מותר לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו?

מותר means allowed / permitted.

In this kind of sentence, Hebrew often starts with מותר to express the idea of permission:

• מותר לי... = I am allowed to...
• literally, something like It is permitted for me...

So the sentence begins with the idea of permission, not with I the way English usually does.

Because מותר לי and אני יכול do not mean the same thing.

• מותר לי = I’m allowed to
• אני יכול = I can / I’m able to

So:

• מותר לי להדליק את התנור? = Am I allowed to turn on the oven?
• אני יכול להדליק את התנור? = Can I turn on the oven?
  This might mean either am I able to or, in casual speech, may I.

If you specifically want to ask about permission, מותר לי is the better choice.

לי means to me / for me.

It is made from:

• ל־ = to / for
• י = me

So:

• מותר לי = It is allowed for me = I’m allowed

Other examples:

• מותר לך = you are allowed
• מותר לו = he is allowed
• מותר לה = she is allowed

Because להדליק is the infinitive form, meaning to light / to turn on.

In Hebrew, infinitives usually begin with ל־, which often corresponds to English to:

• לאכול = to eat
• ללכת = to go
• להדליק = to light / to turn on

So:

• מותר לי להדליק = I’m allowed to turn on

להדליק literally means to light or to ignite, but in modern Hebrew it is also commonly used for turning on things, especially things involving heat, light, or power.

So with התנור it means:

• to turn on the oven

Depending on context, it can also mean:

• to light a candle
• to switch on a light
• to turn on an appliance

את is the Hebrew direct object marker. It appears before a definite direct object.

Since התנור means the oven (a specific oven), Hebrew uses את:

• להדליק את התנור = to turn on the oven

Compare:

• אני רואה את הילד = I see the boy
• אני רואה ילד = I see a boy

In the second sentence, there is no את, because ילד is indefinite.

תנור means oven.

With the prefix ה־, it becomes התנור = the oven.

So:

• תנור = oven
• התנור = the oven

The ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, like English the.

In Hebrew, yes/no questions are often shown only by:

• intonation in speech
• a question mark in writing

So:

• מותר לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו. = I’m allowed to turn on the oven now.
• מותר לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו? = Am I allowed to turn on the oven now?

Unlike English, Hebrew usually does not need auxiliary verbs like do, can, or am at the beginning.

עכשיו means now, and yes, its position can be somewhat flexible.

In this sentence:

• מותר לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו?
  = Am I allowed to turn on the oven now?

This sounds natural and emphasizes the timing at the end.

You can also say:

• מותר לי עכשיו להדליק את התנור?

That is also natural. It puts now a bit earlier.

Both are correct; the difference is mostly one of rhythm and emphasis.

No, this sentence stays the same whether the speaker is male or female:

• מותר לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו?

That is because:

• לי always means to me
• מותר לי does not change for the speaker’s gender in this construction

So both a man and a woman can say exactly this sentence.

In standard Hebrew, no. If the direct object is definite, you should use את.

So the correct form is:

• להדליק את התנור

not:

• להדליק התנור

Since התנור = the oven, it is definite, so את is required.

Not in the usual sense. In this sentence, מותר functions more like an adjective or predicate meaning permitted.

That is why Hebrew does not need a separate verb like is in the present tense.

So:

• מותר לי literally feels like permitted to me
• natural English: I’m allowed

This is a very common Hebrew pattern.

Because Hebrew does not use מותר that way.

You do not normally say:

• אני מותר...

Instead, Hebrew uses the impersonal pattern:

• מותר לי... = It is allowed for me...
• אסור לי... = It is forbidden for me...

So permission is expressed through this predicate + ל־person structure, not by making מותר agree with אני.

The usual opposite is אסור = forbidden / not allowed.

So:

• אסור לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו. = I’m not allowed to turn on the oven now.
• אסור לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו? = Am I not allowed to turn on the oven now?

If you just want to say it isn’t allowed, אסור is the normal word.

Sometimes, but the meaning shifts a little.

• מותר לי = I’m allowed to
  focuses on permission
• אפשר לי = it’s possible for me / can I
  often sounds more about possibility or a softer request

So:

• מותר לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו? = Am I allowed to turn on the oven now?
• אפשר להדליק את התנור עכשיו? = Is it possible / okay to turn on the oven now?
• אפשר לי להדליק את התנור עכשיו? = Can I turn on the oven now?

In many situations, אפשר sounds softer and more conversational, but מותר is more clearly about rules or permission.

A common pronunciation guide would be:

Mutar li lehadlik et hatanur akhshav?

A rough breakdown:

• מותר = mu-TAR
• לי = lee
• להדליק = le-had-LEEK
• את = et
• התנור = ha-ta-NUR
• עכשיו = akh-SHAV

Pronunciation can vary a little by speaker and accent, but this is a good standard model.

Yes. להדליק belongs to the הפעיל (Hif’il) pattern, which often has a causative sense.

That is useful because many Hif’il verbs have the idea of causing something to happen:

• לגדול = to grow
• להגדיל = to enlarge / make bigger

Similarly:

• לדלוֹק or related ideas connect to burning/light
• להדליק = to light / to switch on

You do not need to master the whole verb system immediately, but recognizing להדליק as a common infinitive in Hif’il can help you identify related forms later, such as:

• הדלקתי = I turned on / lit
• מדליק = turning on / lights

Possibly, depending on context. תנור most commonly means oven, but in everyday speech it can sometimes refer more broadly to a cooking appliance.

Still, if a learner sees התנור, the safest translation is usually:

• the oven

If the context is cooking, speakers may understand exactly which appliance is meant from the situation.

It is completely normal everyday Hebrew.

Nothing in it is especially literary or formal:

• מותר לי is common
• להדליק את התנור is natural
• עכשיו is everyday vocabulary

So this is a very useful real-life sentence pattern to learn.