היא רוצה מים.

water

Breakdown of היא רוצה מים.

• לרצות: to want
• היא: she

Questions & Answers about היא רוצה מים.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence?

A common pronunciation is:

hi ro-tsa ma-yim

More precisely:

• היא = hi
• רוצה = rotsa here, because the subject is feminine
• מים = mayim

So the full sentence is hi rotsa mayim.

What does each word do in the sentence?

The sentence breaks down like this:

• היא = she
• רוצה = wants
• מים = water

So the structure is very straightforward: subject + verb + object, just like in English.

Why is רוצה feminine?

In Hebrew, verbs in the present tense change depending on the gender and number of the subject.

Since היא means she, the verb must match a feminine singular subject:

• היא רוצה = she wants

If the subject were masculine:

• הוא רוצה = he wants

A useful thing to know: without vowel marks, both masculine rotze and feminine rotsa are spelled רוצה. The subject tells you how to read it.

So how would I say he wants water?

You would say:

הוא רוצה מים.

It looks almost the same in writing, but the pronunciation of רוצה changes:

• הוא רוצה מים = hu rotze mayim
• היא רוצה מים = hi rotsa mayim

This is very common in unvowelled Hebrew: the same spelling can have different pronunciations depending on context.

Why is there no word for some in מים?

In Hebrew, mass nouns like water often appear without a separate word for some.

So:

• היא רוצה מים can naturally mean she wants water or she wants some water

Hebrew usually does not need an extra word here.

Why isn’t there a word for the before מים?

Because the sentence is talking about water in a general or indefinite sense.

• מים = water / some water
• המים = the water

So if you wanted to say she wants the water, you would say:

היא רוצה את המים.

That is more specific than the original sentence.

Why is מים spelled like a plural word ending in -ים if it means water?

This is a very common learner question.

מים looks like a masculine plural form because of the ending -ים, but it means water, which is usually treated as a mass noun. In practice, you should learn מים as the normal Hebrew word for water.

So even though it looks plural in form, its meaning is not waters in ordinary usage. It usually just means water.

Is the word order always the same as English here?

In this sentence, yes: subject + verb + object.

• היא = subject
• רוצה = verb
• מים = object

So היא רוצה מים matches English word order very neatly.

Hebrew can sometimes vary word order for style or emphasis, but this sentence is the normal, basic way to say it.

Can I leave out היא and just say רוצה מים?

Sometimes yes, depending on context.

Hebrew often allows subject pronouns to be omitted if the meaning is clear. However, in the present tense, this can be less clear because the written form may be ambiguous.

• רוצה מים could mean wants water, but by itself it does not clearly show whether the subject is he, she, or even you in some contexts unless the situation makes it obvious.

So for learners, היא רוצה מים is a clear and complete sentence.

Are there vowel marks missing here?

Yes. This sentence is written in normal everyday Hebrew spelling, which usually leaves out vowel marks.

With vowel marks, the key words would look like this:

• הִיא
• רוֹצָה
• מַיִם

But most real-world Hebrew texts do not include these marks, so learners need to get used to reading words from context.

Is want in Hebrew really a present-tense verb here?

Yes, but Hebrew grammar describes present-tense forms a bit differently from English grammar.

The form רוצה is traditionally related to a participle pattern, but in everyday learning and usage, it functions as the normal present-tense form:

• היא רוצה = she wants

So for practical purposes, you can treat it as the present tense.

How would this change if the subject were I, you, or they?

The verb changes to match the subject.

Some common examples:

• אני רוצה מים = I want water
  
  • said by a male speaker: ani rotze mayim

• אני רוצה מים = I want water

  • said by a female speaker: ani rotsa mayim
• אתה רוצה מים = you want water (to a male)

• את רוצה מים = you want water (to a female)

• הם רוצים מים = they want water (masculine or mixed group)
• הן רוצות מים = they want water (all-female group)

This shows how important gender and number are in Hebrew verb forms.