לפני שהיא הולכת לישון, היא תמיד מכבה את האור, כי היא לא אוהבת לישון עם אור.

Before she goes to sleep, she always turns off the light, because she does not like to sleep with a light on.

Breakdown of לפני שהיא הולכת לישון, היא תמיד מכבה את האור, כי היא לא אוהבת לישון עם אור.

• היא: she
• לא: not
• לאהוב: to like
• עם: with
• ללכת: to go
• את: direct object marker
• כי: because
• תמיד: always
• לפני: before
• ש: that
• לישון: to sleep
• אור: light
• לכבות: to turn off

Questions & Answers about לפני שהיא הולכת לישון, היא תמיד מכבה את האור, כי היא לא אוהבת לישון עם אור.

Why is it לפני שהיא הולכת לישון and not just לפני הולכת לישון?

Because לפני can be followed by a full clause, and when Hebrew uses a full clause, it usually adds ש־ (that / when in this kind of structure).

So:

• לפני השינה = before sleep
• לפני לישון = generally not the normal way here
• לפני שהיא הולכת לישון = before she goes to sleep

In this sentence, Hebrew is saying before she goes to sleep, so it uses a full subject + verb clause: שהיא הולכת לישון.

Why is the verb הולכת feminine?

Because the subject is היא = she.

In the present tense, Hebrew verbs agree with gender and number:

• הוא הולך = he goes / is going
• היא הולכת = she goes / is going

So היא הולכת לישון literally matches she-feminine goes-feminine to sleep.

Does הולכת לישון literally mean goes to sleep?

Yes, very close to that. Hebrew often uses הולך/הולכת לישון as the normal way to say go to sleep or go to bed / go to sleep.

Literally, it is:

• הולכת = going
• לישון = to sleep

But together, הולכת לישון is a common expression meaning goes to sleep.

It does not necessarily emphasize physical movement. It is just the standard phrase.

What does לישון mean, and why does it start with ל־?

לישון means to sleep.

The prefix ל־ often marks the infinitive in Hebrew, like English to in to sleep, to eat, to write.

Examples:

• לישון = to sleep
• לאכול = to eat
• לכתוב = to write

So in הולכת לישון, the second word is simply the infinitive to sleep.

Why is את used in מכבה את האור?

את marks a definite direct object.

Here, האור means the light, which is definite because of ה־ (the). So Hebrew uses את before it:

• מכבה אור = turns off a light / light in a more indefinite sense
• מכבה את האור = turns off the light

English does not have a separate word like this, so it often feels strange to learners at first.

Why is it האור and not just אור?

Because the sentence is talking about the light, not just light in a general sense.

• אור = light
• האור = the light

In the sentence, she turns off a specific light, so Hebrew uses the definite form האור.

Why is the verb מכבה used for turns off?

Because לכבות is the normal Hebrew verb for to turn off something like a light, flame, device, etc.

Examples:

• לכבות את האור = to turn off the light
• לכבות את הטלוויזיה = to turn off the TV
• לכבות את האש = to extinguish the fire

The basic idea is extinguish / switch off.

Why is תמיד placed before מכבה?

תמיד means always, and in Hebrew it is very natural to place adverbs like this before the verb:

• היא תמיד מכבה את האור = she always turns off the light

This word order is very common and natural.

You may also see adverbs moved for emphasis in other sentences, but here היא תמיד מכבה is the standard, neutral order.

Why is היא repeated? Could Hebrew leave it out?

In this sentence, repeating היא is normal and natural:

• לפני שהיא הולכת לישון, היא תמיד מכבה את האור...

Hebrew often does use subject pronouns, especially for clarity. In the present tense, the verb shows gender and number, but not person as clearly as in some other tenses, so pronouns are commonly included.

Could Hebrew sometimes omit a repeated pronoun in connected speech or different styles? Yes, but here the repeated היא sounds completely normal and clear.

Why does the sentence use כי?

כי means because here.

So this part:

• כי היא לא אוהבת לישון עם אור

means:

• because she does not like sleeping with light

It introduces the reason for the action in the main clause.

Why is it לא אוהבת לישון and not some other structure?

Because אוהב/אוהבת (like) is commonly followed by an infinitive in Hebrew when talking about liking an action.

So:

• היא אוהבת לישון = she likes to sleep / she likes sleeping
• היא לא אוהבת לישון עם אור = she does not like sleeping with light

This works much like English like to do or like doing.

Why does Hebrew say עם אור? Why not something like with the light?

עם אור literally means with light, and in this sentence it means with a light on / with light present.

Hebrew often expresses this idea more generally:

• לישון עם אור = to sleep with light
• לישון בלי אור = to sleep without light

English often says sleep with the light on, but Hebrew can simply say with light.

If you said עם האור, that would sound more like with the light as a specific light. Here the more general עם אור fits the meaning better.

Can the sentence order be changed, for example putting the because part first?

Yes. Hebrew word order is fairly flexible, especially with clauses.

For example, you could say:

• כי היא לא אוהבת לישון עם אור, היא תמיד מכבה את האור לפני שהיא הולכת לישון.

That would still be understandable. But the original order is very natural:

1. Before she goes to sleep
2. she always turns off the light
3. because she does not like sleeping with light

So the sentence is structured in a clear, natural way: time first, then action, then reason.