Questions & Answers about הוא מבין עברית, אבל אני לא מבין אנגלית.
Why is מבין used both for he understands and I understand?
In the Hebrew present tense, verbs often do not change for person the way they do in English. Instead, they mainly change for gender and number.
So מבין means understanding in the masculine singular form, and it can go with:
- הוא מבין = he understands
- אני מבין = I understand (said by a male speaker)
The pronoun tells you who is doing the action:
- הוא = he
- אני = I
So even though the verb form is the same, the subject makes the meaning clear.
What would change if the speaker were female?
A female speaker would say:
הוא מבין עברית, אבל אני לא מבינה אנגלית.
The only change is:
- מבין → מבינה
That is because Hebrew present-tense forms agree with gender:
- masculine singular: מבין
- feminine singular: מבינה
So:
- אני מבין = I understand (male speaker)
- אני מבינה = I understand (female speaker)
Why is לא placed before מבין?