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Learn Hardcore Hebrew: אפשר להיכנס? - Can I come in?

Hardcore Hebrew
/Lesson 22
/אפשר להיכנס?

אפשר להיכנס?

Word

אפשר להיכנס?

Meaning

Can I come in?

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Hebrew

Lesson

Breakdown of אפשר להיכנס?

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Questions & Answers about אפשר להיכנס?

What does each word in אפשר להיכנס? mean?

אפשר means possible, can, or is it possible in this kind of sentence.

להיכנס is the infinitive to enter / to go in.

So the structure is literally Is it possible to enter?, even though the natural English meaning is May I come in?

Why is there no word for I in the Hebrew sentence?

Hebrew often uses an impersonal structure here.

Instead of saying Can I enter?, Hebrew very naturally says אפשר + infinitive, which is more like Is it possible to enter? The person is understood from the situation.

So even without אני (I), the sentence can still mean May I come in?

What kind of word is אפשר here? Is it a verb?

In this sentence, אפשר works as an impersonal expression meaning something like it is possible or one may.

It does not behave like a normal verb that changes for person:

not I possible
not you possible

Instead, it stays the same and is followed by an infinitive:

אפשר לשבת — May I sit? / It is possible to sit
אפשר לדבר — May I speak?
אפשר להיכנס — May I come in?

Why does להיכנס start with ל־?

The ל־ at the beginning is the usual marker of the infinitive in Hebrew, similar to English to.

So:

להיכנס = to enter
לשבת = to sit
לדבר = to speak

After אפשר, Hebrew normally uses the infinitive:

אפשר להיכנס
אפשר לשאול
אפשר לצאת

Why is להיכנס used instead of a conjugated verb?

Because after אפשר, Hebrew normally uses the infinitive.

So Hebrew says:

אפשר להיכנס? — literally Is it possible to enter?

It does not usually say something like:

אפשר נכנס? — this is not correct

The pattern is:

אפשר + infinitive

Why is this often translated as May I come in? and not just May I enter?

Because translation usually follows what sounds natural in English.

In Hebrew, להיכנס literally means to enter / to go in, but in the situation of standing at a door, English normally says come in.

So:

literal sense: Is it possible to enter?
natural English: May I come in?

Is אפשר להיכנס? polite? Is it formal or casual?

Yes, it is a very natural and polite way to ask.

It is fairly neutral, so it works in many situations:

at a classroom door
at an office
at a doctor’s room
at someone’s home

It is neither extremely formal nor especially casual. It is simply a standard polite way to ask for permission.

Could I also say אני יכול/ה להיכנס?

Yes. That also works.

אני יכול להיכנס? — if the speaker is male
אני יכולה להיכנס? — if the speaker is female

This means Can I come in?

The difference is that אפשר להיכנס? is more impersonal and often sounds a bit smoother or more conventional when asking permission at a door.

It also has one practical advantage for learners: you do not need to choose masculine or feminine.

Does אפשר להיכנס? change depending on the speaker’s gender?

No. That is one useful thing about this expression.

אפשר להיכנס? stays the same whether the speaker is male or female, because there is no gender-marked verb or adjective referring to the speaker.

Compare:

אפשר להיכנס? — same for everyone
אני יכול להיכנס? — male speaker
אני יכולה להיכנס? — female speaker

How is אפשר להיכנס? pronounced?

A common pronunciation is:

efshár lehikanés?

The stress falls at the end of both words:

efshÁR
lehikanÉS

If you want the fully pointed form, it is:

אֶפְשָׁר לְהִכָּנֵס?

What is the base verb behind להיכנס?

The base verb is נכנס in the נפעל pattern.

The infinitive is להיכנס — to enter.

A learner does not need to master all the grammar right away, but it is helpful to notice that:

dictionary / infinitive form: להיכנס
common present/past-related base form you may see: נכנס

So if you later meet forms like נכנס, נכנסה, or נכנסים, they belong to the same verb.

Is there a difference between אפשר להיכנס? and מותר להיכנס?

Yes.

אפשר להיכנס? means something like:

Can I come in?
May I come in?
Is it okay to come in?

מותר להיכנס? is closer to:

Am I allowed to come in?
Is it permitted to enter?

So מותר focuses more on permission/rules, while אפשר is often the more natural everyday choice when politely asking at a door.

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