המכונה לא עובדת עכשיו, ולכן אני מחכה עוד דקה.

The prefix ה־ means the.

So:

• מכונה = machine
• המכונה = the machine

Hebrew usually adds the definite article directly to the beginning of the noun, instead of using a separate word like English the.

Because מכונה is a feminine singular noun, and in the present tense Hebrew verbs agree with the noun’s gender and number.

So:

• המכונה עובדת = the machine works / is working
• If the noun were masculine singular, you would usually get עובד

This is very common in Hebrew: present-tense verb forms behave a lot like adjectives and must match the subject.

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense.

So Hebrew says, literally, something like:

• the machine not working now

But the natural English meaning is:

• The machine isn’t working now

This is normal Hebrew grammar, not a shortened version.

לא means not.

It usually comes right before the verb or predicate it negates:

• עובדת = works / is working
• לא עובדת = does not work / is not working

So המכונה לא עובדת means the machine is not working.

עכשיו means now.

In this sentence, it comes after לא עובדת, which is a very natural position:

• המכונה לא עובדת עכשיו

Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, so עכשיו can sometimes move for emphasis, but this position is very standard and neutral.

ולכן means and therefore, so, or and so.

It is made of:

• ו־ = and
• לכן = therefore / so

So the sentence is connecting two ideas:

1. The machine isn’t working now
2. Therefore, I’m waiting another minute

It sounds a bit more formal or explicitly logical than a very casual English so, but it is completely natural.

Sometimes Hebrew can leave out subject pronouns, but in the present tense that is less easy, because the verb usually shows gender and number, not person.

The form מחכה by itself does not clearly mean I the way an English learner might expect. Adding אני makes the subject clear:

• אני מחכה = I am waiting

So in present-tense Hebrew, subject pronouns are often included when needed for clarity.

Here עוד דקה means another minute or one more minute.

The word עוד can mean different things depending on context, such as:

• more
• another
• still
• yet

With a time expression like דקה, it usually means an additional amount of time:

• עוד דקה = one more minute
• עוד שעה = another hour

Because עוד דקה is expressing duration, not the person or thing being waited for.

So:

• אני מחכה עוד דקה = I’m waiting another minute

But if you say what you are waiting for, Hebrew usually uses ל־:

• אני מחכה למכונאי = I am waiting for the technician
• אני מחכה לאוטובוס = I am waiting for the bus

So this sentence is not saying waiting for another minute as an object; it means waiting for one more minute as a span of time.

In unpointed Hebrew spelling, some masculine and feminine present-tense forms can look identical in writing.

So אני מחכה can be used in writing by either a male or a female speaker, even though the pronunciation may differ slightly in fully vocalized Hebrew.

That means the written sentence does not necessarily tell you the speaker’s gender. Context often does that instead.