את יכולה למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם את רוצה.

You can also try on the green dress if you want.

Breakdown of את יכולה למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם את רוצה.

• לרצות: to want
• את: you
• את: direct object marker
• להיות יכול: to be able
• גם: also
• אם: if
• שמלה: dress
• למדוד: to try on
• ירוק: green

Questions & Answers about את יכולה למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם את רוצה.

Why are the verb forms feminine in this sentence?

Because the sentence is addressed to a woman or girl.

You can see that in:

• את = you (feminine singular)
• יכולה = can / are able (feminine singular)
• רוצה = want (feminine singular)

If you were speaking to a man, it would be:

• אתה יכול למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם אתה רוצה.

So Hebrew usually shows gender in the you form and in related words.

Why does את appear twice? Does it mean the same thing both times?

No. These are two different words that just happen to be spelled the same.

1. את at the beginning = you (feminine singular)

   • את יכולה = you can

2. את before השמלה = the direct object marker

   • It has no real English equivalent.
   • It appears before a definite direct object, usually one with ה = the.

So in this sentence:

• את יכולה = you can
• את השמלה הירוקה = marks the green dress as the direct object

This is one of the most common things that confuses English speakers learning Hebrew.

What does למדוד mean here? I thought it meant to measure.

It does literally mean to measure, but with clothes it commonly means to try on.

So:

• למדוד חולצה / שמלה / נעליים can mean to try on a shirt / dress / shoes

In this sentence, the natural meaning is to try on the green dress, not to measure the green dress.

Hebrew often uses the same verb in both senses, and context tells you which meaning is intended.

How does Hebrew express can in this sentence?

Hebrew does not use a separate word exactly like English can in all cases. Instead, it often uses יכול / יכולה plus an infinitive.

Here:

• יכולה = able / can (feminine singular)
• למדוד = to try on

So:

• את יכולה למדוד = you can try on

This pattern is very common:

• אני יכול לבוא = I can come
• היא יכולה לעזור = she can help

What does גם mean here, and why is it placed there?

גם usually means also, too, or sometimes as well.

In this sentence, it means that trying on the green dress is an additional option:

• את יכולה למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה = you can also try on the green dress

Its position suggests that the green dress is the thing being added.

Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, but גם is often placed right before the thing it emphasizes.

Why is it את השמלה הירוקה and not just שמלה ירוקה?

Because the sentence is talking about a specific dress: the green dress, not just a green dress.

• שמלה ירוקה = a green dress
• השמלה הירוקה = the green dress

Since the object is definite, Hebrew also uses the direct object marker את:

• את השמלה הירוקה

So the structure is:

• את = direct object marker
• השמלה = the dress
• הירוקה = the green

Why does the adjective come after the noun in השמלה הירוקה?

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• שמלה ירוקה = green dress
• literally: dress green

This is normal Hebrew word order. English usually puts the adjective before the noun, but Hebrew usually puts it after.

Why does ירוקה end with -ה?

Because it has to agree with שמלה, which is a feminine singular noun.

In Hebrew, adjectives agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

Here:

• שמלה is feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular: ירוקה

Compare:

• שמלה ירוקה = feminine singular
• חולצה ירוקה = feminine singular
• ספר ירוק = masculine singular
• שמלות ירוקות = feminine plural

Why do both השמלה and הירוקה have ה?

Because in Hebrew, when a noun is definite, its adjective usually becomes definite too.

So:

• שמלה ירוקה = a green dress
• השמלה הירוקה = the green dress

This is different from English, where only the appears once. In Hebrew, definiteness is typically shown on both the noun and the adjective.

Why is there another את in אם את רוצה? Is that one optional?

That את is again the pronoun you (feminine singular), not the object marker.

• אם = if
• את רוצה = you want

So:

• אם את רוצה = if you want

As for whether it is optional: in everyday Hebrew, subject pronouns in the present tense are often omitted when the meaning is already clear, because the form of the adjective or participle can show gender and number.

So you may also hear:

• אם רוצה
• יכולה למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם רוצה

But including את sounds very natural and often clearer, especially for learners.

Why is רוצה in the present tense after אם? Shouldn’t it be future, like if you will want?

Hebrew often uses the present tense here in a natural, conversational way to mean if you want.

So:

• אם את רוצה = if you want

This sounds normal and idiomatic.

You could also hear:

• אם תרצי = if you want / if you’d like in a more explicitly future sense

Both can work, but אם את רוצה is very common in speech and feels natural in this kind of offer or suggestion.

Could the word order be changed?

Yes, somewhat. Hebrew word order is flexible, especially in spoken language.

For example, you could also say:

• אם את רוצה, את יכולה למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה.

This means the same thing, but starts with if you want.

The original sentence is very natural, and it puts the main offer first:

• את יכולה למדוד... = you can try on...

Then it softens it with:

• אם את רוצה = if you want

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

The grammar would change to match the person being addressed.

To a man:

• אתה יכול למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם אתה רוצה.

To a group of women:

• אתן יכולות למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם אתן רוצות.

To a group of men or a mixed group:

• אתם יכולים למדוד גם את השמלה הירוקה אם אתם רוצים.

Hebrew changes forms much more than English does, especially for you, can, and want.