Breakdown of אני אשלח את החבילה אליהם מחר.
Questions & Answers about אני אשלח את החבילה אליהם מחר.
Why is אני included? Can Hebrew drop the subject like Spanish does?
Yes, Hebrew often can drop the subject pronoun, because the verb already shows the person.
So this sentence could also be:
אשלח את החבילה אליהם מחר.
That still means I will send the package to them tomorrow.
Including אני adds clarity or emphasis. It can feel like:
- I will send the package...
- or simply a slightly fuller, more explicit sentence
So both are correct, but אני is not always necessary.
What does אשלח mean, and how is it built?
אשלח means I will send.
It comes from the root ש־ל־ח, which is related to sending.
In this form:
- א־ at the beginning marks first person singular future: I will...
- שלח carries the core meaning of send
So:
- אשלח = I will send
This is a very common future-tense pattern in Hebrew.
Is אשלח masculine or feminine?
No. אשלח is first person singular, so it means I will send, and it works for both male and female speakers.
So whether the speaker is a man or a woman, they would say:
אני אשלח
Hebrew only forces gender distinctions in some persons, such as:
- you singular
- he / she
- some plural forms
But I in the future does not change for gender.
What is the function of את here?
את is the direct object marker. It appears before a definite direct object.
Here, the direct object is:
החבילה = the package
Because it is definite (the package), Hebrew uses את:
- אני אשלח את החבילה
- literally: I will send [DO marker] the package
Important: את usually does not get translated into English. It is a grammar marker, not a separate meaning like with or to.
Compare:
- אני אשלח חבילה = I will send a package
- אני אשלח את החבילה = I will send the package
Why is it החבילה and not just חבילה?
ה־ is the Hebrew word for the, attached directly to the noun.
So:
- חבילה = a package / package
- החבילה = the package
Since the English meaning already includes the package, Hebrew uses the definite article ה־.
And because the object is definite, that is also why את appears before it.
Why does the sentence use אליהם instead of להם? Don’t both mean to them?
Both can relate to to them, but they are not always used in exactly the same way.
- אליהם literally means to/toward them
- להם means to them / for them
With verbs of motion or direction, אל often emphasizes movement toward someone or something.
So:
- אני אשלח את החבילה אליהם = I will send the package to them
In everyday Hebrew, many speakers would also say:
- אני אשלח להם את החבילה
That is also very natural and often even more common in conversation.
So for a learner, the key point is:
- אליהם is correct and emphasizes direction
- להם is also very common with send
How is אליהם formed?
אליהם is made from:
- אל = to / toward
- הם = they (masculine plural)
- together: אליהם = to them / toward them
This is one of the Hebrew preposition + pronoun combinations.
Similar forms include:
- אליי = to me
- אליך = to you (masculine singular)
- אליה = to her
- אלינו = to us
- אליהן = to them (feminine plural)
So אליהם specifically refers to a masculine or mixed-gender plural group.
Does אליהם mean the group is masculine?
Yes, grammatically it is the masculine plural form.
In Hebrew, masculine plural is also used for:
- a group of males
- a mixed group of males and females
If the group were all female, you would use:
אליהן = to them (feminine plural)
So the sentence as written refers either to:
- them = all male
- or them = mixed group
Why is מחר at the end? Can it go somewhere else?
מחר means tomorrow, and putting it at the end is completely natural.
This sentence structure is very normal:
אני אשלח את החבילה אליהם מחר.
But Hebrew is flexible, and you can move מחר for emphasis:
- מחר אני אשלח את החבילה אליהם. = Tomorrow, I will send the package to them.
- אני מחר אשלח את החבילה אליהם. = also possible, with slight emphasis on tomorrow
So the end position is neutral and common, but not the only option.
What is the basic word order of this sentence?
The basic order here is:
- אני = subject
- אשלח = verb
- את החבילה = direct object
- אליהם = prepositional phrase
- מחר = time expression
So the overall pattern is:
Subject + Verb + Object + Indirect/directional phrase + Time
That is a very common Hebrew sentence order.
Still, Hebrew allows more flexibility than English, especially when changing emphasis.
Can I say אני אשלח אליהם את החבילה מחר instead?
Yes, that is also grammatical.
Both of these are fine:
- אני אשלח את החבילה אליהם מחר
- אני אשלח אליהם את החבילה מחר
The version with את החבילה earlier may feel a bit more neutral in many contexts, but both are natural.
Hebrew often allows this kind of movement, especially with prepositional phrases like אליהם.
How would this sentence be pronounced?
A simple pronunciation guide is:
ani eshlákh et hakhavilá aleihem makhár
A few notes:
- אני = ah-NEE
- אשלח = esh-LAKH
The last sound is the throaty kh sound, like German Bach or Hebrew ח / כ - את = usually et
- החבילה = ha-kha-vee-LA
- אליהם = a-lei-HEM
- מחר = ma-KHAR
The stress usually falls near the end in words like:
- החבילה
- אליהם
- מחר
Would the sentence change in the past or present tense?
Yes. The sentence you have is in the future.
Examples with the same idea:
- אני שולח את החבילה אליהם היום. = I am sending / send the package to them today
(spoken by a male) - אני שולחת את החבילה אליהם היום. = same, spoken by a female
- אני שלחתי את החבילה אליהם אתמול. = I sent the package to them yesterday
So compared with אשלח:
- שולח / שולחת = present
- שלחתי = past
- אשלח = future
Is this sentence formal, everyday, or literary?
It is perfectly normal Hebrew and not especially literary.
That said, in everyday speech many speakers might more often say:
אני אשלח להם את החבילה מחר.
Using להם with send is very common conversationally.
So your original sentence is correct and natural, but it may sound slightly more directional or a bit more careful because of אליהם.
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