התושבת החדשה שאלה את הפקחית אם צריך לשלם קנס על חניה במקום הזה.

Because תושבת is the feminine singular form of resident. The masculine form is תושב. The ה־ at the beginning is the definite article, so:

• תושבת = a female resident
• התושבת = the female resident / the resident

In natural English, you might just say the resident if the person's gender is not important, but Hebrew makes that gender explicit here.

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• התושבת החדשה = the new resident

Also, the adjective must match the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

Since תושבת is feminine singular and definite, the adjective is also feminine singular and definite:

• תושבת חדשה = a new female resident
• התושבת החדשה = the new female resident

שאלה is the past tense, feminine singular form of the verb לשאול (to ask).

Because the subject is התושבת החדשה (a feminine singular noun), the verb must agree with it:

• הוא שאל = he asked
• היא שאלה = she asked

So התושבת החדשה שאלה means the new resident asked.

את marks a definite direct object. It does not get translated directly into English.

Here, the direct object is הפקחית (the female inspector), and because it is definite, Hebrew uses את:

• שאלה את הפקחית = asked the inspector

Compare:

• שאלה פקחית — not correct in standard Hebrew for this meaning
• שאלה את הפקחית = she asked the inspector

A useful rule:

• use את before a definite direct object
• do not use it before an indefinite one

Because פקחית is the feminine form of פקח (inspector, often a parking inspector or municipal inspector).

So:

• פקח = male inspector
• פקחית = female inspector
• הפקחית = the female inspector

The sentence specifically tells us the inspector is a woman.

Here אם means whether.

Hebrew uses אם for both if and whether, and the exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence:

• שאלה ... אם צריך לשלם = she asked ... whether it is necessary to pay / whether one has to pay

So although אם often means if, here whether is the more natural English translation.

This is a very common learner question.

Here צריך לשלם is being used impersonally, meaning something like:

• is it necessary to pay
• does one need to pay
• do you have to pay

In this kind of impersonal expression, Hebrew often uses צריך in a default form, even when no specific masculine person is meant.

So אם צריך לשלם קנס means:

• whether one has to pay a fine
• whether it is necessary to pay a fine

If the sentence were specifically about the resident herself, you could also find more personal wording in other contexts, but here the meaning is general: is payment required in that situation?

There is no explicit subject stated. The phrase צריך לשלם is general and impersonal.

It can mean:

• one has to pay
• you have to pay
• it is necessary to pay

So the resident is asking about the rule, not necessarily saying I have to pay in a fully explicit way. The idea is more like: Is a fine required for parking here?

Because it means a fine, not the fine.

• קנס = a fine
• הקנס = the fine

In this sentence, the speaker is asking generally whether a fine has to be paid, so the noun is indefinite.

Also notice that את is not used before קנס, because את is only used with a definite direct object.

Here על means for or for/about because of.

So:

• קנס על חניה = a fine for parking

More literally, it is something like a fine concerning parking or a fine for parking-related violation.

And חניה means parking.

So the whole part:

• לשלם קנס על חניה = to pay a fine for parking

Because after קנס על..., Hebrew normally uses על to show what the fine is for.

So:

• קנס על חניה = a fine for parking
• קנס על מהירות = a fine for speeding

This is just the usual Hebrew pattern with קנס.

Because in Hebrew, demonstratives like הזה (this) usually come after the noun, and the noun is usually definite.

So:

• המקום הזה = this place
• במקום הזה = in this place

Also, both the noun and the demonstrative show definiteness:

• המקום = the place
• הזה = this

The ב־ at the start means in.

Because the preposition ב־ (in) combines with the definite article ה־.

So:

• ב + מקום = במקום = in a place / in place
• ב + המקום becomes במקום = in the place

In other words, the definite article is absorbed into the preposition form. Then הזה makes it clear we mean this place:

• במקום הזה = in this place

Yes, that is a natural way to understand it.

The phrase אם צריך לשלם קנס is broad and can be rendered in English in several similar ways:

• whether one has to pay a fine
• whether you need to pay a fine
• whether it is necessary to pay a fine
• whether a fine must be paid

All of these capture the same Hebrew idea.

It breaks down like this:

• התושבת החדשה = the new female resident
• שאלה = asked
• את הפקחית = the female inspector
• אם = whether
• צריך לשלם = one has to pay / it is necessary to pay
• קנס = a fine
• על חניה = for parking
• במקום הזה = in this place

So the structure is:

[subject] + [verb] + [direct object] + [embedded question]

That is:

The new resident asked the inspector whether one has to pay a fine for parking in this place.