המדפסת לא עובדת בלי הכבל הזה, ולכן אני מחפשת כבל אחר במגירה.

In Hebrew, every noun has a grammatical gender, including objects. מדפסת (printer) is a feminine noun, so the verb must agree with it.

• המדפסת = the printer
• עובדת = works / is working in the feminine singular

So המדפסת לא עובדת literally means the printer is not working.

This is normal in Hebrew even for non-living things: verbs and adjectives still match the noun’s grammatical gender.

The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

• מדפסת = a printer / printer
• המדפסת = the printer
• כבל = a cable
• הכבל = the cable

Hebrew usually attaches the directly to the noun instead of writing it as a separate word.

In Hebrew, demonstratives like this and that usually come after the noun.

So:

• הכבל הזה = this cable
• literally: the cable this

Also, when you use this or that, the noun is usually definite, so it takes ה־:

• הספר הזה = this book
• האישה הזאת = this woman

That is why it is הכבל הזה, not just כבל הזה.

בלי means without.

So:

• בלי הכבל הזה = without this cable

It is a very common everyday word. A more formal alternative is ללא, which also means without, but בלי is more common in spoken Hebrew.

Examples:

• אני לא יוצא בלי הטלפון = I’m not going out without the phone
• היא באה בלי תיק = She came without a bag

מחפשת is the feminine singular form of looking for / searching for in the present tense.

Hebrew present-tense verbs agree with the subject’s gender and number:

• אני מחפש = I am looking for (said by a male speaker)
• אני מחפשת = I am looking for (said by a female speaker)

So this sentence tells you that the speaker is female.

Hebrew uses את before a definite direct object, but not before an indefinite one.

Here:

• כבל אחר = another cable / a different cable

That is indefinite, so there is no את.

Compare:

• אני מחפשת כבל אחר = I’m looking for another cable
• אני מחפשת את הכבל = I’m looking for the cable

So the absence of את helps show that the speaker is not looking for one specific known cable, but for another one.

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• כבל אחר = another cable / a different cable
• literally: cable other

This is the normal order in Hebrew:

• בית גדול = a big house
• ספר מעניין = an interesting book
• כבל אחר = another cable

ולכן means and therefore or simply therefore / so.

It is made of:

• ו־ = and
• לכן = therefore

Hebrew often attaches short connecting words like ו־ directly to the next word.

So:

• ולכן = and therefore
• in natural English here: so or therefore

The ב־ at the beginning means in.

So:

• מגירה = drawer
• במגירה = in a drawer / in the drawer, depending on context

Hebrew often attaches prepositions directly to nouns:

• ב = in
• ל = to / for
• כ = as / like
• מ = from

So במגירה is one word, literally in-drawer.

Whether it means in a drawer or in the drawer depends on context. If it were definitely in the drawer, you would often see במגירה anyway if the article has merged into the form, or a fuller phrase like במגירה הזאת = in this drawer.

In this sentence, במגירה is naturally understood as in the drawer or in a drawer, depending on the context already known.

Yes. Hebrew present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive.

So המדפסת לא עובדת can mean:

• The printer doesn’t work
• The printer isn’t working

The exact English translation depends on context. Hebrew does not usually make the same distinction English does between works and is working.

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense.

English says:

• The printer is not working

Hebrew simply says:

• המדפסת לא עובדת

There is no separate word for is here. This is very normal in Hebrew.

The same thing happens in sentences like:

• אני עייף = I am tired
• היא בבית = She is at home

So learners often need to get used to the fact that present-tense am / is / are is usually omitted.

Only מחפשת would change, because that verb agrees with אני according to the speaker’s gender in the present tense.

A male speaker would say:

המדפסת לא עובדת בלי הכבל הזה, ולכן אני מחפש כבל אחר במגירה.

So:

• אני מחפשת = I’m looking for (female speaker)
• אני מחפש = I’m looking for (male speaker)

Everything else stays the same.