Questions & Answers about אל תדאגי לי; אני אסתדר גם אם הרכבת תאחר.
Why is it תדאגי and not some other form of דאג?
תדאגי is the 2nd person feminine singular future form of the verb לדאוג (to worry).
In this sentence, אל תדאגי means don’t worry when speaking to one female.
Quick comparison:
- אל תדאג = don’t worry (to one male)
- אל תדאגי = don’t worry (to one female)
- אל תדאגו = don’t worry (to more than one person)
So the -י ending tells you the speaker is addressing a woman.
Why does Hebrew use אל תדאגי for don’t worry?
In Hebrew, negative commands are often formed with אל + future tense.
So:
- תדאגי = you will worry / you worry
- אל תדאגי = don’t worry
This is a very common pattern:
- אל תלכי = don’t go
- אל תאמר = don’t say
- אל תעשו = don’t do
So even though תדאגי is technically a future form, after אל it functions like a negative imperative.
What is the difference between אל and לא?
Both can mean , but they are used differently.