Breakdown of אפילו אם התפר קטן, החייט יבדוק את המכפלת.
Questions & Answers about אפילו אם התפר קטן, החייט יבדוק את המכפלת.
אפילו אם means even if.
- אם = if
- אפילו אם = even if
So אפילו אם adds a stronger sense: the main action will still happen despite that condition.
In this sentence, it means the tailor will check the hem even if the seam is small.
You can think of it as:
- אם התפר קטן... = If the seam is small...
- אפילו אם התפר קטן... = Even if the seam is small...
In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.
So:
- התפר קטן literally looks like the seam small
- but it means the seam is small
This is completely normal Hebrew.
Compare:
- הילד עייף = the boy is tired
- הדלת פתוחה = the door is open
In past and future, Hebrew does use forms of to be much more explicitly:
- התפר היה קטן = the seam was small
- התפר יהיה קטן = the seam will be small