Questions & Answers about כשהמורה מדברת, צריך לשתוק.
What does כשהמורה break down into?
It is made of two parts:
- כש־ = when / while
- המורה = the teacher
So כשהמורה means when the teacher...
In Hebrew, short words like כש־ are often attached directly to the next word instead of being written separately.
Why does המורה not tell me whether the teacher is male or female?
Because מורה can mean either male teacher or female teacher in unpointed Hebrew spelling.
The spelling המורה is the same for both:
- the male teacher
- the female teacher
What tells you the gender here is the verb מדברת, which is feminine singular. So in this sentence, the teacher is female.
Why is the verb מדברת feminine?
Because it has to agree with המורה as understood here: the female teacher.
מדברת is the feminine singular present-tense form of לדבר = to speak / to talk.
If the teacher were male, you would normally get:
- כשהמורה מדבר, צריך לשתוק.
So:
- מדברת = a woman is speaking
- מדבר = a man is speaking
Does מדברת mean speaks or is speaking?