הוא אומר: "לכי ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפני שמאלה."

He says, “Go straight, and at the first turn, turn left.”

Breakdown of הוא אומר: "לכי ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפני שמאלה."

• הוא: he
• ו: and
• ללכת: to go
• ב: at
• לומר: to say
• ישר: straight
• לפנות: to turn
• שמאלה: left
• פנייה: turn
• ראשון: first

Questions & Answers about הוא אומר: "לכי ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפני שמאלה."

Why are לכי and תפני in feminine singular forms?

Because the speaker is giving directions to one female.

In Hebrew, verbs often show:

• person
• number
• gender

So here:

• לכי = go! said to one woman
• תפני = you will turn / turn said to one woman

If he were speaking to one man, the forms would be different.

Why is לכי the form for go?

לכי is the feminine singular imperative of הלך / ללכת (to go).

This verb is a little irregular, so learners often notice it early. The common imperative forms are:

• masculine singular: לך
• feminine singular: לכי
• plural: לכו

So לכי ישר means go straight when speaking to one woman.

Why does the sentence use תפני instead of the imperative פני?

Good question. Hebrew often uses the 2nd person future to give instructions, directions, or commands, especially in a sequence.

So both of these can be used:

• פני שמאלה = turn left
• תפני שמאלה = literally you will turn left, but in context it also works like an instruction: turn left

In spoken and written Hebrew, using future forms for instructions is very common. Here it sounds natural in directions:

• לכי ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפני שמאלה

So the sentence mixes:

• an imperative: לכי
• an instruction-like future: תפני

That is normal Hebrew.

What exactly is ישר doing here?

ישר here functions like an adverb: straight.

In this sentence:

• לכי ישר = go straight

It does not change for gender or number here. It just describes how to go.

What is happening in בפנייה הראשונה?

This phrase means at the first turn or on the first turn, and it is made of several parts:

• ב־ = in / at / on
• פנייה = turn
• הראשונה = the first (feminine singular)

A few important grammar points are packed into this phrase:

1. The preposition and the definite article combine

   • underlyingly, this is like ב + ה + פנייה
   • in Hebrew, ב + ה usually contracts, so you get בפנייה
   • that is why you do not see a separate ה on the noun

2. The adjective comes after the noun

   • Hebrew says turn the-first, not the first turn

3. The adjective matches the noun

   • פנייה is feminine singular
   • so the adjective is also feminine singular: הראשונה

So the structure is very typical Hebrew.

Are תפני and פנייה related?

Yes. They come from the same root:

• root: פ-נ-ה

From that root you get words connected with turning or facing:

• תפני = you will turn
• פנייה = a turn, a turning, sometimes also an appeal/request in other contexts

That is a useful pattern to notice in Hebrew: verbs and nouns are often built from the same root.

Why is it שמאלה instead of just שמאל?

שמאלה is the directional form, meaning to the left / leftward.

Compare:

• שמאל = left as a basic noun/direction word
• שמאלה = to the left

This final ־ה is a common directional ending in Hebrew. You also see it in:

• ימינה = to the right
• הביתה = homeward / home
• קדימה = forward

So in directions, שמאלה is exactly the natural form you expect.

What does הוא אומר: add to the sentence?

הוא אומר: means he says: or he is saying:

It introduces the spoken directions that follow.

A few notes:

• אומר is present tense
• Hebrew present tense can correspond to English says or is saying, depending on context
• the colon works much like it does in English: it introduces direct speech or quoted words

So the structure is:

• הוא אומר: = introduction
• לכי ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפני שמאלה. = the actual directions

How would this sentence change if he were speaking to a man or to more than one person?

The verb forms would change.

To one man:

• הוא אומר: לך ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפנה שמאלה.

To one woman:

• הוא אומר: לכי ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפני שמאלה.

To more than one person:

• הוא אומר: לכו ישר, ובפנייה הראשונה תפנו שמאלה.

So the sentence is a good example of how Hebrew directions agree with the person being addressed.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A simple transliteration is:

Hu omer: L'khi yashar, uva-pniya ha-rishona tifni smola.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• הוא אומר = hu o-MER
• לכי = l'KHI
• ישר = ya-SHAR
• ובפנייה = u-va-pni-YA
• הראשונה = ha-ri-sho-NA
• תפני = tif-NI
• שמאלה = smo-LA

Exact pronunciation varies a little by speaker and accent, but this will get you close.