Breakdown of אני מחפשת את הפותחן, כי אני רוצה לפתוח את הפחית.
אני
I
לרצות
to want
את
direct object marker
כי
because
Questions & Answers about אני מחפשת את הפותחן, כי אני רוצה לפתוח את הפחית.
Where is the word am in I am looking for?
Hebrew usually does not use a separate present-tense verb for to be.
So אני מחפשת literally looks more like I looking/searching, but in natural English it can mean I am looking for or I look for, depending on context.
That is very normal in Hebrew:
- אני מחפשת = I am looking for / I look for
- אני רוצה = I want
Why is it מחפשת and not מחפש?
מחפשת is the feminine singular present-tense form.
Hebrew present-tense verbs agree with the subject in gender and number. Since the speaker is female, she says:
- אני מחפשת = a woman says I am looking for
A male speaker would say:
- אני מחפש
So even though אני means I for both men and women, the verb form shows the speaker’s gender.
Why is רוצה not obviously feminine the way מחפשת is?