Questions & Answers about אם את לא יודעת את הכתובת, תבדקי במפה בטלפון.
Because these are two different words that happen to be spelled the same:
- את at the beginning means you — specifically you addressed to one female.
- את before הכתובת is the direct object marker. It has no English equivalent, but it is used before a definite direct object.
So in:
- אם את לא יודעת... = If you don't know...
- את הכתובת = marks the address as the direct object
This is a very common source of confusion for learners.
Because the sentence is addressed to a female singular person.
Hebrew marks gender in many verb forms. Here:
- את = you (female singular)
- יודעת = know / knowing in the feminine singular present
Compare:
- to a woman: את לא יודעת
- to a man: אתה לא יודע
So the sentence is specifically talking to one female listener.