Breakdown of שלחתי לה הודעה בשביל להזכיר לה את הפגישה, אבל היא עוד לא ענתה.
Questions & Answers about שלחתי לה הודעה בשביל להזכיר לה את הפגישה, אבל היא עוד לא ענתה.
Can you break the sentence down word by word?
Yes:
- שלחתי = I sent
- לה = to her
- הודעה = a message
- בשביל = for / in order to
- להזכיר = to remind
- לה = to her
- את = the marker of a definite direct object
- הפגישה = the meeting
- אבל = but
- היא = she
- עוד לא = not yet / still not
- ענתה = answered / replied
So the structure is very close to:
I sent her a message in order to remind her about the meeting, but she still hasn’t replied.
Why does שלחתי mean I sent?
Because the ending ־תי is the past-tense ending for first person singular in Hebrew.
- שלח = he sent
- שלחה = she sent
- שלחתי = I sent
So שלחתי is the past form of the verb לשלוח = to send.
Why is לה used twice?
Because it serves two different roles in the sentence:
שלחתי לה הודעה
= I sent her a message
Here לה means to her, the recipient of the message.להזכיר לה את הפגישה
= to remind her about the meeting
Here לה again means to her, the person being reminded.
So both are the same word grammatically, but each belongs to a different verb.
What exactly does הודעה mean here?
הודעה usually means message, notification, or announcement, depending on context.
In this sentence, שלחתי לה הודעה most naturally means:
- I sent her a message
- possibly a text, WhatsApp message, DM, etc.
So this is a very common everyday word in modern Hebrew.
Why is בשביל used before להזכיר?
Here בשביל means for the purpose of or in order to.
So:
- בשביל להזכיר לה את הפגישה = in order to remind her about the meeting
In everyday spoken Hebrew, בשביל + infinitive is very common.
A slightly more formal alternative would be:
- כדי להזכיר לה את הפגישה
Both mean basically the same thing here.
What form is להזכיר?
להזכיר is the infinitive form, meaning to remind.
It comes from the root ז־כ־ר, which is related to memory and remembering.
A very useful contrast is:
- לזכור = to remember
- להזכיר = to remind
So להזכיר is not to remember, but to cause someone to remember.
Why is there an את before הפגישה?
את marks a definite direct object.
Hebrew uses את before a direct object when that object is definite, for example:
- has ה־ = the
- is a name
- is a pronoun
So here:
- הפגישה = the meeting
- because it is definite, Hebrew adds את
That is why you get:
- להזכיר לה את הפגישה
There is no separate English word for את in translation.
Why is it הפגישה and not just פגישה?
Because it means the meeting, not just a meeting.
- פגישה = a meeting
- הפגישה = the meeting
This suggests that both speaker and listener already know which meeting is being discussed.
What does עוד לא mean here?
עוד לא means not yet or still not.
So:
- היא עוד לא ענתה = she hasn’t answered yet or = she still hasn’t answered
This is a very common Hebrew expression.
Compare:
- לא ענתה = she didn’t answer / she hasn’t answered
- עוד לא ענתה = she hasn’t answered yet / still hasn’t answered
The עוד adds the idea that you are still waiting.
Why is it ענתה?
Because the subject is היא = she, and ענתה is the past tense, third person feminine singular form of לענות = to answer / reply.
Compare:
- ענה = he answered
- ענתה = she answered
- עניתי = I answered
So היא עוד לא ענתה literally means she still did not answer, which in natural English is often she still hasn’t answered.
Is היא necessary here, or could it be omitted?
It could be omitted.
Hebrew often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.
So both of these are possible:
- אבל היא עוד לא ענתה
- אבל עוד לא ענתה
Because ענתה is feminine singular, it already tells you the subject is she.
Including היא can add clarity or slight emphasis, especially after אבל:
- but she still hasn’t answered
Why does English often translate ענתה as hasn’t answered even though it is past tense in Hebrew?
Because Hebrew past tense is often used where English prefers the present perfect in this kind of context.
Hebrew says:
- היא עוד לא ענתה literally: she still not answered
Natural English usually says:
- she hasn’t answered yet
- she still hasn’t replied
So the Hebrew form is past tense, but the meaning in context often matches English has/have + past participle.
Does ענתה mean answered or replied?
It can mean either, depending on context.
In this sentence, since someone sent a message, English often sounds more natural with:
- she hasn’t replied yet
But answered is also possible.
Hebrew לענות covers both ideas.
Could this sentence also use כדי instead of בשביל?
Yes.
You could say:
- שלחתי לה הודעה כדי להזכיר לה את הפגישה
This is a bit more neutral or formal than בשביל.
In everyday speech, though, בשביל is extremely common and sounds very natural.
Why doesn’t the sentence say whom she did not answer?
Because Hebrew, like English, can leave that understood from context.
After:
- שלחתי לה הודעה = I sent her a message
it is obvious that:
- היא עוד לא ענתה means she hasn’t answered me / she hasn’t replied to the message
So Hebrew does not need to state the object explicitly here.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning HebrewMaster Hebrew — from שלחתי לה הודעה בשביל להזכיר לה את הפגישה, אבל היא עוד לא ענתה to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions