Breakdown of אני רוצה למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה על דף חדש.
Questions & Answers about אני רוצה למחוק את התשובה ולכתוב אותה על דף חדש.
Why is the sentence using אני רוצה? Could Hebrew just say רוצה למחוק...?
Yes, in many real-life situations Hebrew can drop אני because the verb form and context already make the subject clear. So:
- אני רוצה למחוק... = I want to erase/delete...
- רוצה למחוק... can also mean I want to erase/delete... in casual speech, depending on context
However, including אני is very common and completely natural. It can make the sentence clearer or slightly more explicit, especially for learners or in more careful speech.
Why is רוצה written this way? Does it change depending on who is speaking?
Yes. רוצה is the present-tense form of to want, and it changes by gender and number.
Here are the common forms:
- אני רוצה = I want
- if the speaker is male, it is pronounced rotze
- if the speaker is female, it is pronounced rotza
- אתה רוצה = you want (male)
- את רוצה = you want (female)
- הוא רוצה = he wants
- היא רוצה = she wants
Without vowel marks, רוצה looks the same for masculine singular and feminine singular, but the pronunciation differs.
What is למחוק exactly? Why does it start with ל־?
למחוק is the infinitive, meaning to erase, to delete, or sometimes to wipe out/remove, depending on context.
The prefix ל־ often marks the infinitive in Hebrew, similar to to in English:
- לכתוב = to write
- ללמוד = to study
- למחוק = to erase / to delete
So:
- אני רוצה למחוק = I want to erase
This is parallel to English want + to + verb.
Why is there an את before התשובה?
את marks a definite direct object.
In this sentence:
- התשובה = the answer
- because it is definite (the answer, not just an answer), Hebrew uses את
So:
- למחוק את התשובה = to erase/delete the answer
A very important point: את does not mean the.
The word the is shown by ה־ at the beginning of התשובה.
The את is just a grammatical marker used before definite direct objects.
Compare:
- לכתוב תשובה = to write an answer
- לכתוב את התשובה = to write the answer
What does התשובה mean grammatically, and why does it start with ה־?
The base noun is תשובה = answer.
Adding ה־ makes it definite:
- תשובה = an answer / answer
- התשובה = the answer
So in the sentence, את התשובה means the answer as the object of the verb.
Also, תשובה is a feminine noun, and that becomes important later when the sentence uses the pronoun אותה.
Why does the sentence say ולכתוב אותה instead of just ולכתוב?
Because Hebrew often uses an object pronoun to make it clear what is being written.
- אותה = it / her (feminine singular object)
- here it means it, referring back to התשובה
So:
- ולכתוב אותה = and write it
This is necessary because the sentence is not saying just and write, but specifically and write the answer again, this time on a new sheet/page.
Why is the pronoun אותה feminine?
Because it refers to התשובה, and תשובה is a feminine noun.
In Hebrew, object pronouns agree with the grammatical gender of the noun they refer to.
So:
- תשובה = feminine
- therefore אותה = it for a feminine noun
If the noun were masculine, Hebrew would use אותו instead.
For example:
- הספר = the book (masculine)
- אני רוצה לכתוב אותו = I want to write it
But here:
- התשובה = feminine
- אני רוצה לכתוב אותה = I want to write it
What is the role of ו־ in ולכתוב?
ו־ means and.
So:
- לכתוב = to write
- ולכתוב = and to write
This connects the two actions:
- למחוק את התשובה = to erase/delete the answer
- ולכתוב אותה על דף חדש = and write it on a new sheet/page
Hebrew often uses ו־ directly attached to the next word.
Why is על used here? Doesn’t על usually mean on or about?
Yes, על commonly means on, about, or onto, depending on context.
In this sentence, על דף חדש means something like:
- on a new sheet
- on a new page
So the idea is writing the answer onto a new piece of paper or new page.
This is a normal use of על with writing:
- לכתוב על דף = to write on a sheet/page
What does דף חדש mean exactly? Is it a new page or a new sheet of paper?
It can mean either, depending on context.
- דף can mean sheet, leaf, or page
- חדש means new
So על דף חדש could be understood as:
- on a new page
- on a new sheet of paper
If the situation is handwriting on paper, sheet of paper may feel natural.
If it is in a notebook or workbook, new page may feel more natural.
Hebrew often leaves that kind of detail to context.
Why is it חדש and not חדשה?
Because דף is a masculine noun, and adjectives in Hebrew usually agree with the noun in gender and number.
So:
- דף = masculine singular
- therefore חדש = masculine singular new
Compare:
- דף חדש = a new page/sheet
- תשובה חדשה = a new answer
Since תשובה is feminine, its adjective would be חדשה, but דף is masculine, so the sentence correctly uses חדש.
Is למחוק better translated as to erase or to delete?
It can be either, depending on context.
למחוק is a broad verb that can mean:
- to erase — for pencil, board, handwriting, etc.
- to delete — for text on a computer or phone
- sometimes more generally to remove
In this sentence, because it continues with write it on a new sheet/page, erase may sound especially natural. But delete is also possible if the context is digital.
Is the word order in this sentence typical Hebrew word order?
Yes, it is very natural.
The structure is:
- אני רוצה = I want
- למחוק את התשובה = to erase the answer
- ולכתוב אותה על דף חדש = and write it on a new sheet/page
So Hebrew is following a very familiar pattern:
subject + want + infinitive + object + and + infinitive + object + prepositional phrase
This feels quite close to English word order, which is one reason the sentence is fairly approachable for English speakers.
How would this sentence be pronounced?
A common pronunciation would be:
ani rotze limkhok et ha-tshuva ve-likhtov ota al daf khadash
If the speaker is female, then רוצה would be pronounced rotza instead of rotze.
A few notes:
- אני = ani
- למחוק = limkhok
- התשובה = ha-tshuva
- ולכתוב = ve-likhtov
- אותה = ota
- דף חדש = daf khadash
The kh sound in limkhok and khadash is the throat sound often used for ח or כ without dagesh.
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