Questions & Answers about לפני שאת מדברת, תצביעי.
What does לפני mean here?
לפני means before.
In this sentence, it introduces a whole clause:
לפני שאת מדברת = before you speak
A very common Hebrew pattern is:
לפני ש־... = before ...
What is שאת? Is that one word?
It is really ש + את.
- ש־ is a connecting word, often like that / when
- את here means you in the feminine singular
So שאת מדברת means something like that you speak / when you speak.
Also, this את is not the direct object marker. Here it is the pronoun you.
How can I tell that this sentence is addressed to a female?
Because all the relevant forms are feminine singular:
- את = you to one female
- מדברת = feminine singular form of speaking
- תצביעי = feminine singular you will / you should point, vote, raise your hand
If you were speaking to one male, you would say:
לפני שאתה מדבר, תצביע.