אני רוצה ללמוד עברית בספרייה אחרי העבודה.

Breakdown of אני רוצה ללמוד עברית בספרייה אחרי העבודה.

אני
I
לרצות
to want
ב
in
עברית
Hebrew
אחרי
after
עבודה
work
ספרייה
library
ללמוד
to learn

Questions & Answers about אני רוצה ללמוד עברית בספרייה אחרי העבודה.

How do I pronounce this sentence?

A common pronunciation is:

Ani rotze/rotza lilmod ivrit ba-sifriya aḥarei ha-avoda.

A few notes:

  • rotze if the speaker is male
  • rotza if the speaker is female
  • in aḥarei is the sound of ח, like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
  • Stress is usually near the end in words like rotZE/rotZA, lilMOD, ivRIT, sifriYA, aḥaREI, aVOda
Why is the verb רוצה used here, and does it change for a male or female speaker?

Yes. In Hebrew, the present tense agrees with gender and number.

So with אני:

  • a male speaker says אני רוצהani rotze
  • a female speaker says אני רוצהani rotza

Notice that in normal unpointed writing, both are written the same: רוצה. The difference is in pronunciation.

Plural forms would be:

  • אנחנו רוצים — if the group is masculine or mixed
  • אנחנו רוצות — if the group is all feminine
Why is ללמוד used after רוצה?

Because Hebrew normally uses the infinitive after רוצה — just like English uses to + verb after want.

So:

  • רוצה = want
  • ללמוד = to study / to learn

The ל־ at the start of ללמוד is often the equivalent of English to in an infinitive.

So the pattern is:

אני רוצה + infinitive

For example:

  • אני רוצה לאכול — I want to eat
  • אני רוצה לנסוע — I want to travel
  • אני רוצה ללמוד — I want to study / learn
Does ללמוד mean study or learn?

It can mean both.

The Hebrew verb ללמוד covers both ideas:

  • to study
  • to learn

So ללמוד עברית can mean:

  • to study Hebrew
  • to learn Hebrew

Usually the context tells you which English translation sounds best. In a sentence like this, either is possible.

Why is it עברית and not עברי?

Because עברית is the normal Modern Hebrew word for the Hebrew language.

  • עברית = Hebrew, the language
  • עברי = Hebrew, but usually as an adjective or in a more literary/biblical sense

So after ללמוד, the natural everyday phrase is:

ללמוד עברית — to study/learn Hebrew

Why is there no את before עברית?

Because את is used before a definite direct object, and עברית here is not definite.

In this sentence, עברית is just the name of the language, used in a general way. So Hebrew does not use את here.

Compare:

  • אני לומד עברית — I study Hebrew
  • אני אוהב מוזיקה — I like music

But with a definite object, you would use את:

  • אני לומד את הספר — I am studying the book

So in ללמוד עברית, no את is needed.

Why is בספרייה written as one word?

Because short prepositions in Hebrew usually attach directly to the following word.

Here, ב־ means in / at, and it joins ספרייה.

So:

  • ספרייה = library
  • בספרייה = in the library / in a library

This is completely normal in Hebrew. The same happens with other prepositions too:

  • בבית — in the house / at home
  • לבית — to the house / home
  • מהבית — from the house / from home
How do I know whether בספרייה means in a library or in the library?

This is a very common question, because in normal unpointed Hebrew spelling, both can look the same.

בספרייה can be understood as:

  • be-sifriyain a library
  • ba-sifriyain the library

The difference is usually clear from:

  • context
  • pronunciation
  • vowel marks, if they are written

In your sentence, since the meaning is already shown to the learner, this one is understood as in the library.

Why is it אחרי העבודה for after work?

אחרי means after, and העבודה literally means the work.

Hebrew often uses the definite article in expressions that English translates more generally. So:

אחרי העבודה = after work

It usually means after the workday or after finishing work, not necessarily after a specific piece of work.

If you wanted to be more explicit, you could also say things like:

  • אחרי העבודה שלי — after my work
  • אחרי יום העבודה — after the workday

But אחרי העבודה is a very natural everyday phrase.

Is the word order fixed here?

Not completely. Hebrew word order is fairly flexible.

This sentence has a very natural neutral order:

  • אני רוצה — subject + main verb
  • ללמוד עברית — infinitive + object
  • בספרייה — place
  • אחרי העבודה — time

But other orders are also possible, depending on emphasis. For example:

  • אני רוצה ללמוד עברית אחרי העבודה בספרייה
  • אחרי העבודה אני רוצה ללמוד עברית בספרייה

These all make sense, but the emphasis changes slightly. The original version is a normal, straightforward way to say it.

Can I leave out אני?

Sometimes, but in a standalone sentence it is usually better to keep it.

In present-tense Hebrew, the verb often shows gender and number, but not always person clearly enough on its own. So אני helps make the subject explicit.

  • אני רוצה ללמוד עברית... — clear and natural
  • רוצה ללמוד עברית... — possible in conversation if the context already makes I obvious

So for learners, אני רוצה... is the safest and most natural full form.

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