האגרטל לא יעמוד, אלא אם כן התחתית תהיה עבה מספיק.

אלא אם כן is the standard Hebrew way to say unless.

Literally, the parts are roughly:

• אלא = except / but rather
• אם = if
• כן = so

But as a fixed expression, you should learn אלא אם כן as one unit meaning unless.

So:

• האגרטל לא יעמוד, אלא אם כן...
• The vase will not stand, unless...

It is much more natural to treat אלא אם כן as a set phrase than to analyze it word by word every time.

Because Hebrew often expresses unless with a negative main clause plus אלא אם כן.

So the structure is:

• X לא יקרה, אלא אם כן Y
• X will not happen unless Y

Here:

• האגרטל לא יעמוד = The vase will not stand
• אלא אם כן התחתית תהיה עבה מספיק = unless the base is thick enough

This matches the logic of the English sentence closely:

• The vase will not stand unless the base is thick enough.

יעמוד is the future, 3rd person masculine singular form of the verb לעמוד, meaning to stand.

The subject is האגרטל (the vase), which is grammatically masculine singular, so the verb is masculine singular too.

• לעמוד = to stand
• הוא יעמוד = he/it will stand

In this sentence, יעמוד does not just mean physically stand up. It means something more like:

• remain standing
• stand upright
• be stable enough to stand

So האגרטל לא יעמוד means:

• the vase will not stand
• or more naturally, the vase won’t stay upright

Because התחתית is a feminine singular noun, and Hebrew verbs must agree with their subject in gender and number.

• התחתית = the base / the bottom
• feminine singular

So the verb must also be feminine singular in the future:

• תהיה = she/it will be

Compare:

• masculine singular: יהיה
• feminine singular: תהיה

So:

• התחתית תהיה עבה מספיק
• the base will be thick enough

Even though English uses it, Hebrew still requires grammatical gender agreement.

In this sentence, התחתית most naturally means the base or the bottom part of the vase.

The noun תחתית can refer to:

• the bottom
• the underside
• the base

In context, since we are talking about whether the vase can stand, the base is the best English equivalent.

So while תחתית literally comes from the idea of the lower part, here it refers to the part of the vase that touches the surface.

Both nouns have the prefix ה־, which is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

• אגרטל = a vase

• האגרטל = the vase

• תחתית = a base / bottom
• התחתית = the base / the bottom

In this sentence:

• האגרטל refers to a specific vase
• התחתית refers to the base of that vase, so it is also definite

Hebrew often uses the definite article this way when the noun is understood as a specific, known thing in context.

That is a very common difference between Hebrew and English.

In English, after words like if, when, and unless, we often use the present tense to talk about the future:

• unless the base is thick enough

In Hebrew, it is very normal to use the future tense in that kind of clause:

• אלא אם כן התחתית תהיה עבה מספיק

So even though English says is, Hebrew says will be:

• תהיה = will be

This is standard Hebrew grammar, not an unusual phrasing.

מספיק means enough.

So:

• עבה = thick
• עבה מספיק = thick enough

In Hebrew, מספיק usually comes after the adjective it modifies:

• גדול מספיק = big enough
• חם מספיק = warm enough
• עבה מספיק = thick enough

That word order is normal in Hebrew, even though English also does the same here.

Because it describes התחתית, which is a feminine noun.

Hebrew adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number.

• masculine singular: עבה
• feminine singular: עבה
• masculine plural: עבים
• feminine plural: עבות

This adjective is a little tricky because in the singular, the masculine and feminine forms are often written the same: עבה.

So here, עבה agrees with התחתית, even though you do not see a different written ending.

Yes, depending on context.

The basic verb is לעמוד = to stand, but in real usage it can imply:

• to remain standing
• to stay upright
• to hold steady

So in this sentence, possible natural English renderings include:

• The vase won’t stand
• The vase won’t stay upright
• The vase won’t remain stable

The most literal translation is won’t stand, but the fuller idea is about stability.

יעמוד comes from the root ע־מ־ד, which is the root for standing or being upright.

The dictionary form is:

• לעמוד = to stand

The future masculine singular form is:

• יעמוד = he/it will stand

This pattern is common in Hebrew verb conjugation:

• the prefix י־ often marks 3rd person masculine singular future

For comparison:

• אני אעמוד = I will stand
• אתה תעמוד = you will stand
• הוא יעמוד = he will stand
• היא תעמוד = she will stand

Since האגרטל is masculine singular, יעמוד is the correct form.

The comma before אלא אם כן is normal and helpful.

It separates:

1. the main clause: האגרטל לא יעמוד
2. the condition: אלא אם כן התחתית תהיה עבה מספיק

So the punctuation makes the structure clearer, just as in English:

• The vase will not stand, unless the base is thick enough.

In modern Hebrew writing, you will commonly see this comma with אלא אם כן clauses.