אמא מכינה ארוחה חגיגית ליום ההולדת של סבתא.

mother

Breakdown of אמא מכינה ארוחה חגיגית ליום ההולדת של סבתא.

• ל: for
• ארוחה: meal
• של: of

Questions & Answers about אמא מכינה ארוחה חגיגית ליום ההולדת של סבתא.

How do I pronounce this sentence?

A natural pronunciation is Ima makhina arukha khagigit le-yom ha-huledet shel savta.

Approximate stress: i-MA ma-khi-NA a-ru-KHA kha-gi-GIT le-YOM ha-hu-LE-det shel SAV-ta

The kh sound in מכינה and חגיגית is like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach.

What exactly does מכינה mean grammatically?

מכינה is the present-tense feminine singular form of the verb להכין, meaning to prepare.

It matches אמא, which is a feminine noun. So the verb form tells you the subject is she.

Depending on context, Hebrew present tense can mean either:

• is preparing
• prepares

So the sentence could be understood as either a current action or a general statement.

Why does חגיגית come after ארוחה?

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

So:

• ארוחה חגיגית = a festive meal

This is the normal Hebrew order, unlike English, where adjectives usually come before the noun.