Questions & Answers about ראיתי סרט חדש, ואני רוצה לספר לך עליו.
Why does ראיתי mean I saw? Where is the word for I?
In Hebrew, the verb often already includes the subject.
ראיתי comes from the verb לראות (to see) and has the past-tense ending -תי, which means I.
So:
- ראיתי = I saw
- literally: saw-I
That is why Hebrew does not need אני here. You could say אני ראיתי, but it usually adds emphasis, like I saw.
Why is there no אני before ראיתי, but there is אני before רוצה?
Because Hebrew works differently in different tenses.
In the past tense, the verb usually tells you the person clearly:
- ראיתי = I saw
- ראית = you saw
- ראינו = we saw
So אני is optional.
In the present tense, the form רוצה does not show the person by itself. It can mean:
- I want
- you want
- he wants depending on context
So Hebrew usually includes the pronoun:
- אני רוצה = I want