אמא ביקשה שאכתוב ברכה קצרה לסבתא בשביל שתשמח בבוקר החג.

Because the subject אמא is feminine singular.

• ביקש = he asked / requested
• ביקשה = she asked / requested

In the past tense, Hebrew verbs change to match the gender and number of the subject, so with אמא you need ביקשה.

Here ביקשה means asked or requested.

The verb is לבקש = to ask for / to request.

In this sentence, it does not mean asking a question. It means making a request:

• אמא ביקשה... = Mom asked... / Mom requested...

This is a very common Hebrew pattern.

• ש־ means that
• אכתוב = I will write

So ביקשה שאכתוב literally means she asked that I write.

In natural English, we often say she asked me to write, but Hebrew often uses:

• ביקש/ה ש...
  • future verb

So:

• אמא ביקשה שאכתוב = Mom asked me to write

This is one of the most important structures to get used to in Hebrew.

אכתוב is the 1st person singular future form of לכתוב = to write.

So:

• אכתוב = I will write

Even though the main verb ביקשה is in the past, the subordinate verb is often in the future in Hebrew after verbs like asked, wanted, hoped, etc.

That is why Hebrew says:

• היא ביקשה שאכתוב literally:
• She asked that I will write

But in English we usually translate it as:

• She asked me to write

Yes. A very common alternative is:

• אמא ביקשה ממני לכתוב ברכה קצרה לסבתא...

That means:

• Mom asked me to write a short greeting for Grandma...

The version in your sentence,

• אמא ביקשה שאכתוב... is also correct and natural.

The difference is mostly structural:

• ביקשה ממני לכתוב = asked me to write
• ביקשה שאכתוב = asked that I write

Both are common.

Because ש־ is usually a prefix in modern Hebrew, not a separate word.

So:

• ש + אכתוב → שאכתוב
• ש + תשמח → שתשמח

This ש־ often means that, and in some contexts it helps introduce a clause like:

• that I write
• that she will be happy

You will see this attached form constantly in Hebrew.

Because in Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• ברכה = greeting / blessing
• קצרה = short

Together:

• ברכה קצרה = a short greeting

This is the normal Hebrew word order:

• noun + adjective

Because ברכה is a feminine noun, and adjectives in Hebrew must agree with the noun in gender and number.

So:

• ברכה = feminine singular
• therefore קצרה must also be feminine singular

Compare:

• מכתב קצר = a short letter (masculine)
• ברכה קצרה = a short greeting (feminine)

It can mean either, depending on context.

ברכה can be:

• blessing
• greeting
• sometimes even a short message of congratulations or good wishes

In this sentence, because someone is writing it for Grandma before a holiday, it probably means something like:

• a short greeting
• a short holiday message
• possibly a short blessing

So the exact English word depends on context.

The prefix ל־ usually means to or for.

So:

• סבתא = grandma
• לסבתא = to Grandma / for Grandma

Here it marks the recipient of the greeting:

• לכתוב ברכה קצרה לסבתא = to write a short greeting for Grandma

Also notice the form:

• ל + ה + סבתא becomes לסבתא

That is because Hebrew often contracts ל + ה into one form.

Because the two words do different jobs here.

• לסבתא tells you who the greeting is for
• בשביל שתשמח tells you the purpose: so that she will be happy

So:

• לסבתא = for Grandma / to Grandma
• בשביל שתשמח = so that she will be happy

They are not repeating the same idea.

Here בשביל ש... means so that... or in order that...

So:

• בשביל שתשמח = so that she will be happy

This is a purpose clause. It explains why Mom wanted the greeting written.

A close equivalent is:

• כדי ש...

So these are similar:

• בשביל שתשמח
• כדי שתשמח

The version with בשביל is often a bit more conversational.

תשמח is the 3rd person feminine singular future form of לשמוח = to be happy / to rejoice.

So:

• תשמח = she will be happy

Because the person being referred to is סבתא, feminine singular is required.

It refers to סבתא.

So the meaning is:

• Mom asked me to write a short greeting for Grandma so that Grandma would be happy

Hebrew does not need to repeat סבתא again, because the verb form תשמח already shows feminine singular, and the context makes the reference clear.

Because the happiness is something expected to happen after the request.

Hebrew often uses the future in subordinate clauses when talking about:

• purpose
• result
• something intended or expected

So:

• אמא ביקשה... = past
• שתשמח... = the hoped-for future result

This is very natural in Hebrew:

• She asked... so that Grandma will be happy

In English we might also say:

• so that Grandma would be happy

Both ideas are close.

It means on the morning of the holiday or holiday morning.

Breakdown:

• ב־ = in / on / at
• בוקר = morning
• החג = the holiday

So:

• בבוקר החג literally = in the morning of the holiday

In natural English:

• on the holiday morning
• on the morning of the holiday

Because it comes from:

• ב־ = in / on / at plus
• הבוקר = the morning

When ב־ is added to a word with ה־, Hebrew often absorbs the ה and doubles the preposition sound:

• ב + הבוקר → בבוקר

This is a very common pattern.

Compare:

• בבית = in the house
• בבוקר = in the morning

Because this sentence refers to a specific holiday, not just any holiday.

• חג = a holiday
• החג = the holiday

So:

• בבוקר חג would sound incomplete or unnatural here
• בבוקר החג = on the morning of the holiday

Hebrew often uses the definite article when the situation makes the specific event understood.

Yes. The sentence uses several very common Hebrew patterns:

1. Verb agreement in the past

   • אמא ביקשה

2. Request + ש־ + future

   • ביקשה שאכתוב

3. Noun + adjective

   • ברכה קצרה

4. Purpose clause

   • בשביל שתשמח

5. Time expression with a prefixed preposition

   • בבוקר החג

So even if the sentence feels a little different from how English would phrase it, it is built from very normal Hebrew structures.