אני שמה כף אחת של דבש בתה.

I put one spoonful of honey in the tea.

Breakdown of אני שמה כף אחת של דבש בתה.

• אני: I
• ב: in
• של: of
• אחת: one

Questions & Answers about אני שמה כף אחת של דבש בתה.

Why is אני included here? Can't Hebrew sometimes leave out the subject pronoun?

In this sentence, אני is very helpful because the present-tense form שמה does not show person.

שמה can mean:

• I put / am putting (if the speaker is female)
• you put / are putting (to one female)
• she puts / is putting

So אני שמה makes it clear that the meaning is I put / I am putting.

In past and future tense, Hebrew verbs usually show person more clearly, so subject pronouns are often omitted. In the present tense, pronouns are much more often needed.

Why is it שמה and not שם?

Because the speaker is female.

The verb לשים means to put. In the present tense:

• שם = masculine singular
• שמה = feminine singular

So:

• אני שם = I put / I am putting (said by a male speaker)
• אני שמה = I put / I am putting (said by a female speaker)

The pronoun אני itself does not show gender, so the verb does.

Does שמה here really mean puts / am putting? I thought שם meant there.