את פה.

You are here.

Breakdown of את פה.

• פה: here
• את: you

Questions & Answers about את פה.

What does את mean here?

את here means you when speaking to one female.

A very common beginner confusion is that את can also be a different word in Hebrew: the marker used before a definite direct object. But in את פה, it is definitely the pronoun you.

So:

• את פה = You are here when talking to a woman or girl
• If speaking to a man, you would say אתה פה

Why is there no word for are in the sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense.

So where English says:

• You are here

Hebrew simply says:

• את פה

This is completely normal Hebrew grammar.

Compare:

• אני בבית = I am at home
• הוא עייף = He is tired
• את פה = You are here

But in the past or future, Hebrew does use forms of to be:

• היית פה = You were here
• תהיי פה = You will be here

How do you pronounce את פה?

A common pronunciation is:

• את = at
• פה = po or poh

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• at po

A couple of notes:

• את ends with the letter ת, so the final sound is a clear t
• פה is usually pronounced po
• In careful speech, some speakers may make פה sound a little more like poh

Why does Hebrew use את and not אתה?

Because Hebrew marks gender in the second person singular.

So English has just one word:

• you

But Hebrew distinguishes:

• אתה = you to one male
• את = you to one female

So:

• את פה = said to one female
• אתה פה = said to one male

This gender difference is very common in Hebrew, especially in pronouns, adjectives, and verb forms.

What does פה mean exactly? Is it the same as here?

Yes. פה means here.

So:

• את פה = You are here

However, Hebrew also has another very common word for here:

• כאן

So both of these can mean here:

• את פה
• את כאן

Both are natural. In everyday speech, פה is extremely common and often feels a little more conversational.

Is את פה formal or informal?

It is neutral and everyday, but it is also singular and gender-specific.

It is used when speaking directly to:

• one female

It is not especially formal. It is the normal way to say this in regular conversation.

For comparison:

• את פה = one female
• אתן פה = you are here, to a group of females
• אתם פה = you are here, to a group of males or a mixed group

Can the word order change?

Yes, but את פה is the most straightforward and neutral order.

Hebrew often allows some flexibility in word order depending on emphasis.

For example:

• את פה = neutral, normal statement
• פה את? = more like You’re here? or You’re here, of all places?, depending on tone
• את כאן = same basic meaning with a different word for here

So for a beginner, the safest version to learn is:

• את פה

How would I know this is a statement and not a question?

Usually from intonation in speech or from punctuation in writing.

As written with a period:

• את פה. = You are here.

If written with a question mark:

• את פה? = Are you here?

In Hebrew, just like in English, the same words can sometimes serve as either a statement or a question, depending on context and tone.

Is פה ever pronounced differently because it can also mean mouth?

Yes, Hebrew learners often notice that פה can mean two different things:

• פה = here
• פה = mouth

They are written the same, but context tells you which meaning is intended.

In את פה, the meaning is clearly here, not mouth.

As for pronunciation:

• פה meaning here is commonly pronounced po
• פה meaning mouth is often pronounced pe

In modern everyday speech, context usually makes everything clear.

Could this sentence also mean You’re here in the sense of emphasis?

Yes. Depending on context and tone, את פה can simply state location:

• You are here

But it can also carry emotional emphasis, such as:

• You’re here!
• So you’re here.
• You made it here.

The basic grammar stays the same. The exact nuance comes from situation, voice, and punctuation.

How would this sentence change in plural?

Hebrew changes the pronoun depending on number and gender.

Singular:

• את פה = you are here to one female
• אתה פה = you are here to one male

Plural:

• אתן פה = you are here to a group of females
• אתם פה = you are here to a group of males or a mixed group

So if you are speaking to more than one person, you would not use את.