Breakdown of אני רוצה לשקול קילוגרם אחד של תפוחים, אבל המשקל כאן לא עובד.
Questions & Answers about אני רוצה לשקול קילוגרם אחד של תפוחים, אבל המשקל כאן לא עובד.
Why is לשקול used here? Doesn’t it also mean to consider?
Yes. לשקול can mean both:
- to weigh
- to consider
Hebrew often has verbs with more than one meaning, just like English. Here, because the sentence includes קילוגרם אחד של תפוחים and then mentions המשקל (the scale), the meaning is clearly to weigh.
Examples:
- אני רוצה לשקול את התפוחים. — I want to weigh the apples.
- אני צריך לשקול את האפשרויות. — I need to consider the options.
So the context tells you which meaning is intended.
Why is it אני רוצה לשקול and not a different form of the verb?
After רוצה (want), Hebrew usually uses the infinitive form of the next verb, just like English uses to + verb.
So:
- אני רוצה — I want
- לשקול — to weigh
Together:
- אני רוצה לשקול — I want to weigh
This is a very common pattern:
- אני רוצה לאכול. — I want to eat.
- אני רוצה ללכת. — I want to go.
- אני רוצה לקנות. — I want to buy.
Why is it רוצה and not another form?
Because the subject is אני (I), and the speaker is being presented in a form that matches I in the present tense.
In Hebrew present tense, verbs behave a lot like adjectives and change for gender and number. So:
- אני רוצה — I want said by a male
- אני רוצה — I want said by a female
Actually, in this specific word, the masculine singular and feminine singular are different:
- masculine: רוצה
- feminine: רוצה?
No — the feminine singular is also written רוצה in spelling without vowels? This is exactly why learners get confused.
In standard usage:
- masculine singular: רוֹצֶה
- feminine singular: רוֹצָה
They are spelled the same in ordinary Hebrew writing: רוצה.
The difference is mainly in pronunciation.
So the written sentence works for either a male or female speaker.
Why is it קילוגרם אחד and not אחד קילוגרם?
In Hebrew, numbers usually come after the noun in this kind of phrase.
So:
- קילוגרם אחד — one kilogram
- literally: kilogram one
This is normal Hebrew word order.
More examples:
- ספר אחד — one book
- ילד אחד — one boy
- שעה אחת — one hour
English puts one before the noun, but Hebrew usually puts אחד / אחת after it.
Why is it אחד and not אחת?
Because קילוגרם is a masculine noun, so the number one has to agree with it.
- masculine: אחד
- feminine: אחת
So:
- קילוגרם אחד — one kilogram
- שעה אחת — one hour
The number agrees with קילוגרם, not with תפוחים.
Why does the sentence say של תפוחים? Why not just לשקול תפוחים?
Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.
לשקול תפוחים — to weigh apples
This focuses on the action of weighing the apples.לשקול קילוגרם אחד של תפוחים — to weigh one kilogram of apples
This focuses on the quantity: one kilogram of apples.
Here של means of and connects the amount to the thing being measured.
Similar examples:
- כוס מים can mean a glass of water
- קילו של תפוחים — a kilo of apples
In everyday Hebrew, amount phrases with של are very common and natural.
Why isn’t there an את before תפוחים?
Because תפוחים here is not a direct object by itself. It is part of the phrase קילוגרם אחד של תפוחים — one kilogram of apples.
The word את is used before a definite direct object. For example:
- אני שוקל את התפוחים. — I am weighing the apples.
But in your sentence, the speaker wants to weigh one kilogram of apples, not specifically the apples as a direct object. So את is not used before תפוחים.
Also, תפוחים here is indefinite:
- not the apples
- just apples
What exactly does המשקל mean here?
Here המשקל means the scale or the weighing scale.
The base word is:
- משקל — weight, scale, or weight measure, depending on context
With ה־:
- המשקל — the scale / the weight
In this sentence, because it says לא עובד (doesn’t work), it clearly means the scale or weighing machine, not the abstract idea of weight.
So:
- המשקל כאן לא עובד — The scale here doesn’t work
Why does Hebrew use עובד for a scale? Isn’t that the verb to work for people?
Hebrew uses עובד very naturally for machines, devices, and systems that function properly, just like English uses works.
So:
- המחשב לא עובד. — The computer doesn’t work.
- הטלפון לא עובד. — The phone doesn’t work.
- המשקל לא עובד. — The scale doesn’t work.
The verb is the same basic idea: something is functioning.
Because משקל is masculine singular, the present-tense form is:
- עובד — masculine singular working
Why is it לא עובד and not a past or future form?
Because the sentence describes the current situation: the scale here isn’t working.
In Hebrew, present tense is often used exactly like English present tense for current states.
- המשקל כאן לא עובד. — The scale here doesn’t work / isn’t working.
If you wanted past or future, you would change the verb:
- המשקל כאן לא עבד. — The scale here didn’t work.
- המשקל כאן לא יעבוד. — The scale here won’t work.
What does אבל do in the sentence, and where does it go?
אבל means but.
It connects the two parts of the sentence:
- אני רוצה לשקול קילוגרם אחד של תפוחים — I want to weigh one kilogram of apples
- אבל המשקל כאן לא עובד — but the scale here doesn’t work
This is very similar to English word order. אבל usually comes between the two clauses.
Examples:
- אני רוצה לבוא, אבל אני עייף. — I want to come, but I’m tired.
- הוא ניסה, אבל זה לא הצליח. — He tried, but it didn’t succeed.
Why is כאן placed after המשקל?
כאן means here, and in Hebrew it often comes after the noun it relates to:
- המשקל כאן — the scale here
So:
- המשקל כאן לא עובד — the scale here doesn’t work
This is very natural Hebrew word order.
You could also sometimes hear other word orders for emphasis, but this one is neutral and common.
Examples:
- הטלפון כאן. — The phone is here.
- האוכל כאן טוב. — The food here is good.
Is this a natural way to say it in everyday Hebrew?
Yes, it is understandable and natural. A native speaker might also say similar versions such as:
- אני רוצה לשקול קילו תפוחים, אבל המשקל כאן לא עובד.
- אני רוצה לשקול קילוגרם של תפוחים, אבל המשקל כאן לא עובד.
A few notes:
- In everyday speech, קילו is often used instead of the full קילוגרם.
- Native speakers often drop אחד after measurement words when one is obvious:
- קילו תפוחים — a kilo of apples
- קילוגרם של תפוחים — a kilogram of apples
So your sentence is correct, but some shorter versions may sound even more conversational.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HebrewMaster Hebrew — from אני רוצה לשקול קילוגרם אחד של תפוחים, אבל המשקל כאן לא עובד to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions