Questions & Answers about הגשר יכול לשאת הרבה מכוניות.
Why is ה attached to גשר?
ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to English the. Hebrew usually attaches it directly to the noun.
So:
- גשר = bridge
- הגשר = the bridge
Why is it יכול and not יכולה or יכולים?
Because גשר is a masculine singular noun, and יכול agrees with the subject in gender and number.
So:
- הגשר יכול... = the bridge can...
- המכונית יכולה... = the car can...
- הגשרים יכולים... = the bridges can...
Even though a bridge is not a person, Hebrew still gives it grammatical gender.
Is יכול really the Hebrew word for can?
In everyday Hebrew, yes. יכול literally means able / capable, but it is very commonly used the way English uses can.
A very common pattern is:
subject + יכול + infinitive
So:
- הוא יכול לבוא = he can come
- הגשר יכול לשאת... = the bridge can carry / support...
Why does לשאת begin with ל־? English says can carry, not can to carry.