Learn Hardcore Hebrew: אני רואה את הספר כאן.

In this sentence, את is the direct object marker. Hebrew uses it before a definite direct object—for example, the book, my book, that book, David, and so on.

So:

אני רואה את הספר = I see the book
אני רואה ספר = I see a book

Important points:

את usually has no separate English translation
it appears before a definite object
it does not usually appear before an indefinite object

That is why את is here before הספר.

Why does הספר mean the book?

Because Hebrew often adds the as a prefix rather than using a separate word.

ספר = book
הספר = the book

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to English the.

So instead of writing something like the book as two words, Hebrew writes it as one word:

ה + ספר = הספר

Why is רואה translated as both see and am seeing?

Hebrew present tense does not work exactly like English.

In English, you often distinguish between:

I see
I am seeing

In Hebrew, the present-tense form רואה can cover both, depending on context.

So:

אני רואה את הספר כאן can mean I see the book here
in some contexts, it may feel like I am seeing the book here

Usually the surrounding context tells you which English version sounds most natural.

Why does רואה depend on whether the speaker is male or female?

In Hebrew, even in the present tense, verbs agree with the gender of the subject.

So:

a male speaker says: אני רואה
a female speaker says: אני רואה too in spelling, but it is pronounced differently

With no vowel marks, the spelling is the same, but the pronunciation changes:

masculine: ro'eh
feminine: ro'ah

So this sentence could be read as:

ani ro'eh et ha-sefer kan if the speaker is male
ani ro'ah et ha-sefer kan if the speaker is female

This is very different from English, where I see does not change for gender.

If the spelling of רואה is the same for masculine and feminine, how do I know which one it is?

Usually you know from context.

Hebrew is often written without vowel marks in everyday texts, so many words can be read in more than one way. Here, רואה could be:

ro'eh = masculine singular
ro'ah = feminine singular

You figure it out from:

who is speaking
nearby words
the broader context

For example, if a woman is speaking, you would normally understand אני רואה as ani ro'ah.

Is the word order fixed? Could כאן go somewhere else?

Hebrew word order is fairly flexible, though some orders are more neutral than others.

The sentence:

אני רואה את הספר כאן

is a natural, straightforward order: I see the book here.

But כאן can often move for emphasis or style, for example:

כאן אני רואה את הספר = Here I see the book
אני כאן רואה את הספר = possible, but less neutral and more context-dependent

For a learner, the original sentence is a very good standard pattern: subject + verb + object + place word

Can I leave out אני and just say רואה את הספר כאן?

Sometimes, yes—but it depends on context and style.

Hebrew often allows the subject pronoun to be omitted, especially when the verb form already makes the subject clear. However, in the present tense, the verb form does not always make the subject as clear as in some other tenses.

So:

אני רואה את הספר כאן is clear and natural
רואה את הספר כאן may be understood in conversation, but it is more dependent on context

For learners, it is usually safer to include אני until you get used to when omission sounds natural.

How do I pronounce the whole sentence?

A common pronunciation would be:

ani ro'eh et ha-sefer kan if spoken by a male
ani ro'ah et ha-sefer kan if spoken by a female

Rough guide:

אני = ah-NEE
רואה = roh-EH / roh-AH
את = et
הספר = ha-SE-fer
כאן = kan

The ר sound in Hebrew may vary depending on the speaker, but learners are usually understood as long as the rest is clear.

Why is כאן used for here? Is it the only word for here?

כאן is a common standard Hebrew word meaning here.

Another very common word is פה.

So both can mean here:

אני רואה את הספר כאן
אני רואה את הספר פה

Broadly speaking:

כאן can sound a bit more neutral or standard
פה is also extremely common in everyday speech

A learner should recognize both.

What would change if the sentence meant I see a book here instead of I see the book here?

Two important changes:

You would remove ה־ from הספר
You would usually remove את

So:

אני רואה את הספר כאן = I see the book here
אני רואה ספר כאן = I see a book here

This is a very useful pattern to remember:

definite object → usually את
indefinite object → usually no את

Is את always pronounced and written the same way?

In this use, yes: it is written את and commonly pronounced et.

But learners should know that את can also be a completely different word meaning you when speaking to a feminine singular person.

So Hebrew has:

את = direct object marker
אַתְּ = you (feminine singular, with vowel marks)

Without vowel marks, they are written the same way, and context tells you which one is meant.

In אני רואה את הספר כאן, it is definitely the direct object marker, not you.