הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח.

He wants to buy an apple.

Breakdown of הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח.

• הוא: he
• לרצות: to want
• לקנות: to buy
• תפוח: apple

Questions & Answers about הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח.

How do you pronounce הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח?

A common pronunciation is:

hu rotse liknot tapuach

A rough English-friendly guide:

• הוא = hoo
• רוצה = roh-TSEH
• לקנות = leek-NOTE
• תפוח = ta-POO-akh (the last sound is the throaty ח, not a regular English h)

Because the sentence is written without vowel marks, learners usually memorize the pronunciation from exposure.

What does each word do in the sentence?

Word by word:

• הוא = he
• רוצה = wants
• לקנות = to buy
• תפוח = apple

So the structure is very close to English:

he + wants + to buy + apple

Why is רוצה used here, and what exactly is its form?

רוצה is the present-tense masculine singular form of the verb לרצות, meaning to want.

Since the subject is הוא (he), the masculine singular form is used.

Compare:

• הוא רוצה = he wants
• היא רוצה = she wants
• הם רוצים = they want (masculine/mixed)
• הן רוצות = they want (feminine)

So רוצה matches the gender and number of the subject.

Why does רוצה mean wants if it is a present-tense form?

This is something English speakers often notice.

In Hebrew, the present form often covers meanings that in English are translated with the simple present, especially with verbs like to want.

So:

• הוא רוצה literally looks like he wanting
• but natural English translation is he wants

Hebrew and English do not match tense usage word-for-word. With verbs of desire, state, feeling, etc., Hebrew present forms are often translated with normal English present tense.

What is לקנות, and why does it start with ל־?

לקנות is the infinitive, meaning to buy.

The ל־ at the beginning is the normal marker used in Hebrew infinitives. In many cases, it corresponds to English to.

So:

• לקנות = to buy
• לכתוב = to write
• ללמוד = to study

In this sentence:

• רוצה לקנות = wants to buy

Why is there no separate word for to before buy, like in English?

Because in Hebrew, the idea of to is built into the infinitive form itself.

English uses:

• to buy

Hebrew uses:

• לקנות

So ל־ is not a separate word here; it is attached to the verb.

Why is there no word for an before apple?

Hebrew has no indefinite article. There is no separate word for a or an.

So:

• תפוח can mean an apple or apple, depending on context.
• התפוח means the apple.

That means:

• לקנות תפוח = to buy an apple
• לקנות את התפוח = to buy the apple

In your sentence, תפוח is indefinite, so an apple is the natural translation.

Why is there no את before תפוח?

את is used before a definite direct object in Hebrew.

Since תפוח here means an apple, it is indefinite, so את is not used.

Compare:

• הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח. = He wants to buy an apple.
• הוא רוצה לקנות את התפוח. = He wants to buy the apple.

So the absence of את tells you the object is not definite.

Can הוא be left out?

Sometimes, yes.

Hebrew often allows subject pronouns to be omitted when the meaning is clear from context. So in conversation, you may hear:

• רוצה לקנות תפוח.

However, Hebrew present-tense forms do not always identify the person as clearly as past and future forms do, so keeping הוא can be helpful and natural, especially for clarity or emphasis.

With הוא רוצה, the pronoun makes the subject explicit: he wants.

Why is the word order הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח and not something else?

This is the normal neutral Hebrew word order for a sentence like this:

subject + verb + infinitive + object

So:

• הוא = subject
• רוצה = main verb
• לקנות = infinitive depending on that verb
• תפוח = object of לקנות

This is very similar to English:

• He wants to buy an apple.

Hebrew can change word order for emphasis, but this version is the most straightforward.

Why is תפוח masculine, and does that matter here?

תפוח is a masculine noun. In this sentence, that does not change the form of the noun itself, because Hebrew nouns usually keep their dictionary form unless there is a change for number, possession, etc.

It matters more when adjectives or numbers agree with it. For example:

• תפוח גדול = a big apple
  (גדול is masculine singular to match תפוח)

But in הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח, there is no adjective, so you just use the noun תפוח.

If the subject were she, how would the sentence change?

It would be:

היא רוצה לקנות תפוח.

Notice that רוצה stays the same here. In the present tense, רוצה can be both:

• masculine singular: he wants
• feminine singular: she wants

The pronoun tells you which one it is:

• הוא רוצה = he wants
• היא רוצה = she wants

How would I say He wants to buy the apple instead?

You would say:

הוא רוצה לקנות את התפוח.

Changes:

• add את before the direct object
• change תפוח to התפוח = the apple

So:

• תפוח = an apple
• את התפוח = the apple

What vowel marks are missing here, and is that normal?

Yes, that is completely normal. Everyday Hebrew is usually written without niqqud (vowel marks).

So learners see:

• הוא רוצה לקנות תפוח

But with vowel marking, the pronunciation would be clearer.

Native readers usually recognize the words from experience, context, and familiar patterns. For learners, this means it is important to learn both:

• the written form
• the spoken pronunciation

Is לקנות a regular verb pattern I should recognize?

Yes. לקנות belongs to a common Hebrew verb system based on patterns called binyanim.

For a beginner, the most useful thing to notice is:

• the infinitive often begins with ל־
• the rest of the word follows a pattern that helps native speakers recognize the verb family

You do not need to master all the binyanim immediately, but it is helpful to know that Hebrew verbs are built in patterned ways, not just memorized as completely separate words.

Could תפוח also mean potato like in some expressions?

By itself, תפוח means apple.

But Hebrew has compound expressions such as:

• תפוח אדמה = potato
  literally apple of the ground/earth

In your sentence, תפוח alone means only apple.