מה את רוצה לעשות אחרי העבודה?

to want

Breakdown of מה את רוצה לעשות אחרי העבודה?

• את: you
• מה: what
• אחרי: after

Questions & Answers about מה את רוצה לעשות אחרי העבודה?

Why is את used here?

את is the you form used when speaking to one female.

So:

• את = you (singular, feminine)
• אתה = you (singular, masculine)

This sentence is being said to a woman or girl. If you were speaking to a man, you would say:

• מה אתה רוצה לעשות אחרי העבודה?

This is one of the first things English speakers notice in Hebrew: Hebrew often marks gender in everyday sentences, even in words like you and want.

Why is it רוצה and not some other form?

רוצה is the present-tense form of to want that agrees with את.

In Hebrew, the verb usually matches the subject in gender and number.

For to want in the present tense:

• אני רוצה = I want (said by a man)
• אני רוצה = I want (said by a woman)
  
  • In writing, this form looks the same for masculine singular and feminine singular in many verbs like this one, but context tells you which is meant.
• אתה רוצה = you want (masculine singular)
• את רוצה = you want (feminine singular)

So את רוצה is the correct match for you addressed to one female.