אני שואלת אותה אם היא יכולה לעזור לך, והיא אומרת שכן.

I ask her if she can help you, and she says yes.

Breakdown of אני שואלת אותה אם היא יכולה לעזור לך, והיא אומרת שכן.

• אני: I
• היא: she
• לך: to you
• ו: and
• להיות יכול: to be able
• לשאול: to ask
• אם: if
• כן: yes
• לומר: to say
• ש: that
• לעזור: to help
• אותה: her

Questions & Answers about אני שואלת אותה אם היא יכולה לעזור לך, והיא אומרת שכן.

Why is it שואלת and not שואל?

Because שואלת is the feminine singular form of the present tense.

• אני שואלת = I (female) ask / am asking
• אני שואל = I (male) ask / am asking

In Hebrew present tense, the verb often shows the gender of the speaker, even with אני.

Does אני שואלת mean I ask or I am asking?

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Hebrew present tense often covers both:

• I ask
• I am asking

So אני שואלת אותה אם היא יכולה לעזור לך could mean:

• I ask her if she can help you
• I’m asking her if she can help you

English makes a stronger distinction here than Hebrew does.

Why is it אותה after שואלת?

אותה means her, and it is the direct object form.

Hebrew uses את with definite direct objects, including object pronouns:

• אותי = me
• אותך = you
• אותו = him
• אותה = her

So:

• אני שואלת אותה = I ask her

This is just the normal way to say ask someone in Hebrew.

Why isn’t it אני שואלת לה for I ask her?

Because the verb לשאול normally takes a direct object, not ל־.

So Hebrew says:

• לשאול מישהו = to ask someone

Examples:

• אני שואל אותו = I ask him
• היא שואלת אותי = She asks me

By contrast, some other verbs do use ל־, but לשאול usually does not when the person asked is the object.

Why is the word אם used here?

Here אם means if / whether.

In this sentence, it introduces an indirect yes/no question:

• אני שואלת אותה אם היא יכולה...
• I ask her if she can...

This is different from האם, which is often used to introduce a direct yes/no question:

• האם היא יכולה לעזור לך? = Can she help you?

So:

• אם = if / whether
• האם = a marker used in direct yes/no questions

Why is it היא יכולה and not היא יכול?

Because היא is feminine, and the verb form must match.

• היא יכולה = she can
• הוא יכול = he can

The same thing happens with many Hebrew adjectives and participle-like forms:

• הוא שואל / היא שואלת
• הוא יכול / היא יכולה

Why is it לעזור לך and not לעזור אותך?

Because לעזור (to help) takes the preposition ל־ in Hebrew.

So Hebrew says:

• לעזור לי = help me
• לעזור לך = help you
• לעזור לו = help him
• לעזור לה = help her

Even though English says help someone directly, Hebrew structures it more like help to someone.

So:

• היא יכולה לעזור לך = she can help you

Why does לך mean you here?

Because לך is the pronoun meaning to you / for you.

Since לעזור requires ל־, the pronoun must appear in that form:

• לי = to me
• לך = to you
• לו = to him
• לה = to her

So לעזור לך literally looks like to help to-you, but in natural English it is simply to help you.

Why is there another היא in והיא אומרת שכן? Why not just say ואומרת שכן?

Hebrew often repeats the subject pronoun for clarity, especially when a new clause begins.

So:

• והיא אומרת שכן = and she says yes

You may sometimes hear subject pronouns omitted in certain contexts, but keeping היא here sounds very natural and clear.

It also helps separate the two actions:

• I ask her...
• and she says...

Why is it אומרת and not אומר?

Again, because the subject is feminine:

• היא אומרת = she says
• הוא אומר = he says

This matches the feminine subject היא.

Why does Hebrew use שכן instead of just כן?

In sentences like this, שכן is very common after verbs like say, answer, or know, when it means that yes / yes, she does / yes, she can.

So:

• היא אומרת שכן = she says yes
• more literally: she says that yes

This often sounds more natural than plain כן after אומרת.

Compare:

• האם היא יכולה לעזור לך? — כן.
  Direct answer: Yes.
• אני שואל אם היא יכולה לעזור לך, והיא אומרת שכן.
  Indirect report: I ask if she can help you, and she says yes.

Is שכן related to the ש־ that means that?

Yes, you can think of it that way.

In modern Hebrew, שכן in this kind of sentence is essentially ש־ + כן, giving the sense of that yes.

So:

• היא אומרת שכן ≈ she says that yes

This is why שכן is especially common in reported speech or indirect statements.

Can this sentence refer to the future, like I ask her whether she’ll be able to help you?

Not exactly as written.

The sentence uses present-tense forms:

• אני שואלת = I ask / am asking
• היא יכולה = she can
• היא אומרת = she says

So the basic meaning is present.

If you wanted a clearer future meaning, Hebrew would usually change the forms, for example:

• אני אשאל אותה אם היא תוכל לעזור לך = I will ask her if she will be able to help you

Is the comma before והיא אומרת שכן necessary?

It is natural and helpful, because it separates two connected clauses:

• אני שואלת אותה אם היא יכולה לעזור לך
• והיא אומרת שכן

Hebrew punctuation is broadly similar to English here. The comma is not part of the grammar itself, but it makes the sentence easier to read.

What is the basic dictionary form of the main verbs in this sentence?

The dictionary forms are:

• שואלת → לשאול = to ask
• יכולה → יכול / להיות יכול in usage = can / be able to
• לעזור → לעזור = to help
• אומרת → לומר = to say

So the sentence contains these key verbs:

• לשאול
• לעזור
• לומר

And יכולה is the feminine singular form meaning can / is able to.