אם אתה כבר מוכן, אפשר ללכת.im atâh kvar mukhan, efshar lâlekhet.
If you are already ready, we can go.
Questions & Answers about אם אתה כבר מוכן, אפשר ללכת.
Why does the sentence begin with אם? Doesn’t אם usually mean if?
Yes. אם normally means if.
In this sentence, it introduces a condition: if you’re already ready, .... In natural English, this can sometimes sound close to when depending on context, but grammatically Hebrew is using a conditional idea here, not a true when word.
If you wanted a more definite when, Hebrew would more often use כש־ or כאשר.
What does כבר mean here, and why is it included?
כבר usually means already.
Here it adds the sense that the person may now be ready, perhaps after some waiting. It often gives the sentence a very natural conversational tone.
Compare:
- אם אתה מוכן, אפשר ללכת. = If you’re ready, we can go.
- אם אתה כבר מוכן, אפשר ללכת. = If you’re already ready, we can go.
So כבר does not change the basic structure, but it adds nuance.
Why is it מוכן? Is that an adjective?