Questions & Answers about אפשר לקבל כיסא נוסף ליד החלון?
What does אפשר mean here?
In this sentence, אפשר means something like is it possible or can I / can we.
So אפשר לקבל כיסא נוסף ליד החלון? is literally closer to:
Is it possible to get an additional chair by the window?
This is a very common Hebrew way to make a polite request. Hebrew often uses אפשר + infinitive where English might use can I... or could we...
Examples:
- אפשר לשבת כאן? = Can I sit here?
- אפשר לשלם באשראי? = Can I pay by card?
Why doesn’t the sentence say אני יכול or אני יכולה for I can?
Because Hebrew often leaves the subject unstated in polite requests when אפשר is used.
Instead of saying:
- אני יכול/ה לקבל כיסא נוסף? = Can I get another chair?
Hebrew very naturally says:
- אפשר לקבל כיסא נוסף?
This sounds less personal and often more polite or neutral, similar to English Could I get... or Would it be possible to get...
Also, אני יכול and אני יכולה would force you to choose masculine or feminine. אפשר לקבל... avoids that entirely and works for everyone.
Why is לקבל in the infinitive form?