אני שומע אותך, אבל אני לא רואה אותך.

Because in the Hebrew present tense, the verb usually shows gender and number, but not person. So שומע could mean I hear, you hear (masculine singular), or he hears, depending on context.

That means אני helps make it clear that the subject is I. The second אני before לא רואה can also add balance and emphasis: I hear you, but I don’t see you.

Hebrew speakers may sometimes drop the second אני if the meaning is already clear: אני שומע אותך, אבל לא רואה אותך
This is also natural.

Because שומע is the present-tense form, not the infinitive.

The dictionary form is לשמוע = to hear.

In this sentence, שומע means hearing / hear and agrees with the speaker:

• אני שומע = I hear said by a male speaker
• אני שומעת = I hear said by a female speaker

So Hebrew uses the appropriate present-tense form, not the infinitive.

For the same reason: לראות is the infinitive, meaning to see, while רואה is the present-tense form used in the sentence.

So:

• לראות = to see
• אני רואה = I see / I am seeing

Hebrew needs the present-tense form here.

A female speaker would say:

אני שומעת אותך, אבל אני לא רואה אותך.

The change is in שומע → שומעת.

With רואה, the spelling stays the same in normal unpointed Hebrew, but the pronunciation is different:

• masculine: ro'eh
• feminine: ro'ah

So in writing, you may still see רואה, but it can represent either masculine or feminine singular depending on context.

אותך means you as a direct object, as in I hear you or I see you.

It is not the normal subject pronoun you like אתה or את.
Instead, it is a special object form built from את plus a suffix.

So:

• אתה / את = you as the subject
• אותך = you as the object

Examples:

• אתה שומע = you hear
• אני שומע אותך = I hear you

Because both hear and see take a direct object in Hebrew, just as in English.

So:

• אני שומע אותך = I hear you
• אני רואה אותך = I see you

Hebrew repeats the object if both verbs refer to it in full form. You could sometimes omit the second object in casual speech if the meaning is obvious, but repeating it is completely normal and clear.

In normal unpointed spelling, yes, it is usually written the same: אותך.

But the pronunciation is different:

• to a man: אוֹתְךָ = otkha
• to a woman: אוֹתָךְ = otakh

So the written form is often identical, but the spoken form tells you the gender of the person being addressed.

Because לא is the standard Hebrew word for not, and it normally comes before the verb.

So:

• אני רואה = I see
• אני לא רואה = I do not see

This is the normal way to negate a present-tense sentence in Hebrew.

It can mean both.

In modern Hebrew, the present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive:

• אני שומע = I hear / I am hearing
• אני רואה = I see / I am seeing

Usually the context tells you which English translation sounds more natural.

Yes. The order here is very natural:

אני + שומע + אותך
I + hear + you

Then: אבל = but

Then the second clause: אני + לא רואה + אותך

So the sentence follows a very straightforward subject–verb–object pattern, much like English.

אבל means but. It connects two contrasting ideas:

• אני שומע אותך = I hear you
• אני לא רואה אותך = I don’t see you

So אבל marks the contrast between hearing and not seeing.

Sometimes in conversation, yes, if the meaning is already obvious: אני שומע אותך, אבל אני לא רואה.

But the full sentence with the second אותך is clearer and very natural: אני שומע אותך, אבל אני לא רואה אותך.

For learners, the full version is especially helpful because it shows the structure clearly.

Because Hebrew does not need a helper verb like English do for this kind of negation.

English says:

• I see
• I do not see

Hebrew simply says:

• אני רואה
• אני לא רואה

So Hebrew negates the verb directly with לא, without adding an extra auxiliary verb.