אני שומרת כיסא אחד פנוי, כדי שסבתא תשב ליד החלון.

I am keeping one chair free, so that Grandma will sit by the window.

Breakdown of אני שומרת כיסא אחד פנוי, כדי שסבתא תשב ליד החלון.

• אני: I
• חלון: window
• כיסא: chair
• לשבת: to sit

Questions & Answers about אני שומרת כיסא אחד פנוי, כדי שסבתא תשב ליד החלון.

Why is it שומרת and not שומר?

Because שומרת is the feminine singular present-tense form.

The subject is אני = I, and in Hebrew the present tense usually agrees with the speaker’s gender:

• אני שומר = I am keeping / reserving (male speaker)
• אני שומרת = I am keeping / reserving (female speaker)

So this sentence is being said by a woman or girl.

What does שומרת mean here? Does it literally mean guarding?

Literally, the verb לשמור often means to guard, to keep, or to watch over. But in everyday Hebrew it can also mean to save, to keep available, or to reserve something.

Here, אני שומרת כיסא אחד פנוי means something like:

• I’m keeping one seat free
• I’m saving one seat
• I’m reserving one seat

So it does not mean the speaker is physically guarding the chair like a security guard. It means she is leaving it available for someone.

Why is there no את before כיסא?