הספוג משנה את המרקם.

The sponge changes the texture.

Breakdown of הספוג משנה את המרקם.

• את: direct object marker
• לשנות: to change
• מרקם: texture
• ספוג: sponge

Questions & Answers about הספוג משנה את המרקם.

What does את do in this sentence?

Here את is the direct object marker. It tells you that המרקם is the thing being affected by the verb.

It usually appears before a definite direct object, such as:

• a noun with ה־ (the)
• a proper name
• a pronoun

So in this sentence:

• הספוג = the subject
• משנה = changes / is changing
• את המרקם = the texture, as the direct object

Important: this את is usually not translated into English.

Why do both הספוג and המרקם begin with ה־?

Because ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• ספוג = a sponge / sponge
• הספוג = the sponge
• מרקם = a texture / texture
• המרקם = the texture

Hebrew attaches the directly to the front of the noun instead of using a separate word.

Also, because המרקם is definite, it takes the direct object marker את.

What form is משנה?