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Learn Hardcore Hebrew: הוא רוצה קפה. - He wants coffee.

Hardcore Hebrew
/Lesson 1
/הוא רוצה קפה.

הוא רוצה קפה.

הוא רוצה קפה.hu rotse kafe

He wants coffee.

Breakdown of הוא רוצה קפה.

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Questions & Answers about הוא רוצה קפה.

How do you pronounce הוא רוצה קפה?

Usually: hu rotse kafe.

With vowel marks, it is הוּא רוֹצֶה קָפֶה. The stress is usually hu ro-TSE ka-FE.

What does each word do in the sentence?

הוא means he.
רוצה means wants.
קפה means coffee.

So the sentence is built as subject + verb + object, just like in English.

Is this normal Hebrew word order?

Yes. הוא רוצה קפה is a very normal, neutral Modern Hebrew sentence. The basic order is subject + verb + object.

Hebrew can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but this version is the plain everyday order.

Why is there no word for a before coffee?

Hebrew does not have an indefinite article like English a or an. So קפה can mean coffee, a coffee, or sometimes some coffee, depending on context.

That is why הוא רוצה קפה is natural without any separate word for a.

Why is there no את before קפה?

Because את is only used before a definite direct object.

Here, קפה means coffee in a general or indefinite sense, so there is no את.

If you wanted to say he wants the coffee, you would say הוא רוצה את הקפה.

Why is רוצה pronounced rotse here and not rotsa?

In normal Hebrew writing without vowel marks, both the masculine singular form רוֹצֶה and the feminine singular form רוֹצָה are written the same way: רוצה.

The pronoun tells you which one it is. Since the sentence has הוא meaning he, the verb is understood as masculine singular and pronounced rotse.

If it were היא רוצה קפה, it would be pronounced hi rotsa kafe.

Why doesn’t the present-tense verb show I, you, and he differently?

In Modern Hebrew, present-tense verb forms mainly show gender and number, not person.

So the masculine singular form רוצה can be used with:

אני = I
אתה = you
הוא = he

That means the pronoun is important, because רוצה by itself does not tell you whether the subject is I, you, or he.

Can you leave out הוא?

Sometimes in conversation, yes, if the context already makes the subject clear. But in a full clear sentence, Hebrew usually keeps הוא here.

That is especially useful because רוצה alone does not tell you the person. Without the pronoun, the meaning could be less clear.

Why are there no vowel marks in the sentence?

Because most real-world Hebrew is written without vowel marks, called niqqud.

Native speakers normally read words from context and familiarity. In beginner materials, you may also see the fully pointed version: הוּא רוֹצֶה קָפֶה.

Is קפה masculine or feminine?

In Modern Hebrew, קפה is usually treated as masculine.

That does not affect this sentence directly, because קפה is the object. But you can see its gender in agreement with adjectives, for example: קפה חם = hot coffee, using the masculine adjective חם.

How would this sentence change for she wants coffee or they want coffee?

Here are some useful related forms:

היא רוצה קפה = she wants coffee
הם רוצים קפה = they want coffee, masculine or mixed group
הן רוצות קפה = they want coffee, feminine group

This shows that Hebrew present tense changes for gender and number.

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