Questions & Answers about אני רוצה לתת את הספר לחבר טוב.
Why is רוצה followed by לתת?
Because after רוצה (want), Hebrew normally uses the infinitive of the next verb, just like English uses to give in I want to give.
So:
- אני רוצה = I want
- לתת = to give
Together:
- אני רוצה לתת = I want to give
You would not normally use a present-tense form like נותן here.
What does את do in את הספר?
את marks a definite direct object.
In this sentence, הספר means the book, which is definite, so Hebrew adds את before it:
- את הספר = the book (as the direct object)
This is one of the most important things for English speakers to get used to, because English does not have an equivalent word.
Compare:
- אני קורא ספר = I am reading a book
- אני קורא את הספר = I am reading the book
So in your sentence, את is there because the book is the thing being given, and it is definite.
Why is it הספר but just , without ?