היא רוצה יוגורט וקצת ריבה, אבל אני מעדיף כריך.

In the present tense, Hebrew verbs usually show gender and number, but not person. That means a form like רוצה can go with I, you, he, or she, depending on context.

So the pronouns help make the subject clear:

• היא רוצה = she wants
• אני מעדיף = I prefer

Hebrew can sometimes omit subject pronouns when the context is obvious, but in present-tense sentences they are often included because the verb alone usually does not tell you who the subject is.

Because היא is feminine singular, and רוצה here is the feminine singular present form in pronunciation.

A useful thing to know is that in ordinary Hebrew spelling, רוצה can represent two different pronunciations:

• רוֹצֶה = rotze = masculine singular
• רוֹצָה = rotza = feminine singular

They are written the same without vowel marks, so the subject tells you how to read it. Since the sentence has היא, you read it as rotza.

מעדיף is the masculine singular form, so it tells you the speaker is male.

If the speaker were female, it would be:

• אני מעדיפה כריך

This is a very common feature of Hebrew: in the present tense, adjectives and many verb forms agree with the speaker’s gender.

Yes. Both are present-tense forms:

• רוצה = wants
• מעדיף = prefers

In English, we usually translate them with the simple present, even though Hebrew present-tense forms are historically related to participles.

Because את is used before a definite direct object, not an indefinite one.

Here the nouns are indefinite:

• יוגורט = yogurt / some yogurt
• כריך = a sandwich

So there is no את.

Compare:

• היא רוצה יוגורט = She wants yogurt
• היא רוצה את היוגורט = She wants the yogurt

Hebrew does not have an indefinite article like English a/an.

So a noun by itself can be indefinite:

• כריך = a sandwich
• יוגורט = yogurt / some yogurt

Hebrew marks definite nouns instead, using ה־:

• הכריך = the sandwich
• היוגורט = the yogurt

קצת means a little, a bit, or sometimes some.

So:

• קצת ריבה = a little jam / some jam

In everyday Hebrew, קצת often goes directly before the noun, especially with things you do not usually count one by one, like food or substances:

• קצת מים = a little water
• קצת סוכר = a little sugar
• קצת ריבה = a little jam

Because the Hebrew word for and is usually written as a prefix: ו־.

So:

• וקצת = and a little / and some

This is normal in Hebrew. The conjunction is usually attached to the following word rather than written separately.

Yes. This is a very standard subject + verb + object structure:

• היא רוצה יוגורט וקצת ריבה
• אני מעדיף כריך

That is the most neutral and common word order in Hebrew. Hebrew can change word order for emphasis, but this sentence is straightforward and natural.

אבל means but.

It introduces a contrast between the first idea and the second:

• היא רוצה יוגורט וקצת ריבה = She wants yogurt and some jam
• אבל אני מעדיף כריך = but I prefer a sandwich

Its position works much like English but: it connects two contrasting clauses.

Because ריבה is a mass noun here, like jam in English.

When English says some jam, the noun is still singular in form. Hebrew works the same way:

• קצת ריבה = some jam / a little jam

So there is no need to make ריבה plural.