התקלה במונה התחילה אחרי הפסקת החשמל.

Because the subject, התקלה (the malfunction / the fault), is a feminine singular noun.

In Hebrew, verbs in the past tense agree with the subject in gender and number. So:

• התקלה התחילה = the malfunction started
• If the subject were masculine, you would expect התחיל
• If it were plural, the verb would also change

So התחילה matches תקלה.

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• תקלה = a malfunction / malfunction
• התקלה = the malfunction
• חשמל = electricity
• החשמל = the electricity

This is one of the most basic features of Hebrew nouns: instead of a separate word like the, Hebrew usually adds ה־ to the beginning of the noun.

במונה is made of:

• ב־ = in / at / on
• מונה = meter

So במונה literally means in the meter or at the meter, but in natural English it often corresponds to with the meter or in the meter depending on context.

In this sentence, התקלה במונה is best understood as:

• the malfunction in the meter
• or more naturally, the fault in the meter

Hebrew often uses ב־ in places where English might prefer in, at, or with.

Because when certain prepositions attach to a definite noun, the definite article ה־ is absorbed into the preposition.

Here:

• ב + המונה becomes במונה

So במונה does not mean just in a meter here. It means in the meter.

This also happens with other prepositions such as:

• ל + ה... → ל...
• כ + ה... → כ...

For example:

• בבית = in the house
• למלך = to the king
• כילד can mean as the child in the right context

הפסקת החשמל is a construct phrase, called סמיכות in Hebrew. It means:

• the power outage
• literally, the stopping/interruption of the electricity

The first noun, הפסקת, is the construct form of הפסקה (stoppage / interruption / break), and the second noun tells you what was interrupted: החשמל (the electricity).

So:

• הפסקת החשמל = the interruption of the electricity = the power outage

This is very common Hebrew style. English often uses of or turns the phrase into a compound noun.

You could also say something with של, but סמיכות is usually more natural and compact here.

In a construct chain (סמיכות), definiteness is usually marked on the second noun, but it makes the whole phrase definite.

So:

• הפסקת חשמל = a power outage
• הפסקת החשמל = the power outage

Even though הפסקת itself does not take ה־, the whole phrase becomes definite because the second noun is definite: החשמל.

This is an important Hebrew pattern.

Hebrew allows more than one word order, but this sentence uses a very common one: subject first, then verb.

So:

• התקלה במונה התחילה אחרי הפסקת החשמל = The malfunction in the meter started after the power outage

This order is especially common in neutral, straightforward statements.

Hebrew can also begin with a verb in some contexts, but starting with the subject often feels clear and natural.

Yes. אחרי means after, and it can refer to:

• time: after something happened
• place: behind something

In this sentence it clearly refers to time:

• אחרי הפסקת החשמל = after the power outage

So the malfunction began after that event.

Yes, often it can.

• אחרי = common, everyday after
• לאחר = also after, but often feels a bit more formal or written

So you could say:

• התקלה במונה התחילה לאחר הפסקת החשמל

This would mean basically the same thing.

Because Hebrew often expresses of relationships through the construct state (סמיכות) instead of using a separate word.

English:

• the interruption of the electricity

Hebrew:

• הפסקת החשמל

So the of idea is built into the noun structure itself.

Yes, roughly.

• הפסקה = interruption / break / stoppage
• הפסקת... = interruption of...
• החשמל = the electricity

So the literal sense is something like the interruption of the electricity, but in natural English we usually say the power outage or the power cut.

Yes. תקלה is a common word for a technical problem, fault, malfunction, or glitch.

Depending on context, it can be translated as:

• fault
• malfunction
• problem
• technical issue
• breakdown (sometimes)

In this sentence, because of במונה (in the meter), malfunction or fault is a very natural translation.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

ha-takala ba-mone hitchila acharei hafsakat ha-chashmal

A few notes:

• התקלה = ha-ta-ka-LA
• במונה = ba-mo-NE
• התחילה = hitchi-LA
• אחרי = a-cha-REI
• הפסקת = haf-sa-KAT
• החשמל = ha-chash-MAL

The ch sound in אחרי and החשמל is the throaty sound heard in words like Bach or Chanukah, not the English ch of chair.

You would usually remove the definiteness:

• תקלה במונה can already be a little context-dependent, because במונה may mean in the meter if definite, depending on form and context
• To make a meter clearly indefinite, you would often use a form like במונה אחד (in one meter) or rewrite the sentence for clarity

For the main sentence as written, the most natural reading is definite:

• התקלה במונה = the malfunction in the meter

Hebrew does not have an indefinite article like a/an, so indefiniteness is often simply the absence of ה־, or it is understood from context.

Because this sentence does not have a direct object that needs את.

The main structure is:

• התקלה במונה = the subject
• התחילה = the verb
• אחרי הפסקת החשמל = a time phrase

את is used before definite direct objects, but here there is no direct object at all. The sentence is saying that something started; it is not doing something to an object.

So no את is needed.