אנחנו רוצים להתקרב לבית.

We want to approach the house.

Breakdown of אנחנו רוצים להתקרב לבית.

• בית: house
• לרצות: to want
• אנחנו: we
• להתקרב: to approach; come closer

Questions & Answers about אנחנו רוצים להתקרב לבית.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A common pronunciation is:

anákhnu rotsím lehitkarév labáyit

Word by word:

• אנחנו = anákhnu
• רוצים = rotsím
• להתקרב = lehitkarév
• לבית = labáyit here, if the meaning is to the house

If לבית meant to a house, it would usually be pronounced leváyit instead.

Why is רוצים in the masculine plural form?

Because אנחנו means we, and in Hebrew the present-tense form of want agrees with the subject in number and gender.

• רוצים = masculine plural
• רוצות = feminine plural

So:

• אנחנו רוצים = we want if the group is masculine or mixed
• אנחנו רוצות = we want if the group is all female

Masculine plural is also the default for mixed groups.

Do you really need the word אנחנו here?

Usually yes, or at least it is very helpful.

In the Hebrew present tense, רוצים does not tell you the person by itself. It can mean:

• we want
• you (plural, masculine) want
• they want

So אנחנו makes it clear that the subject is we.

This is different from many past and future forms in Hebrew, where the verb itself often shows the person more clearly.