אני רוצה לשמוע את הדעה שלכם.

Breakdown of אני רוצה לשמוע את הדעה שלכם.

אני
I
לרצות
to want
את
direct object marker
לשמוע
to hear
דעה
opinion
שלכם
your

Questions & Answers about אני רוצה לשמוע את הדעה שלכם.

What is the literal word-for-word structure of this sentence?

A helpful breakdown is:

  • אני = I
  • רוצה = want
  • לשמוע = to hear
  • את = marker of a definite direct object
  • הדעה = the opinion
  • שלכם = your / of you (addressing more than one person, or a mixed-gender group)

So the structure is roughly:

I want to hear the opinion of yours.

That sounds unnatural in English, but it matches the Hebrew structure pretty well.

Why is רוצה used here? Does it change depending on who is speaking?

Yes. רוצה agrees with the speaker.

In unpointed Hebrew, רוצה is written the same for masculine singular and feminine singular, but the pronunciation changes:

  • male speaker: רוֹצֶה = rotze
  • female speaker: רוֹצָה = rotza

So:

  • אני רוצה לשמוע... can be said by a man and pronounced ani rotze...
  • אני רוצה לשמוע... can also be said by a woman and pronounced ani rotza...

If the subject were plural, it would change more clearly:

  • אנחנו רוצים = we want (masculine/mixed)
  • אנחנו רוצות = we want (feminine)
What exactly is לשמוע grammatically?

לשמוע is the infinitive, meaning to hear.

The ל־ at the beginning is the normal prefix used to form many Hebrew infinitives, so it often corresponds to English to.

Here:

  • רוצה = want
  • לשמוע = to hear

So together, רוצה לשמוע means want to hear.

The root is ש-מ-ע, which is connected to hearing/listening.

Does לשמוע mean to hear or to listen?

Its core meaning is usually to hear, but in real usage it can overlap with listen, especially in sentences like this one.

In אני רוצה לשמוע את הדעה שלכם, לשמוע is very natural because the idea is I want to hear your opinion.

A related verb is להקשיב, which means to listen attentively or to pay attention to.

Compare:

  • לשמוע את הדעה שלכם = hear your opinion
  • להקשיב לכם = listen to you

So in this sentence, לשמוע is exactly the right choice.

What does את do here?

את marks a definite direct object.

It does not mean you here. That is a very common beginner confusion.

In this sentence, the direct object is הדעה שלכם, which is definite, so Hebrew uses את before it:

  • אני רוצה לשמוע את הדעה שלכם

You usually use את before a specific/definite object, such as:

  • את הספר
  • את הילד
  • את הדעה שלכם

It usually is not translated into English.

Why is it הדעה שלכם and not just דעה שלכם?

Because with the pattern noun + שלי / שלך / שלו / שלה / שלנו / שלכם / שלכן / שלהם / שלהן, Hebrew normally makes the noun definite.

So:

  • הדעה שלכם = your opinion
  • הספר שלי = my book
  • החברה שלו = his friend / girlfriend, depending on context

This is one of the places where Hebrew and English structure differ. English just says your opinion, but Hebrew often uses something closer to the opinion of yours.

So הדעה שלכם is the expected normal form.

What exactly does שלכם mean?

שלכם means your when speaking to:

  • more than one male
  • or a mixed group

Other forms are:

  • שלך = your (to one male), pronounced shelkha
  • שלך = your (to one female), pronounced shelakh
  • שלכם = your (to multiple males / mixed group), pronounced shelakhem
  • שלכן = your (to multiple females), pronounced shelakhen

So this sentence is directed at more than one person, not one person.

Also, Hebrew does not normally use plural your as a polite form for one person the way some languages do.

Could I also say אני רוצה לשמוע את דעתכם?

Yes, absolutely.

את דעתכם is another very common way to say your opinion.

Compare:

  • את הדעה שלכם
  • את דעתכם

The second one is more compact because דעתכם already includes your inside the word.

Both are correct. Very roughly:

  • הדעה שלכם can sound a bit more explicit
  • דעתכם can sound a bit more compact, and sometimes slightly more formal or written

But both are natural Hebrew.

Why does דעה have that spelling, and how is it pronounced?

דעה is pronounced roughly de-AH.

Important points:

  • it has two syllables
  • the stress is on the last syllable
  • the א helps separate the vowels

So it is not pronounced like one syllable such as dya.

A simple pronunciation of the full sentence is:

ani rotze lishmoa et ha-de'a shelakhem

If the speaker is female, then:

ani rotza lishmoa et ha-de'a shelakhem

Is this sentence natural Hebrew, or would native speakers say it differently?

Yes, it is natural and correct.

A native speaker might also say things like:

  • אני רוצה לשמוע את דעתכם
  • אני רוצה לשמוע מה אתם חושבים

These are slightly different in wording, but the original sentence is perfectly normal.

Your sentence sounds clear, direct, and natural, especially in conversation where someone is asking a group for their view.

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