הרעש מפחיד את החתול.

direct object marker

Breakdown of הרעש מפחיד את החתול.

• חתול: cat
• רעש: noise
• להפחיד: to frighten; scare

Questions & Answers about הרעש מפחיד את החתול.

How do I know which word is the subject and which is the object in הרעש מפחיד את החתול?

The subject is הרעש and the object is החתול.

A very important clue is את. In Hebrew, את marks a definite direct object, so את החתול tells you that the cat is receiving the action.

So the structure is:

• הרעש = the subject
• מפחיד = the verb
• את החתול = the direct object

That is why the sentence means that the noise is frightening the cat, not the other way around.

What does את mean here?

In this sentence, את does not really have a direct English translation. It is a grammatical marker.

Hebrew uses את before a definite direct object. Since החתול means the cat and is definite, Hebrew normally requires את before it:

• מפחיד את החתול

If the object were indefinite, את would usually disappear:

• הרעש מפחיד חתול = the noise frightens a cat

So את is not the word for with here. It is the object marker.

Why do both הרעש and החתול start with ה?