במקרה הזה עדיף לשאול שאלה קצרה מאשר לנחש את התשובה.

Because:

• מקרה = case, instance, situation
• הזה = this
• ב־ = in

So במקרה הזה means in this case.

A useful detail: in normal unpointed Hebrew, במקרה can hide either be- or ba- pronunciation. Here it is understood as ba-mikre, effectively in the case, and then הזה gives in this case.

Hebrew usually leaves out the verb to be in the present tense.

So where English says:

• In this case, it is better...

Hebrew can simply say:

• במקרה הזה עדיף...

There is also no need for a dummy subject like English it. Hebrew is happy to make this kind of general statement without one.

עדיף means preferable, better, or it is better/preferable.

In this sentence, it is being used impersonally:

• עדיף לשאול... = It’s better to ask...

It often gives advice or compares two options. Here, it sets up the comparison between:

• לשאול שאלה קצרה = asking a short question
• לנחש את התשובה = guessing the answer

Because they are infinitives.

In Hebrew, the infinitive usually begins with ל־, often equivalent to English to:

• לשאול = to ask
• לנחש = to guess

After עדיף, Hebrew commonly uses an infinitive:

• עדיף לשאול... = It’s better to ask...

So the structure is very natural: עדיף + infinitive + מאשר + infinitive

Here מאשר means rather than or than.

So:

• עדיף לשאול שאלה קצרה מאשר לנחש את התשובה
• It is better to ask a short question rather than guess the answer

It connects the two actions being compared.

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• שאלה = question
• קצרה = short

Together:

• שאלה קצרה = a short question

Also, the adjective must agree with the noun in gender and number. שאלה is feminine singular, so the adjective is also feminine singular: קצרה.

Compare:

• שאלה קצרה = a short question
• שאלות קצרות = short questions

Because התשובה is a definite direct object.

• לנחש את התשובה = to guess the answer

In Hebrew, את marks a direct object when it is definite, such as with ה־:

• התשובה = the answer

If the object were indefinite, את would normally disappear:

• לנחש תשובה = to guess an answer

Important: את is not translated into English. It is a grammatical marker.

Yes, but only in a general sense.

The sentence is giving general advice, like English:

• In this case, it’s better to ask a short question than guess the answer

It does not explicitly say you, but the meaning can apply to you, someone, or people in general.

So the tone is broad and impersonal, not directed at one specific person.

Yes, לשאול can mean both to ask and to borrow, depending on context.

Here it clearly means to ask, because it is followed by:

• שאלה = question

So:

• לשאול שאלה = to ask a question

If it meant to borrow, the context would look different, for example:

• לשאול ספר = to borrow a book

לנחש means to guess.

In this sentence, it suggests guessing without enough information, rather than asking for clarification first. So the idea is:

• ask a brief question
• do not just make a guess and hope it is right

It has a practical, advice-like tone: better to check than to assume.

A helpful pronunciation guide is:

ba-mikre ha-ze adif lish-ol she-eh-la ktsa-ra me-asher le-na-khesh et ha-tshu-va

A few notes:

• עדיף = a-DIF
• לשאול = lish-OL
• שאלה = she-eh-LA
• קצרה = ktsa-RA
• לנחש = le-na-KHESH
• התשובה = ha-tshu-VA

The ח sound in לנחש is the throaty kh sound, like the ch in German Bach.