אל תאבד את הקבלה, כי נצטרך אותה אם נרצה להחליף את הנעליים.

A simple transliteration is:

Al te'abed et ha-kabala, ki nitz'tarekh ota im nirtze lehakhlif et ha-na'alayim.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• אל — al
• תאבד — te-a-BED
• את — et
• הקבלה — ha-ka-ba-LA
• כי — ki
• נצטרך — nitz-ta-REKH
• אותה — o-TA
• אם — im
• נרצה — nir-TZE
• להחליף — le-hakh-LIF
• הנעליים — ha-na-a-LA-yim

The kh sound in להחליף and נצטרך is like the sound in German Bach or Hebrew ח/כ.

Because אל is the normal word used to make a negative command in Hebrew.

So:

• אל תאבד = Don't lose
• לא תאבד would usually sound more like you will not lose or a plain negated future statement, not a command

This is one of the first big differences English speakers notice:

• English: Don't lose the receipt
• Hebrew: אל + future-form verb

In Hebrew, negative commands are commonly formed with:

אל + future tense

So even though תאבד is grammatically a future form, in this sentence it functions as a command:

• תאבד = you will lose
• אל תאבד = don't lose

This is very normal Hebrew grammar, not a special exception just for this verb.

תאבד is second person masculine singular, so this sentence is addressed to:

• one male
• or sometimes a single person in a generic textbook-style masculine form

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

• אל תאבדי את הקבלה

If you were speaking to more than one person, you would say:

• אל תאבדו את הקבלה

So the exact form of the verb changes depending on gender and number.

Here, את is the direct object marker. It does not have a separate English translation.

Hebrew uses את before a definite direct object — usually a noun with ה־ (the) or a proper name.

So:

• את הקבלה = the receipt as the direct object
• את הנעליים = the shoes as the direct object

English does not have an equivalent word, so learners often want to translate it, but you usually shouldn't. It is just a grammar marker.

Yes. They both refer to the receipt, but they do different jobs:

• את הקבלה = the receipt (full noun phrase)
• אותה = it (object pronoun)

So the structure is:

• Don't lose the receipt
• because we will need it

This is perfectly normal. First the noun is mentioned, then later it is referred to with a pronoun.

Because קבלה is a feminine singular noun, and the pronoun has to match it.

• אותה = her / it for a feminine singular noun
• אותו = him / it for a masculine singular noun

So:

• הקבלה is feminine
• therefore: נצטרך אותה = we'll need it

A useful clue is that many Hebrew nouns ending in ־ה are feminine, and קבלה is one of them.

Because Hebrew verbs often already show the subject.

• נצטרך = we will need
• נרצה = we will want

The נ־ at the beginning helps mark the we form in the future tense.

So Hebrew often leaves out אנחנו when it is already clear from the verb. You could say:

• כי אנחנו נצטרך אותה אם אנחנו נרצה...

but that sounds more explicit and is not necessary here.

This is a very common question.

In Hebrew, when talking about a real future possibility, the verb after אם is usually in the future tense:

• אם נרצה = literally if we will want, but naturally translated as if we want

So the Hebrew pattern is different from English:

• English: If we want to exchange the shoes, we'll need it
• Hebrew: אם נרצה להחליף את הנעליים, נצטרך אותה

This is normal Hebrew usage, and learners should get used to not copying the English tense pattern here.

להחליף is the infinitive form, meaning to exchange / to replace.

After verbs like want, Hebrew often uses an infinitive, just like English uses to + verb:

• נרצה להחליף = we will want to exchange
• literally: we will want to-exchange

So this part works very similarly to English:

• want to exchange
• רוצים / נרצה להחליף

Here, כי means because.

So:

• כי נצטרך אותה = because we will need it

Be aware that כי can also mean that in other contexts, depending on the sentence. But in this sentence, because is clearly the right meaning.

נעליים is the normal Hebrew word for shoes, and it has the ending ־יים, which historically is a dual ending — often used for things that come in pairs.

Examples of this kind of form include words like:

• עיניים = eyes
• ידיים = hands
• נעליים = shoes

In modern Hebrew, you can think of נעליים simply as the standard word for shoes. Even though the ending is historically special, for most learners it is best to memorize it as a vocabulary item.

So:

• נעליים = shoes
• הנעליים = the shoes