את מבינה עברית?

Do you understand Hebrew?

Breakdown of את מבינה עברית?

• את: you
• עברית: Hebrew
• להבין: to understand

Questions & Answers about את מבינה עברית?

Why does the sentence start with את?

את means you when speaking to one female.

Hebrew changes some words depending on gender, so the word for you is different depending on who you are talking to:

• את = you (to one female)
• אתה = you (to one male)

So את מבינה עברית? is specifically addressed to a woman or girl.

Why is it מבינה and not some other form?

מבינה means understand or understands, in the present tense, for a female singular subject.

It matches את, so both words are feminine singular:

• את מבינה = you (female) understand
• אתה מבין = you (male) understand

This agreement between subject and verb is very important in Hebrew.

Where is the word for do? Shouldn’t it be Do you understand Hebrew?

Hebrew does not usually use a separate helping verb like do in simple present-tense questions.

In English, you say:

• You understand Hebrew.
• Do you understand Hebrew?

In Hebrew, the same basic words can be used for both a statement and a question:

• את מבינה עברית. = You understand Hebrew.
• את מבינה עברית? = Do you understand Hebrew?

The question is shown mainly by:

• intonation in speech
• a question mark in writing

Why is there no word for can? Could this also mean Can you understand Hebrew?

This sentence most naturally means Do you understand Hebrew?

Hebrew often uses the plain verb understand where English might sometimes use can understand, depending on context. But if you specifically want to say Can you understand Hebrew?, Hebrew would more clearly use a word for can / able to, such as:

• את יכולה להבין עברית? = Can you understand Hebrew? (to a female)

So the given sentence is best understood as a straightforward present-tense question: Do you understand Hebrew?

What does עברית mean exactly?

עברית means Hebrew, as the name of the language.

Examples:

• אני לומד עברית / אני לומדת עברית = I am learning Hebrew
• היא מדברת עברית = She speaks Hebrew

So in את מבינה עברית?, עברית is the object: the language being understood.

Why is the word order את מבינה עברית? Is that the normal order?

Yes. This is a very normal and natural word order in Hebrew.

A simple pattern is:

• subject + verb + object

So here:

• את = subject
• מבינה = verb
• עברית = object

Literally:

• you + understand + Hebrew

Hebrew can change word order for emphasis, but this version is the most neutral and common.

How do you pronounce את מבינה עברית?

A common Modern Hebrew pronunciation is:

• at me-vee-NA iv-REET?

Word by word:

• את = at
• מבינה = me-vee-NA
• עברית = iv-REET

The stress is usually on the last syllable in מבינה and עברית.

Why are there no vowel marks? How am I supposed to know how to read it?

Most everyday Hebrew is written without vowel marks (called niqqud).

Native readers usually recognize the word from experience and context. Learners often need to memorize common patterns.

In this sentence:

• את is read at
• מבינה is read mevina
• עברית is read ivrit

This is very normal in modern Hebrew writing, so getting used to reading unpointed text is an important skill.

How would this change if I were talking to a man instead of a woman?

You would change both you and the verb form:

• את מבינה עברית? = Do you understand Hebrew? (to a female)
• אתה מבין עברית? = Do you understand Hebrew? (to a male)

So:

• את becomes אתה
• מבינה becomes מבין

Is there a formal version of you here, like English sir or ma’am?

Hebrew does not have a special formal singular you like some languages do.

You normally just use:

• אתה for one male
• את for one female

Politeness is usually shown through:

• tone of voice
• polite vocabulary
• titles such as גברתי (ma’am) or אדוני (sir) when needed

So even in polite speech, את מבינה עברית? can still be the normal grammatical form when speaking to one woman.

How would someone answer this question?

A few common answers are:

• כן. = Yes.
• לא. = No.
• כן, אני מבינה עברית. = Yes, I understand Hebrew. (spoken by a female)
• קצת. = A little.
• לא כל כך. = Not so much / not really.

If a male is answering I understand Hebrew, he would say:

• אני מבין עברית.

If a female is answering, she would say:

• אני מבינה עברית.