במודעה אחרת כתוב שצריך לשלם פיקדון לפני שמקבלים את המפתח.

במודעה אחרת literally means in another advertisement or in a different ad.

• ב־ = in
• מודעה = ad / advertisement / notice
• אחרת = other / another / different (feminine singular)

In Hebrew, prepositions like ב־ (in), ל־ (to / for), and כ־ (as / like) are often attached directly to the following word.

So instead of writing a separate word for in, Hebrew writes:

• במודעה = in an ad

Because מודעה is feminine, the adjective must match it:

• מודעה אחרת = another ad

Because מודעה is a feminine singular noun, and adjectives in Hebrew usually agree with the noun in gender and number.

So:

• מודעה = feminine singular
• therefore: אחרת = feminine singular form of other / another

Compare:

• ספר אחר = another book (masculine)
• מודעה אחרת = another ad (feminine)

Here כתוב literally means written, but in this kind of sentence it functions like it says / it is written.

So:

• במודעה אחרת כתוב ש... = In another ad it says that...

This is a very common Hebrew way to report written information. Hebrew often uses כתוב in an impersonal way, without saying exactly what is written or who wrote it.

You can think of it as short for something like:

• במודעה אחרת כתוב... = In another ad, it is written...

Good question. Even though מודעה is feminine, כתוב here does not agree with מודעה.

That is because כתוב is being used impersonally, more like:

• it says
• it is written

So the structure is not really:

• the ad is written

but rather:

• in another ad, it says...

In this fixed impersonal use, כתוב is commonly left in the masculine singular form.

ש־ means that.

So:

• כתוב שצריך... = it says that it is necessary...

This ש־ is extremely common in Hebrew. It introduces a subordinate clause, just like English that.

Examples:

• אני יודע שהוא כאן = I know that he is here
• כתוב שצריך לשלם = It says that one must pay

In everyday speech, Hebrew often uses ש־ where English may or may not include that.

צריך means need to / have to / must.

In this sentence, it is used impersonally:

• צריך לשלם = one has to pay / you have to pay / it is necessary to pay

Hebrew often leaves the subject unstated in general statements like this. So the meaning is not tied to a specific person such as I, you, or they. It means something general, like:

• it is required to pay
• you need to pay

This kind of impersonal צריך + infinitive is very common.

Because after צריך Hebrew usually uses an infinitive.

• לשלם = to pay
• צריך לשלם = need to pay / have to pay

This is similar to English:

• need to pay

The ל־ at the beginning of לשלם is the normal infinitive marker, like English to.

Other examples:

• צריך ללכת = need to go
• צריך ללמוד = need to study

פיקדון means deposit, usually a sum of money paid in advance as security.

In this context, it is probably:

• a security deposit
• a refundable deposit
• money paid before receiving access to something

So:

• לשלם פיקדון = to pay a deposit

Because את is used before a definite direct object, not an indefinite one.

• פיקדון = a deposit → indefinite → no את
• המפתח = the key → definite → needs את

So:

• לשלם פיקדון = to pay a deposit
• מקבלים את המפתח = receive the key

This is one of the most important rules in Hebrew.

Compare:

• אני קונה ספר = I’m buying a book
• אני קונה את הספר = I’m buying the book

לפני ש־ means before followed by a clause.

So:

• לפני שמקבלים את המפתח = before receiving the key / before one gets the key

Breakdown:

• לפני = before
• ש־ = that / introducing the following clause
• מקבלים = receive / get

A similar pattern appears in many Hebrew sentences:

• לפני שהולכים = before going / before people go
• לפני שמתחילים = before starting

Hebrew can express before in more than one way.

Here, לפני שמקבלים את המפתח uses a full clause:

• before one receives the key
• before getting the key

This is very natural Hebrew.

A version with an infinitive can also exist in some contexts, but with a direct object like את המפתח, the clause with שמקבלים sounds especially normal and clear.

So the sentence uses:

• לפני ש + verb rather than
• לפני + infinitive

because it is expressing a complete action: before they/you/one receive the key.

This is a very common Hebrew pattern. Hebrew often uses the 3rd person plural for general, impersonal meaning, similar to English you, they, or people.

So:

• מקבלים את המפתח literally = they receive the key
• but in context it means = you receive the key / one receives the key / people receive the key

This kind of plural is not necessarily referring to a specific group. It often just means people in general.

Compare:

• אומרים ש... = they say / people say
• כאן לא מעשנים = people don’t smoke here / no smoking here
• לפני שמקבלים את המפתח = before getting the key

No. מקבלים by itself is they receive (masculine plural) or sometimes an impersonal people receive / you receive / one receives.

We receive would be:

• מקבלים only if the subject we is understood in a very specific present-tense context? Actually, in standard Hebrew, present tense participle forms do not show person, only gender and number, so אנחנו מקבלים can indeed mean we receive, and הם מקבלים can mean they receive.

So grammatically, מקבלים can go with:

• אנחנו = we
• הם = they

But in this sentence, there is no explicit subject, so the reading is impersonal/general:

• before getting the key
• before one receives the key

The context, not the form alone, tells you that.

מקבלים comes from the verb לקבל, meaning to receive / get.

Its root is:

• ק־ב־ל

Forms:

• לקבל = to receive
• מקבל = receiving / receives (masculine singular)
• מקבלת = receiving / receives (feminine singular)
• מקבלים = receiving / receive (masculine plural)
• מקבלות = receiving / receive (feminine plural)

In this sentence:

• שמקבלים את המפתח = that one receives / gets the key

המפתח means the key.

Breakdown:

• מפתח = key
• ה־ = the

So:

• מפתח = a key
• המפתח = the key

Because the object is definite, Hebrew also uses את:

• את המפתח = the key

The sentence breaks down like this:

• במודעה אחרת = in another ad
• כתוב = it says / it is written
• שצריך לשלם פיקדון = that one has to pay a deposit
• לפני שמקבלים את המפתח = before receiving the key

So the structure is:

In another ad, it says that one must pay a deposit before receiving the key.

Hebrew often builds sentences by stacking small units like this:

1. place/source of information
2. reporting expression
3. ש־ clause
4. time clause such as לפני ש־

It sounds quite neutral and natural. Nothing in it is especially slangy or especially literary.

A few points:

• כתוב ש... is very common and natural
• צריך לשלם is standard and everyday
• פיקדון is a normal practical word
• לפני שמקבלים את המפתח is also standard

So this is good everyday Hebrew, especially for discussing ads, rentals, rules, or arrangements.

Yes. Hebrew often leaves things impersonal, but it could be made more explicit.

For example:

• במודעה אחרת כתוב שצריך לשלם פיקדון לפני שמקבלים את המפתח.
  = In another ad it says that one must pay a deposit before getting the key.

A more explicit version might say:

• במודעה אחרת כתוב שצריך לשלם פיקדון לפני שמקבלים את המפתח לדירה.
  = In another ad it says that one must pay a deposit before getting the apartment key.

Or:

• במודעה אחרת כתוב שהשוכר צריך לשלם פיקדון לפני שהוא מקבל את המפתח.
  = In another ad it says that the renter has to pay a deposit before he receives the key.

The original sentence is shorter and more impersonal, which is very normal in Hebrew.

A learner could take away these key points:

1. Attached prepositions

   • במודעה = in an ad

2. Adjective agreement

   • מודעה אחרת because מודעה is feminine

3. Impersonal written-reporting expression

   • כתוב ש... = it says that...

4. ש־ introducing a clause

   • שצריך = that one must

5. צריך + infinitive

   • צריך לשלם = need to pay

6. Definite direct object marker את

   • את המפתח but not את פיקדון

7. לפני ש־ for before

   • clause
   • לפני שמקבלים

8. Impersonal/general plural in Hebrew

   • מקבלים = you/people/one receive

It is a very useful sentence because it combines several common Hebrew patterns in one line.