Breakdown of תשמור את הקבלה, כי אולי נרצה להחליף את החולצה מחר.
לרצות
to want
מחר
tomorrow
את
direct object marker
כי
because
Questions & Answers about תשמור את הקבלה, כי אולי נרצה להחליף את החולצה מחר.
How is this sentence pronounced?
A natural pronunciation is:
Tishmor et ha-kabala, ki ulai nirtze lehakhlif et ha-khultza makhar.
A few sound notes:
- ח in החולצה and מחר is the throaty kh sound, like in Scottish loch.
- Stress is usually near the end: kabaLA, nirTZE, lehakhLIF, khulTZA, maKHAR.
Why is תשמור used instead of the imperative שמור?
In modern Hebrew, speakers often use the future form to give an instruction in a slightly softer, more natural way.
So:
- שמור את הקבלה = a direct imperative
- תשמור את הקבלה = a very common conversational way to say the same thing, often sounding a bit less abrupt
It can feel like keep the receipt or make sure to keep the receipt.
How do I know תשמור means you here and not she will keep?
Because תשמור can actually mean either:
- you will keep addressed to one male
- she will keep
Hebrew often leaves this kind of ambiguity in the written form, and context tells you which meaning is intended. Here, the sentence is clearly speaking to someone directly, so it is understood as .