אני רוצה לתקן את המחשב לפני הפגישה.

Breakdown of אני רוצה לתקן את המחשב לפני הפגישה.

אני
I
לרצות
to want
את
direct object marker
לפני
before
מחשב
computer
פגישה
meeting
לתקן
to fix

Questions & Answers about אני רוצה לתקן את המחשב לפני הפגישה.

Why is the sentence אני רוצה לתקן את המחשב לפני הפגישה and not something with a separate word for to before fix?

In Hebrew, after verbs like רוצה (want), the next verb usually appears in the infinitive form.

So:

  • רוצה = want
  • לתקן = to fix / to repair

Hebrew does not use a separate word exactly like English to here. Instead, the infinitive often begins with ל־.

So:

  • אני רוצה לתקן = I want to fix

This is the normal structure:

  • [subject] + [want] + [infinitive]

What does לתקן mean grammatically, and how is it built?

לתקן is the infinitive form of the verb תיקן (he fixed / repaired).

It is built from the root ת־ק־נ, which is related to fixing, repairing, correcting, or making something proper.

A learner does not need to fully analyze the root every time, but it helps to know that:

  • תיקן = he fixed
  • מתקן = fixing / repairs
  • לתקן = to fix

So in this sentence, לתקן is simply the correct infinitive after רוצה.


Why is there an את before המחשב?

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

Here:

  • המחשב = the computer
  • Since the computer is a specific object and it is the thing being fixed, Hebrew uses את.

So:

  • לתקן מחשב = to fix a computer
  • לתקן את המחשב = to fix the computer

A very common rule is:

  • if the direct object is definite, use את
  • if it is indefinite, do not use את

Can את be translated into English?

Usually, no. In most cases, את is not translated into English.

It has a grammatical function, not a meaning like a normal vocabulary word.

So:

  • אני רואה את הספר = I see the book
  • not I see et the book

In your sentence, את just tells you that המחשב is the definite object of לתקן.


Why is it המחשב and הפגישה?

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

  • מחשב = a computer / computer
  • המחשב = the computer

and:

  • פגישה = a meeting
  • הפגישה = the meeting

In this sentence, both nouns are definite:

  • את המחשב = the computer
  • לפני הפגישה = before the meeting

Why is there no את before הפגישה too?

Because הפגישה is not a direct object here.

It comes after the preposition לפני (before), so it is part of a prepositional phrase:

  • לפני הפגישה = before the meeting

The word את is only used for definite direct objects, not after prepositions like לפני, עם, על, ב, and so on.

Compare:

  • אני רואה את הפגישה = I see the meeting
    → direct object, so את appears

  • אני בא לפני הפגישה = I come before the meeting
    → after a preposition, so no את


What exactly does לפני mean here?

לפני means before.

In this sentence:

  • לפני הפגישה = before the meeting

It introduces a time expression.

Hebrew uses לפני both in time and sometimes in space, depending on context:

  • לפני הפגישה = before the meeting
  • לפני הבית = in front of / before the house

Here the meaning is clearly temporal: the fixing should happen earlier than the meeting.


Can the word order be changed?

Yes, Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, though the original sentence is the most neutral and natural.

Neutral order:

  • אני רוצה לתקן את המחשב לפני הפגישה.
  • I want to fix the computer before the meeting.

You could also say:

  • לפני הפגישה אני רוצה לתקן את המחשב.

That puts more emphasis on before the meeting.

Both are grammatical, but the original version sounds like the most straightforward everyday sentence.


Why is it אני רוצה? Does that work for both male and female speakers?

Yes, in normal unvocalized Hebrew writing, רוצה can be used for both:

  • masculine singular pronunciation: rotze
  • feminine singular pronunciation: rotza

The spelling is the same:

  • אני רוצה

So this written sentence could be said by either:

  • a male speaker: ani rotze letaken...
  • a female speaker: ani rotza letaken...

This is something that often surprises English speakers, because the written form does not show the difference clearly.


Is מחשב masculine or feminine? What about פגישה?
  • מחשב (computer) is masculine
  • פגישה (meeting) is feminine

That matters when adjectives, numbers, or verbs agree with them in some contexts.

Examples:

  • מחשב חדש = a new computer
  • פגישה חשובה = an important meeting

In your sentence, you do not directly see agreement on those nouns, but knowing noun gender is still useful.


Could I leave out ה־ and say אני רוצה לתקן את מחשב לפני פגישה?

No, that would be incorrect.

There are two separate problems there:

  1. את requires a definite object
    So if you say את, the noun should be definite:

    • את המחשב = the computer
  2. לפני פגישה is possible in some contexts, but it means before a meeting or before any meeting, not necessarily before the meeting

Correct options would be:

  • אני רוצה לתקן את המחשב לפני הפגישה = I want to fix the computer before the meeting
  • אני רוצה לתקן מחשב לפני פגישה = I want to fix a computer before a meeting
    (grammatical, but different meaning)

Is לתקן only for repairing physical things like computers?

No. לתקן can mean to repair, to fix, or to correct, depending on context.

For example:

  • לתקן את המחשב = to fix the computer
  • לתקן טעות = to correct a mistake
  • לתקן את המשפט = to correct the sentence

So it is a broad verb, much like English fix or correct.


How would this sentence be pronounced?

A common pronunciation would be:

Ani rotze letaken et hamakhshev lifnei hapgisha
(if the speaker is male)

or

Ani rotza letaken et hamakhshev lifnei hapgisha
(if the speaker is female)

A few helpful notes:

  • אני = ani
  • רוצה = rotze / rotza
  • לתקן = letaken
  • את = often pronounced et
  • המחשב = hamakhshev
  • לפני = lifnei
  • הפגישה = hapgisha

Could this sentence also mean I would like to fix the computer before the meeting?

Yes, depending on context, אני רוצה can often sound like either:

  • I want to
  • I would like to

In everyday Hebrew, רוצה is very common and natural. The exact tone depends on the situation and voice.

So your sentence can be understood as a straightforward wish, plan, or intention:

  • I want to fix the computer before the meeting
  • sometimes naturally, I’d like to fix the computer before the meeting

How would I say before a meeting instead of before the meeting?

You would say:

  • לפני פגישה

So the contrast is:

  • לפני הפגישה = before the meeting
  • לפני פגישה = before a meeting / before meeting(s), depending on context

This difference is made by the presence or absence of ה־.

So if you want the original meaning with a specific meeting, לפני הפגישה is the correct form.

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