אני מחפשת חניה ליד המסעדה, אבל יש פקק גדול בכביש.

I am looking for parking near the restaurant, but there is a big traffic jam on the road.

Breakdown of אני מחפשת חניה ליד המסעדה, אבל יש פקק גדול בכביש.

• אני: I
• גדול: big
• יש: there is
• אבל: but

Questions & Answers about אני מחפשת חניה ליד המסעדה, אבל יש פקק גדול בכביש.

Why is it מחפשת and not מחפש?

Because the speaker is feminine. In the present tense, Hebrew verbs change for gender and number.

• אני מחפשת = I am looking/searching, said by a woman
• אני מחפש = I am looking/searching, said by a man

So this sentence is specifically from a female speaker’s point of view.

Why do we need אני here? Doesn’t מחפשת already mean I am looking?

Not completely. In the present tense, מחפשת tells you feminine singular, but it does not tell you the person clearly by itself. It could mean:

• I am looking (female speaker)
• you are looking (to one female)
• she is looking

So אני is necessary to show that the meaning is I.

Does מחפשת literally mean looking for or searching?