הספוג משנה את המרקם.

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.

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.

משנה is the masculine singular present-tense form of the verb לשנות, meaning to change or to alter.

In this sentence it agrees with הספוג, which is a masculine singular noun.

So:

• משנה = masculine singular present
• it can mean changes or is changing, depending on context

Hebrew present tense often covers both the simple present and the progressive sense.

Because Hebrew does not use an auxiliary verb like English does in sentences like this.

English says:

• The sponge changes the texture
• The sponge is changing the texture

Hebrew can use the same present-tense form:

• הספוג משנה את המרקם

The exact sense comes from context. So משנה can cover both changes and is changing.

The verb matches the subject, הספוג.

ספוג is a masculine singular noun, so the verb is also masculine singular:

• הספוג משנה = the sponge changes

If the subject were plural, the verb would change too. For example:

• הספוגים משנים את המרקם = the sponges change the texture

If the subject were feminine singular, the present-tense form would usually be different:

• ... משנה for masculine singular
• ... משנה can also be feminine singular in some present forms? No—in this verb the feminine singular would be משנה? Actually for לשנות, feminine singular present is also משנה in spelling? Let’s be careful.

A better point is this: in many verbs, masculine and feminine singular differ, but in some spellings they may look similar without vowels. For this sentence, the important thing is that הספוג is singular, so the verb is singular.

A simple transliteration is:

ha-sfog meshane et ha-mirkam

A rough pronunciation guide:

• הספוג = ha-sfog
• משנה = me-sha-NE
• את = et
• המרקם = ha-mir-KAM

Learners often want to insert extra vowels, but in modern Hebrew the cluster in sfog is normal.

Yes, Hebrew has another word את that can mean with, so this is a very common source of confusion.

But here, את does not mean with. Here it is the direct object marker because it comes before המרקם, the definite object of the verb.

So in this sentence:

• הספוג משנה את המרקם
• the meaning is the sponge changes the texture
• not the sponge changes with the texture

In standard Hebrew, you should not leave it out here.

Because המרקם is definite (the texture), standard Hebrew requires:

• הספוג משנה את המרקם

Without את, the sentence would sound nonstandard to many speakers.

A good rule for learners is:

• use את before a definite direct object
• do not use את before an indefinite one

Compare:

• הספוג משנה מרקם = the sponge changes texture / changes a texture
• הספוג משנה את המרקם = the sponge changes the texture

No. This is the most straightforward Hebrew word order: subject + verb + object.

So:

• הספוג = subject
• משנה = verb
• את המרקם = object

That makes the sentence very natural and neutral.

Hebrew can move things around for emphasis, but this version is the normal one for a beginner to learn first.