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Learn Hardcore Hebrew: אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה. - I don't know much about her.

Hardcore Hebrew
/Lesson 22
/אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה.

אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה.

Word

אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה.

Meaning

I don't know much about her.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Hebrew

Lesson

Breakdown of אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה.

Questions & Answers about אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה.

Why is it יודעת and not יודע?

Because יודעת is the feminine singular present form of to know.

So this sentence is spoken by a female speaker: אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה

If the speaker were male, it would be: אני לא יודע הרבה עליה

Hebrew present-tense forms usually show gender and number, but not person.

Do I have to say אני, or can it be omitted?

In many cases, אני is helpful and often expected in the present tense.

That is because יודעת by itself only tells you feminine singular, not whether the subject is I, you, or she. So without אני, the meaning could be less clear unless the context already makes it obvious.

So אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה is the normal clear form.

What exactly does עליה mean here?

עליה

on her

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עליה means about her here.

It comes from the preposition על, which can mean on, about, or regarding, plus a pronoun ending meaning her.

In Hebrew, prepositions often attach directly to pronouns, so instead of using two separate words, Hebrew makes one combined form:

עליי = about me / on me
עליו = about him / on him
עליה = about her / on her

In this sentence, the meaning is clearly about her.

Why is עליה one word instead of two?

Because Hebrew commonly attaches pronouns directly to prepositions.

So English uses two words: about her

But Hebrew often uses a single combined form: עליה

This is very normal Hebrew grammar, not a special exception.

Why is there no את before עליה?

Because את is used only before a definite direct object.

Here, עליה is not a direct object. It is the object of the preposition על.

Compare:

אני מכירה אותה = I know her
Here אותה is a direct object, so no preposition is involved.
אני יודעת עליה הרבה = I know a lot about her
Here עליה means about her, so it is part of a prepositional phrase, and את is not used.

Why does Hebrew use על with know here?

Because Hebrew distinguishes between:

knowing someone / being acquainted with someone
knowing about someone / having information about someone

If you mean I know her personally, Hebrew would usually use להכיר: אני מכירה אותה = I know her / I am acquainted with her

If you mean I know things about her, Hebrew uses לדעת על: אני יודעת עליה הרבה = I know a lot about her

So in this sentence, עליה is important because the meaning is about her, not I know her personally.

What does הרבה mean here?

Here הרבה means much or a lot.

It is working adverbially: it tells you how much the speaker knows.

So:

אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה = I do not know much about her

Even though הרבה can sometimes feel like an adjective in other contexts, here it is basically functioning like a lot / much.

Why is לא placed before יודעת?

Because לא is the normal Hebrew word for not, and it usually comes before the verb or predicate it negates.

So:

אני יודעת = I know
אני לא יודעת = I do not know

This is the normal pattern in simple Hebrew sentences.

Is the word order fixed, or could it also be אני לא יודעת עליה הרבה?

Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, and אני לא יודעת עליה הרבה is also possible.

Both versions are understandable:

אני לא יודעת הרבה עליה
אני לא יודעת עליה הרבה

The difference is small and mostly about rhythm or emphasis. A learner should mainly know that Hebrew allows this kind of variation more easily than English does.

How is this sentence pronounced?

A simple pronunciation guide is:

ani lo yoda'at harbe aleha

A few notes:

אני = ani
יודעת = yoda'at
הרבה = harbe
עליה = aleha

The stress is usually near the end of יודעת and עליה: yo-da-AT a-LE-ha

Could I translate יודעת as I am knowing?

No. Even though Hebrew present forms sometimes come from participle-like forms, in normal English you translate this as simple present:

I do not know much about her

Not: I am not knowing much about her

So the natural English meaning uses do not know, not a progressive form.

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