אם אתה לא מבין, אפשר למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה עוד פעם.

If you do not understand, you can erase the answer and write it again.

Breakdown of אם אתה לא מבין, אפשר למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה עוד פעם.

• אתה: you
• ו: and
• לא: not
• את: direct object marker
• להבין: to understand
• אם: if
• אפשר: possible
• לכתוב: to write
• אותה: it
• עוד פעם: one more time
• תשובה: answer
• למחוק: to erase

Questions & Answers about אם אתה לא מבין, אפשר למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה עוד פעם.

How do you pronounce this sentence?

A common transliteration is:

Im ata lo mevin, efshar limchok et ha-teshuva ve-likhtov ota od pa'am.

A more word-by-word pronunciation guide:

• אם — im
• אתה — ata
• לא — lo
• מבין — mevin
• אפשר — efshar
• למחוק — limchok
• את — et
• התשובה — ha-teshuva
• ולכתוב — ve-likhtov
• אותה — ota
• עוד פעם — od pa'am

What does אם mean here?

אם means if.

It introduces the condition at the beginning of the sentence:

• אם אתה לא מבין = if you do not understand

This is very straightforward and works much like English if.

What form is מבין, and why does it mean understand?

מבין is the present-tense masculine singular form of the verb להבין, meaning to understand.

So:

• אני מבין = I understand
• אתה מבין = you understand (to one male)
• הוא מבין = he understands

Hebrew present tense often uses a participle-like form, so there is no separate word for am / is / are here.

Literally, אתה לא מבין is something like you not understanding, but in natural English it is simply you do not understand.

Why does the sentence say אתה? Does that mean it is speaking to a male?

Yes. אתה means you when speaking to one male.

Because of that, מבין is also in the masculine singular form.

If you were speaking to a female, you would say:

אם את לא מבינה, אפשר למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה עוד פעם.

Other versions:

• to one male: אם אתה לא מבין
• to one female: אם את לא מבינה
• to several males or a mixed group: אם אתם לא מבינים
• to several females: אם אתן לא מבינות

Why is it לא מבין and not some other negative form?

לא is the normal Hebrew word for not when negating verbs in the present or future.

So:

• מבין = understands / understand
• לא מבין = do not understand / does not understand

This is the standard pattern:

• אני כותב = I write / am writing
• אני לא כותב = I do not write / am not writing

So אתה לא מבין is exactly the expected way to say you do not understand.

What does אפשר mean here?

אפשר literally means something like possible or it is possible.

In everyday Hebrew, אפשר + infinitive is a very common impersonal way to say:

• one can...
• you can...
• it is possible to...

So:

• אפשר למחוק = it is possible to delete / you can delete
• אפשר לכתוב = it is possible to write / you can write

This is especially common in instructions, explanations, and interface language.

Why does Hebrew use אפשר למחוק instead of אתה יכול למחוק?

Both are possible, but they are slightly different in tone.

• אפשר למחוק... is more impersonal, neutral, and common in instructions.
• אתה יכול למחוק... is more directly addressed to the person: you can delete...

So this sentence sounds natural in a context like giving guidance or explaining what is possible in a form, app, or exercise.

Why do למחוק and לכתוב begin with ל־?

The prefix ל־ is part of the Hebrew infinitive, often equivalent to English to.

So:

• למחוק = to delete / to erase
• לכתוב = to write

After אפשר, Hebrew normally uses an infinitive:

• אפשר למחוק = it is possible to delete
• אפשר לכתוב = it is possible to write

So the structure is very natural: אפשר + infinitive

What is את doing before התשובה?

את is the Hebrew direct object marker. It does not have a separate English translation here.

It appears before a definite direct object, usually one with ה־ (the), a name, or some other definite noun.

So:

• התשובה = the answer
• את התשובה = marks the answer as the direct object of למחוק

Compare:

• למחוק תשובה = to delete an answer
• למחוק את התשובה = to delete the answer

This is one of the most important little words in Hebrew grammar.

Why is it התשובה with ה־?

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• תשובה = answer
• התשובה = the answer

In this sentence, it refers to a specific answer, probably one already visible in the exercise, form, or screen.

Because התשובה is definite, it also takes the direct object marker את: את התשובה

Why does the sentence use אותה?

אותה means it or her as a direct object, depending on context.

Here it means it, referring back to התשובה.

Hebrew object pronouns must agree with the gender and number of the noun they refer to. Since תשובה is feminine singular, the pronoun is אותה.

So:

• תשובה = feminine singular
• אותה = it, referring to that feminine singular noun

If the noun were masculine singular, you would use אותו instead.

Why not repeat את התשובה instead of saying אותה?

You could repeat it, but אותה sounds more natural and less repetitive.

Compare:

• למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב את התשובה עוד פעם
• למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה עוד פעם

The second version is smoother, just like English prefers delete the answer and write it again rather than repeating the answer.

What does עוד פעם mean? Is it the same as again?

Yes. עוד פעם means again, literally something like one more time.

• עוד = more / another
• פעם = time / occasion

So:

• לכתוב אותה עוד פעם = to write it again

This is very common in everyday Hebrew.

You could also say שוב:

• לכתוב אותה שוב

Both are natural. Very roughly:

• עוד פעם = a bit more conversational, like one more time
• שוב = a simple again

Is the word order natural Hebrew?

Yes, it is very natural.

The sentence is built like this:

• אם אתה לא מבין = if you do not understand
• אפשר למחוק את התשובה = you can delete the answer
• ולכתוב אותה עוד פעם = and write it again

This kind of structure is common in spoken and written Hebrew, especially when giving instructions or help.

A more direct alternative would be:

אם אתה לא מבין, אתה יכול למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה עוד פעם.

But the original sentence is completely natural and idiomatic.