew: המס משנה את המחיר. - The tax changes the price.

Hardcore Hebrew
/Buying a second-hand bicycle
/המס משנה את המחיר.

המס משנה את המחיר.

המס משנה את המחיר.hamas m'shaneh et hamechir.

The tax changes the price.

Breakdown of המס משנה את המחיר.

direct object marker

Questions & Answers about המס משנה את המחיר.

Why do המס and המחיר both begin with ה־?

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, the equivalent of the in English.

So in this sentence:

המס = the tax
המחיר = the price

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

What is את doing in the sentence?

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

Here, את המחיר shows that the price is the thing being changed.

A very important rule:

use את before a definite direct object
do not use את before an indefinite direct object

So:

המס משנה את המחיר = the object is the price
המס משנה מחיר would mean the object is a price / price and would not take את

How do I know that המס is the subject and המחיר is the object?

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There are two main clues:

Word order: the sentence is in a very common subject–verb–object order:
- המס = subject
- משנה = verb
- את המחיר = object
את marks the object:
- because המחיר comes after את, it is clearly the direct object

So the sentence means that the tax is doing the changing, and the price is what gets changed.

What tense is משנה?

משנה is in the present tense.

In Hebrew, the present tense often covers both:

simple present: changes
present progressive: is changing

So depending on context, משנה could correspond to either one in English.

What is the dictionary form of משנה?

The dictionary form is לשנות, meaning to change.

So the pattern is:

dictionary form: לשנות
present tense, masculine singular: משנה

This verb comes from the root ש-נ-ה.

Why is the verb form משנה and not some other form?

In the present tense, Hebrew verbs agree with the subject in gender and number.

Here the subject is המס, and מס is masculine singular, so the verb appears in the matching present-tense form: משנה.

One useful thing to know: in normal unpointed Hebrew spelling, some masculine and feminine singular present-tense forms can look the same. So the context helps you understand the form.

How is משנה pronounced here?

Here it is pronounced roughly me-sha-neh.

This matters because Hebrew is usually written without vowel marks in everyday texts, so the same spelling can sometimes be read in different ways. In this sentence, the context makes it clear that משנה is the verb changes / is changing.

Why are there no vowel marks in the sentence?

Because this is how most modern Hebrew is normally written. Everyday Hebrew usually appears without ניקוד (vowel marks).

Native readers rely on:

context
familiar word patterns
grammar

So even though משנה could be ambiguous by itself, the full sentence makes the intended reading clear.

Can the word order be changed?

Yes, Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, but המס משנה את המחיר is the most neutral and straightforward way to say it.

This order is very common in modern Hebrew:

subject
verb
object

Because את marks the object, Hebrew can sometimes move parts of the sentence around for emphasis, but the basic version here is the most natural for a learner to use first.

Would את still be used if price were not definite?

No. את is normally used only before a definite direct object.

So:

המס משנה את המחיר = the price → definite, so את is used
המס משנה מחיר = a price / price → indefinite, so את is not used

That is one of the most important uses of את in Hebrew grammar.

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