לפני שאני חוצה את הרחוב, אני עוצר ליד הרמזור.

In Hebrew, before is usually followed by a full clause: לפני ש־... or לפני שאני....

So:

• לפני שאני חוצה את הרחוב = before I cross the street

Using לפני + infinitive the way English uses before crossing / before to cross is generally not natural here. A Hebrew speaker normally says:

• לפני שאני חוצה...
• or, in a more specific future sense, לפני שאחצה...

שאני is made of:

• ש־ = a linking word, often like that / when
• אני = I

So שאני literally looks like that I, but in this sentence you should understand it as part of the expression לפני שאני... = before I...

It is pronounced roughly sheh-ah-NEE.

Because Hebrew present tense is often used for habitual or general actions.

This sentence sounds like a routine or general behavior:

• Before I cross the street, I stop by the traffic light.

So Hebrew uses present forms:

• חוצה = crossing / cross
• עוצר = stopping / stop

This is similar to English simple present when talking about habits:

• I stop
• I cross

Yes. That version is also correct, but it means something a little different.

• לפני שאני חוצה..., אני עוצר...
  = a general habit, something I usually do

• לפני שאחצה..., אעצור...
  = one specific future situation: Before I cross, I will stop

So the original sentence is more about a regular action or general rule.

את marks a definite direct object.

Here, הרחוב means the street, which is definite because of ה־.

So Hebrew says:

• אני חוצה את הרחוב = I cross the street

But if the object were indefinite, you would usually not use את:

• אני חוצה רחוב = I am crossing a street

Because ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to English the.

• רחוב = street

• הרחוב = the street

• רמזור = traffic light
• הרמזור = the traffic light

Unlike English, Hebrew attaches the directly to the noun as a prefix.

Because in Hebrew present tense, the verb usually does not clearly show the person by itself.

For example, עוצר can mean:

• I stop (male speaker)
• you stop (male singular)
• he stops

So Hebrew often includes the subject pronoun to make it clear:

• אני עוצר
• אני חוצה

Repeating אני in both clauses is normal and natural.

Because עוצר is the masculine singular present form.

Hebrew present tense agrees with the speaker’s gender:

• male speaker: אני עוצר
• female speaker: אני עוצרת

So if a woman were saying the sentence, it would be:

• לפני שאני חוצה את הרחוב, אני עוצרת ליד הרמזור.

Notice that חוצה stays the same in singular masculine and feminine for this verb.

ליד means next to, beside, near, or by.

So:

• ליד הרמזור = by / near the traffic light

In this sentence, it means the speaker stops in the area of the traffic light before crossing. It does not necessarily mean they are touching it or standing immediately under it; it can be a normal, practical near/by.

Yes, it is natural and understandable.

But the exact wording can change depending on what you want to emphasize:

• ליד הרמזור = near/by the physical traffic light
• ברמזור = at the traffic light
• במעבר החצייה = at the crosswalk

So the original sentence is fine, especially if the idea is stopping near the light before crossing. A native speaker might choose a slightly different phrase depending on context.

The dictionary, or infinitive, forms are:

• לחצות = to cross
• לעצור = to stop

In the sentence:

• חוצה = present tense of לחצות
• עוצר = present tense of לעצור

So if you are learning vocabulary, those are the forms you would usually look up.

Yes.

The original sentence begins with the before clause:

• לפני שאני חוצה את הרחוב, אני עוצר ליד הרמזור.

You could also say:

• אני עוצר ליד הרמזור לפני שאני חוצה את הרחוב.

Both are grammatical. The original order simply puts the time/context first, which is very common.

The comma separates the introductory time clause from the main clause:

• לפני שאני חוצה את הרחוב, = introductory clause
• אני עוצר ליד הרמזור. = main clause

This is similar to English punctuation in a sentence like:

• Before I cross the street, I stop by the traffic light.

In standard writing, the comma is a good choice here.