Questions & Answers about אתה לא חייב לחכות לי; אני יכולה להגיע לבד.
Why does the sentence use אתה in the first part but יכולה in the second part?
Because the sentence is speaking to a man but the speaker is a woman.
- אתה = you addressed to one male
- יכולה = can / am able to in the feminine singular
So this sentence would naturally be said by a woman to a man.
If a man said it to a man, it would be:
אתה לא חייב לחכות לי; אני יכול להגיע לבד.
If a woman said it to a woman, it would be:
את לא חייבת לחכות לי; אני יכולה להגיע לבד.
What exactly does חייב mean here?
חייב means obligated, required, or must/have to.
So:
- אתה חייב = you must / you have to
- אתה לא חייב = you don’t have to / you’re not required to
This is a very common way to express lack of necessity in Hebrew.
Why is it לא חייב and not some special word for don’t have to?