Questions & Answers about היא רואה את עצמה במראה.
What is את doing in this sentence?
את is the direct object marker. It appears before a definite direct object.
In היא רואה את עצמה, the thing being seen is עצמה = herself, and that object is definite, so Hebrew uses את before it.
A rough breakdown is:
- היא = she
- רואה = sees / is seeing
- את עצמה = herself
- במראה = in the mirror
Unlike English, את usually does not get translated by a separate word. It is just a grammar marker.
Why do we say עצמה and not אותה?
Because the sentence is reflexive: the subject and the object are the same person.
- אותה = her
- עצמה = herself
So:
- היא רואה אותה = She sees her (some other female)
- היא רואה את עצמה = She sees herself
English makes the same distinction between her and herself, and Hebrew does too.
Why is the verb רואה in this form?