הוא ביקש שהמוכרת תכתוב את המחיר על הקבלה.

he

Breakdown of הוא ביקש שהמוכרת תכתוב את המחיר על הקבלה.

• את: direct object marker
• על: on
• ש: that

Questions & Answers about הוא ביקש שהמוכרת תכתוב את המחיר על הקבלה.

What does ש־ mean in שהמוכרת?

ש־ means that and introduces a subordinate clause.

So שהמוכרת תכתוב is literally something like that the saleswoman write / that the saleswoman should write.

A few useful points:

• ש־ is usually pronounced she-
• It attaches directly to the next word
• After verbs like ביקש it often introduces the thing someone asked for

So the structure is:

• הוא ביקש = he asked
• שהמוכרת תכתוב... = that the saleswoman should write...

Why is תכתוב in the future tense if the sentence is about a request?

In Hebrew, after verbs of wanting, asking, telling, hoping, and similar ideas, the verb in the ש־ clause is often in the future form.

So תכתוב is formally a future-tense form, but here it does not simply mean plain future she will write. In this kind of sentence, it expresses the requested action:

• הוא ביקש שהיא תבוא = he asked that she come
• הוא ביקש שהמוכרת תכתוב = he asked that the saleswoman write

Modern Hebrew does not have a separate everyday subjunctive form like English sometimes does, so the future form often does that job.

Why is it תכתוב and not תכתבי or יכתוב?