היא מבינה עברית, אבל היא לא מדברת אנגלית.

She understands Hebrew, but she does not speak English.

Breakdown of היא מבינה עברית, אבל היא לא מדברת אנגלית.

• היא: she
• אבל: but
• לא: not
• לדבר: to speak
• עברית: Hebrew
• אנגלית: English
• להבין: to understand

Questions & Answers about היא מבינה עברית, אבל היא לא מדברת אנגלית.

Why is היא used, and what does it mean?

היא means she.

Hebrew verbs usually show person, number, and gender, so היא is not always required, but it is very common and natural to include it, especially in simple statements like this one.

In this sentence, היא appears twice:

• היא מבינה עברית
• אבל היא לא מדברת אנגלית

That gives the sentence a clear she ... but she ... structure.

How do I know מבינה means understands for she?

מבינה is the present tense, feminine singular form of the verb להבין — to understand.

So:

• מבין = understanding / understands, masculine singular
• מבינה = understanding / understands, feminine singular

Because the subject is היא (she), the verb has to be feminine singular too:

• היא מבינה = she understands

Why is the verb form feminine?

Hebrew verbs in the present tense agree with the subject in gender and number.

Since היא means she, the verb must be in the feminine singular form.

That is why you get:

• היא מבינה = she understands
• היא מדברת = she speaks

If the subject were masculine, you would say:

• הוא מבין עברית, אבל הוא לא מדבר אנגלית. = He understands Hebrew, but he does not speak English.

What does עברית mean here, and why is there no word for the?

עברית means Hebrew.

When talking about languages in Hebrew, you usually do not use the. So:

• עברית = Hebrew
• אנגלית = English

That is similar to English, where we also usually say:

• She understands Hebrew not
• She understands the Hebrew

So the lack of the here is completely normal.

What does אבל mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

אבל means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• She understands Hebrew
• but she doesn’t speak English

In Hebrew, אבל is commonly placed between the two clauses, just like but in English:

• היא מבינה עברית, אבל היא לא מדברת אנגלית.

Why is היא repeated after אבל? Can it be left out?

Yes, it can often be left out, because the verb form already shows that the subject is she.

So both are possible:

• היא מבינה עברית, אבל היא לא מדברת אנגלית.
• היא מבינה עברית, אבל לא מדברת אנגלית.

The version with the second היא sounds a bit clearer and more balanced, especially for learners and in careful speech. The repeated subject is very natural.

How does negation work here? What does לא do?

לא means not.

In Hebrew, לא usually goes directly before the verb:

• לא מדברת = does not speak / is not speaking

So:

• היא מדברת אנגלית = She speaks English
• היא לא מדברת אנגלית = She does not speak English

This is one of the most basic and common ways to make a sentence negative in Hebrew.

How do I know מדברת means speaks for she?

מדברת is the present tense, feminine singular form of לדבר — to speak.

So:

• מדבר = speaks, masculine singular
• מדברת = speaks, feminine singular

Because the subject is היא (she), the sentence uses מדברת.

Why does Hebrew use the present tense form for something that sounds like a general fact?

In modern Hebrew, the present tense form often covers both:

• what someone is doing now
• what someone generally does / can do

So:

• היא מבינה עברית can mean she understands Hebrew
• היא לא מדברת אנגלית can mean she doesn’t speak English

Hebrew does not have a separate present-tense form like English does speak / is speaking in this kind of sentence. Context tells you whether it is a general fact or an action happening now.

Is the word order normal?

Yes. This sentence uses a very common Hebrew word order:

subject + verb + object

So:

• היא = subject
• מבינה = verb
• עברית = object

and then again:

• היא = subject
• לא מדברת = verb phrase
• אנגלית = object

This is straightforward and natural Hebrew.

Do עברית and אנגלית always refer to the languages?

In sentences like this, yes, they normally mean the languages:

• עברית = Hebrew
• אנגלית = English

These are also feminine nouns in Hebrew, which is why you may sometimes notice feminine agreement with them in other contexts.

For example:

• עברית קשה = Hebrew is difficult
• אנגלית קלה = English is easy

But in your sentence, they simply function as the names of languages.

Can Hebrew drop the subject completely in both parts?

Often yes, especially in conversation.

Because מבינה and מדברת already show feminine singular, Hebrew can say:

• מבינה עברית, אבל לא מדברת אנגלית.

This can mean:

• She understands Hebrew, but doesn’t speak English.

However, without context, dropping the subject can make the sentence less explicit. For learners, the full version with היא is easier to understand and very natural.

How would I pronounce the whole sentence?

A common pronunciation is:

hi meviná ivrít, aval hi lo medabéret anglíт

A rough breakdown:

• היא = hi
• מבינה = meviná
• עברית = ivrít
• אבל = aval
• לא = lo
• מדברת = medabéret
• אנגלית = anglít

Stress usually falls near the end in these words:

• meviná
• ivrít
• medabéret
• anglít

What would the masculine version of the sentence be?

The masculine version is:

הוא מבין עברית, אבל הוא לא מדבר אנגלית.

Word-for-word:

• הוא = he
• מבין = understands, masculine singular
• עברית = Hebrew
• אבל = but
• הוא = he
• לא מדבר = does not speak
• אנגלית = English

So the main change is from feminine forms:

• היא / מבינה / מדברת

to masculine forms:

• הוא / מבין / מדבר