היא עומדת לטגן את הגזר, אבל קודם היא רוצה לטעום את הרוטב.

In Modern Hebrew, עומד/עומדת + ל־ + infinitive is a very common pattern for something that is about to happen.

So:

• היא עומדת לטגן = she is about to fry
• literally, it looks like she is standing to fry, but that is not how it is understood here

If you wanted the physical meaning is standing, you would normally not follow עומדת with an infinitive. For example:

• היא עומדת במטבח = she is standing in the kitchen

So in this sentence, עומדת is part of a near-future expression, not a description of posture.

Because the subject is היא = she, which is feminine singular.

In Hebrew present tense, verbs usually agree with the subject in gender and number. So:

• הוא עומד = he is standing / he is about to...
• היא עומדת = she is standing / she is about to...

The same feminine agreement is also relevant later in the sentence with רוצה, although that word is a little trickier in spelling.

This is a very common source of confusion.

Without vowel marks, both of these are written רוצה:

• masculine singular: רוֹצֶה = rotzé
• feminine singular: רוֹצָה = rotzá

In this sentence, because the subject is היא, you read it as rotzá.

So:

• הוא רוצה = hu rotzé
• היא רוצה = hi rotzá

Modern Hebrew is usually written without vowel marks, so learners often have to use context to know which pronunciation is correct.

The prefix ל־ is the normal marker of the infinitive, similar to English to.

So:

• לטגן = to fry
• לטעום = to taste

After verbs like רוצה = wants, Hebrew uses the infinitive:

• היא רוצה לטעום = she wants to taste

The same happens after the expression עומדת in this sentence:

• היא עומדת לטגן = she is about to fry

את is the Hebrew direct object marker. It usually appears before a definite direct object.

So here:

• את הגזר = the carrot as the direct object
• את הרוטב = the sauce as the direct object

It usually does not get translated into English, but it is grammatically important in Hebrew.

A very useful rule:

• if the direct object is definite, Hebrew usually uses את
• if it is indefinite, Hebrew usually does not

Compare:

• היא מטגנת את הגזר = she is frying the carrot
• היא מטגנת גזר = she is frying carrot / a carrot

The prefix ה־ is the definite article, equivalent to English the.

So:

• גזר = a carrot / carrot
• הגזר = the carrot
• רוטב = a sauce / sauce
• הרוטב = the sauce

In this sentence, the speaker is referring to specific items, so Hebrew uses the definite form.

Also, once the noun is definite and it is a direct object, that is why you also get את:

• את הגזר
• את הרוטב

Sometimes yes, especially in casual speech, if the subject is already very clear from context.

So you may hear something like:

• אבל קודם רוצה לטעום את הרוטב

However, keeping היא is clearer and more neutral, especially in standard written Hebrew.

That is partly because Hebrew present-tense forms do not always clearly show person by themselves. Repeating the subject helps the sentence stay easy to follow:

• אבל קודם היא רוצה לטעום את הרוטב

So the version in your sentence is very natural and clear.

Yes, here קודם means first or before that.

In this sentence:

• אבל קודם היא רוצה לטעום את הרוטב
• = but first she wants to taste the sauce

It is a very common and natural word in everyday Hebrew.

Related expressions:

• קודם = first / before that
• לפני כן = before that
• תחילה = initially / at first and can sound more formal or literary

So קודם is a very normal conversational choice here.

It could, but the meaning would be slightly different.

• היא תטגן את הגזר = she will fry the carrot
• היא עומדת לטגן את הגזר = she is about to fry the carrot

The sentence with עומדת + infinitive gives a stronger sense that the action is imminent, very soon, or already planned in the immediate situation.

So the difference is roughly:

• future tense = a future fact or action
• עומדת + infinitive = an action that is about to happen

It is pronounced roughly lit-OM, often written lit'om.

The א in the middle creates a slight break, so it is not one smooth English-style syllable. The stress is on the last syllable:

• לטעום = lit'OM

This verb comes from the root ט-ע-ם, related to taste or flavor.

You may also notice related forms such as:

• טועם = tastes or is tasting (masculine singular)
• טועמת = tastes / is tasting (feminine singular)

A natural approximate pronunciation is:

hi o-ME-det le-ta-GEN et ha-GE-zer, a-VAL KO-dem hi ro-TZA lit-OM et ha-RO-tev

A slightly smoother transliteration:

Hi omedet letagen et hagezer, aval קודם hi rotza lit'om et harotev.

A few pronunciation notes:

• עומדת = o-ME-det
• לטגן = le-ta-GEN
• קודם = KO-dem
• רוצה here = ro-TZA because the subject is feminine
• לטעום = lit-OM or lit'om
• רוטב = RO-tev

In fast speech, את is often very short and unstressed.