הסוכן שלח את החוזה.

את is the marker of a definite direct object in Hebrew. It usually is not translated into English.

In הסוכן שלח את החוזה, the direct object is החוזה (the contract), and because it is definite, Hebrew uses את before it.

A quick comparison:

• הסוכן שלח חוזה = The agent sent a contract
• הסוכן שלח את החוזה = The agent sent the contract

So את tells you that the noun after it is the specific thing receiving the action.

ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to the in English.

So:

• סוכן = agent
• הסוכן = the agent
• חוזה = contract
• החוזה = the contract

In this sentence, both nouns are definite:

• הסוכן = the agent
• החוזה = the contract

They do related jobs, but they are not the same thing.

• ה־ on החוזה makes the noun itself definite: the contract
• את marks that this definite noun is the direct object of the verb

So Hebrew normally needs both:

• שלח את החוזה = sent the contract

You can think of it this way:

• ה־ answers: which contract? → the contract
• את answers: what is receiving the action? → the direct object

שלח is the past tense, 3rd person masculine singular form of the verb לשלוח (to send).

So by itself it means:

• he sent

In the full sentence, the subject is הסוכן (the agent), which is masculine singular, so שלח matches it.

Related forms:

• הסוכן שלח = the agent sent
• הסוכנת שלחה = the female agent sent

The noun סוכן is the masculine form meaning agent.

The feminine form is usually:

• סוכנת = female agent

That affects the verb in the past tense:

• הסוכן שלח את החוזה = The agent (male) sent the contract
• הסוכנת שלחה את החוזה = The agent (female) sent the contract

So the sentence uses the masculine form because the noun is masculine.

Yes. Subject + verb + object is very common in Modern Hebrew, and this sentence follows that pattern:

• הסוכן = subject
• שלח = verb
• את החוזה = direct object

So:

• הסוכן שלח את החוזה

This is a very natural Modern Hebrew sentence.

Hebrew can sometimes use other word orders for style, emphasis, or in more literary language, but for everyday speech this order is standard and easy to understand.

Sometimes people might still understand you from context, but in standard Hebrew you should not leave out את before a definite direct object.

So:

• Correct: הסוכן שלח את החוזה
• Not standard: הסוכן שלח החוזה

If the object is indefinite, then את is usually not used:

• הסוכן שלח חוזה = The agent sent a contract

So a good rule is:

• definite direct object → use את
• indefinite direct object → usually no את

The difference is the added definite article ה־ at the beginning.

• חוזה = kho-ZEH / cho-ZEH depending how you represent the ח
• החוזה = ha-kho-ZEH / ha-cho-ZEH

The ח sound is not an ordinary English h. In Modern Hebrew it is usually pronounced like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch.

So approximately:

• הסוכן = ha-so-KHEN
• שלח = sha-LAKH
• את = et
• החוזה = ha-kho-ZEH

שלח comes from the Hebrew root ש-ל-ח, which is connected with sending.

From this root you get forms like:

• לשלוח = to send
• שלח = he sent
• שלחה = she sent
• ישלח = he will send
• שלחו! = send! (plural / formal masculine)

Learning roots is very helpful in Hebrew because many related words and verb forms come from the same three consonants.

Great question. The spelling את can represent two different things:

1. את = the direct object marker, pronounced et
2. את = you (feminine singular), pronounced at

So the same spelling can have different pronunciations and meanings depending on context.

In this sentence, it must be the direct object marker, because it comes before החוזה:

• שלח את החוזה = sent the contract

It definitely does not mean you here.

Yes, possibly. שלח basically means sent, but English may translate it differently depending on context.

For example, if the contract was sent by email, courier, post, or electronically, Hebrew may still use שלח.

So in context, the sentence could mean:

• The agent sent the contract
• The agent mailed the contract
• The agent forwarded the contract

But the basic meaning of the Hebrew verb is simply sent.

סוכן / הסוכן usually means agent, but the exact kind of agent depends on context.

It could refer to, for example:

• a business agent
• an insurance agent
• a travel agent
• even a secret agent

So הסוכן just means the agent, and the surrounding context tells you what kind of agent is meant.

In the present tense, Hebrew uses a participle-like form.

Masculine singular:

• הסוכן שולח את החוזה = The agent is sending / sends the contract

Compare:

• הסוכן שלח את החוזה = The agent sent the contract
• הסוכן שולח את החוזה = The agent sends / is sending the contract

Hebrew present tense often covers both the simple present and the progressive meaning, depending on context.