אני זהיר מאוד כשאני חוצה את הרחוב.

I am very careful when I cross the street.

Breakdown of אני זהיר מאוד כשאני חוצה את הרחוב.

• אני: I
• רחוב: street
• את: direct object marker
• מאוד: very

Questions & Answers about אני זהיר מאוד כשאני חוצה את הרחוב.

Why isn’t there a word for am in this sentence?

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense.

So אני זהיר מאוד literally looks like I very careful, but it means I am very careful.

This is normal Hebrew:

• אני עייף = I am tired
• היא שמחה = She is happy

In the past and future, forms of to be can appear, but in the present they usually do not.

Why is it זהיר and not זהירה?

זהיר is the masculine singular form of careful.

Hebrew adjectives usually agree with the person they describe in gender and number. So:

• a male speaker says אני זהיר מאוד
• a female speaker says אני זהירה מאוד

So this sentence, as written, sounds like it is being said by a male speaker.

Does חוצה also match the speaker’s gender?