היא לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים, ולכן היא מבקשת רק פסטה עם רוטב פשוט.

Because the subject is היא (she). In Hebrew, verbs agree with the subject in gender and number, including in the present tense.

• היא אוכלת = she eats / is eating
• היא מבקשת = she asks for / is requesting

The masculine singular forms would be:

• הוא אוכל
• הוא מבקש

So the -ת ending is a very common sign of feminine singular in present-tense verb forms.

Yes, Hebrew often can leave out the subject if it is clear from context, especially in informal use. But repeating היא here is completely natural and helps keep the sentence clear:

• היא לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים, ולכן היא מבקשת...

The second היא makes the sentence feel explicit and balanced, especially after ולכן (and therefore / so). You could also hear:

• היא לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים, ולכן מבקשת רק פסטה...

But that sounds more conversational and a little less formal or less fully stated.

It can mean either, depending on context. Hebrew present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive.

So היא לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים could mean:

• She doesn’t eat chicken at lunch
• She isn’t eating chicken at lunch

In this sentence, because of בצהריים and the general statement about what she requests, it most likely means a habitual or regular preference: She doesn’t eat chicken at lunch.

In standard Hebrew, לא is the basic word for not in present and future-tense negation, and also in many general statements.

So:

• היא אוכלת = she eats
• היא לא אוכלת = she does not eat

This is much simpler than English, because Hebrew does not need a helping verb like do/does here.

Because עוף here is being used in a general, non-specific sense: chicken as a type of food.

• עוף = chicken / poultry in general
• העוף = the chicken, a specific chicken or specific chicken dish

So היא לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים means she doesn’t eat chicken at lunch, not she doesn’t eat the chicken.

This is similar to English, where we often say I don’t eat chicken rather than I don’t eat the chicken.

The prefix ב־ means in / at.

So:

• צהריים = noon / midday / lunchtime
• בצהריים = at noon / at lunchtime / in the afternoon context, depending on usage

In everyday Hebrew, צהריים often refers to the midday meal period, so here בצהריים is best understood as at lunch or at lunchtime.

לכן means therefore / so / for that reason.

The prefix ו־ means and, so:

• לכן = therefore
• ולכן = and therefore / and so

In this sentence, ולכן links the reason to the result:

• she does not eat chicken at lunch,
• therefore she asks for only pasta with a simple sauce.

Yes, here מבקשת means asks for or requests.

The verb לבקש often means:

• to ask for
• to request
• sometimes to seek

In restaurant or food contexts, מבקשת is very natural for she asks for / she requests.

For example:

• היא מבקשת מים = she asks for water
• היא מבקשת רק פסטה = she asks for only pasta

רק means only / just. Its position usually shows what it is focusing on.

Here:

• היא מבקשת רק פסטה עם רוטב פשוט

means she is asking for only pasta with a simple sauce, rather than something else more substantial or more varied.

If you moved רק, the emphasis could change slightly. For example:

• היא רק מבקשת פסטה... = she is only asking for pasta...
  This could emphasize that all she is doing is asking, not demanding.

So in the original sentence, רק most naturally limits the food item.

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• רוטב פשוט = a simple sauce
• פסטה פשוטה = simple pasta

That is why פשוט comes after רוטב.

Also note agreement:

• רוטב is masculine singular, so the adjective is פשוט
• if the noun were feminine singular, the adjective would usually be פשוטה

For example:

• מנה פשוטה = a simple dish

פסטה here is also non-specific: she is asking for pasta, not the pasta.

So:

• פסטה = pasta in general
• הפסטה = the pasta, a specific pasta

As for את: Hebrew uses את before a definite direct object, usually one with ה־ or otherwise definite.

So:

• היא מבקשת פסטה = she asks for pasta
• היא מבקשת את הפסטה = she asks for the pasta

Since פסטה here is indefinite, there is no את.

Yes. Hebrew uses the present tense both for actions happening now and for regular habits.

So this sentence is grammatically present tense, but semantically it can describe a habit or routine:

• היא לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים = she doesn’t eat chicken at lunch
• היא מבקשת רק פסטה... = she asks for only pasta...

Hebrew does not have a separate form like English she is eating versus she eats. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Yes. Literally, עוף can mean fowl / poultry, and in some contexts even bird. But in everyday food-related Hebrew, it very often means chicken.

So in this sentence, a learner should understand עוף as chicken unless the wider context suggests a broader meaning like poultry.

Yes, it is very typical. The structure is:

• היא = subject
• לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים = negative verb phrase + object + time expression
• ולכן = connector meaning and therefore / so
• היא מבקשת רק פסטה עם רוטב פשוט = new clause with subject + verb + object

A natural breakdown is:

• היא לא אוכלת עוף בצהריים
• ולכן היא מבקשת רק פסטה עם רוטב פשוט

This is a normal, clear Hebrew sentence structure for giving a reason and a result.