את מדברת אנגלית?

Do you speak English?

Breakdown of את מדברת אנגלית?

• את: you
• לדבר: to speak
• אנגלית: English

Questions & Answers about את מדברת אנגלית?

What does each word in את מדברת אנגלית? mean?

• את = you when speaking to one female
• מדברת = speak / are speaking for one female
• אנגלית = English

So literally, it is something like You speak English? and naturally it means Do you speak English?

Is this sentence addressed to a woman?

Yes. This sentence is addressed to one female.

Hebrew verbs and pronouns change depending on gender and number, so:

• את מדברת אנגלית? = to one woman
• אתה מדבר אנגלית? = to one man

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice, because English you speak stays the same, but Hebrew changes the form.

Why is the pronoun את there? Can it be left out?

Yes, it can often be left out.

Hebrew verbs already show person, gender, and number, so מדברת אנגלית? can also mean Do you speak English? when talking to one woman.

Including את can:

• make the sentence clearer
• add emphasis
• sound a little more explicit

So both are possible:

• את מדברת אנגלית?
• מדברת אנגלית?

Why is there no word for do in this question?

Because Hebrew does not use a helper verb like English do in this kind of question.

In English, you say:

• Do you speak English?

In Hebrew, you simply use the normal sentence and say it with question intonation:

• את מדברת אנגלית?

So Hebrew is closer to:

• You speak English?

The meaning is still a normal yes/no question.

How do yes/no questions work in Hebrew?

Usually, a yes/no question in Hebrew is made just by:

1. using a normal statement form
2. saying it with question intonation
3. sometimes using context to show it is a question

So:

• את מדברת אנגלית. = You speak English.
• את מדברת אנגלית? = Do you speak English?

There is no required equivalent of English do at the beginning.

Why does מדברת end in -ת?

Because it is the feminine singular present-tense form.

The verb comes from the root ד-ב-ר, connected with speaking.

In the present tense:

• מדבר = speaking / speaks, masculine singular
• מדברת = speaking / speaks, feminine singular
• מדברים = speaking / speak, masculine plural or mixed group
• מדברות = speaking / speak, feminine plural

So the -ת ending helps show that the speaker is talking to or about a female.

Is מדברת really present tense? It looks like speaking.

Yes. In Hebrew, the present tense often uses a form that historically behaves a bit like a participle, so it can feel like speaking and speaks at the same time.

Depending on context, מדברת can mean:

• speaks
• is speaking

So את מדברת אנגלית? usually means:

• Do you speak English?

not necessarily Are you speaking English right now? Context decides.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A common pronunciation is:

at medabéret anglit?

A rough guide:

• את = at
• מדברת = me-da-BE-ret
• אנגלית = ang-LIT

Stress usually falls like this:

• medaBEret
• angLIT

In everyday Israeli Hebrew, pronunciation can vary a little, but this is a good learner-friendly version.

What would I say if I were talking to a man instead?

You would say:

אתה מדבר אנגלית?

Breakdown:

• אתה = you to one male
• מדבר = speak / are speaking masculine singular
• אנגלית = English

So:

• את מדברת אנגלית? = to one woman
• אתה מדבר אנגלית? = to one man

What would I say to more than one person?

For a group, Hebrew also changes the forms.

To two or more males, or a mixed group:

• אתם מדברים אנגלית?

To two or more females:

• אתן מדברות אנגלית?

So Hebrew distinguishes:

• singular vs. plural
• masculine vs. feminine

English does not do this with you, but Hebrew does.

Can the word order change?

Yes, sometimes, but את מדברת אנגלית? is the most straightforward form.

Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, especially in speech. For example, you may hear:

• את מדברת אנגלית?
• מדברת אנגלית?
• אנגלית את מדברת? for emphasis, roughly English, do you speak it?

For learners, the safest basic pattern is:

• subject + verb + object/language

So את מדברת אנגלית? is a very good standard sentence to learn.

Does אנגלית only mean the language English?

In this sentence, אנגלית means English the language.

But it can also function as the adjective English in some contexts, especially when agreeing with a feminine noun.

For example:

• שפה אנגלית = English language or literally English language with English agreeing with the feminine noun שפה

So אנגלית can be:

• the language name English
• an adjective meaning English in feminine form

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Why are there no vowel marks in the Hebrew?

Because most everyday Hebrew is written without vowel marks.

Those vowel marks are called niqqud. In beginner materials you may see them, but in normal books, messages, signs, and newspapers, they are usually omitted.

So learners have to get used to recognizing words like:

• את
• מדברת
• אנגלית

without the vowels being written out.

This is normal in modern Hebrew, and over time it becomes much easier through exposure.

Is this formal or informal?

It is neutral and normal in everyday conversation.

Hebrew does not have a formal you like French vous or German Sie. It simply uses the regular second-person forms:

• אתה for one male
• את for one female
• אתם / אתן for groups

So את מדברת אנגלית? is neither especially formal nor especially casual. It is just the normal way to ask one woman, Do you speak English?