אני רוצה תשובה מדויקת יותר, מאשר "אולי" או "נראה לי".

Breakdown of אני רוצה תשובה מדויקת יותר, מאשר "אולי" או "נראה לי".

אני
I
לרצות
to want
לי
to me
או
or
יותר
more
אולי
maybe
תשובה
answer
להיראות
to seem
מאשר
than
מדויק
precise

Questions & Answers about אני רוצה תשובה מדויקת יותר, מאשר "אולי" או "נראה לי".

Why is תשובה followed by מדויקת יותר? Is that the normal word order in Hebrew?

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

So:

  • תשובה = answer
  • מדויקת = precise / accurate
  • יותר = more

Together, תשובה מדויקת יותר literally follows the Hebrew pattern answer precise more, even though natural English says a more precise answer.

Why is it מדויקת and not מדויק?

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

So:

  • masculine singular: מדויק
  • feminine singular: מדויקת
  • masculine plural: מדויקים
  • feminine plural: מדויקות

Since תשובה is feminine singular, the correct form is מדויקת.

Why is יותר placed after the adjective instead of before it?

That is the normal Hebrew way to form the comparative.

Hebrew usually says:

  • גדול יותר = bigger
  • יפה יותר = more beautiful
  • מדויקת יותר = more precise

So unlike English, where more comes before the adjective, Hebrew usually puts יותר after it.

Why does the sentence use מאשר? What does it do here?

מאשר means than in comparisons.

So:

  • מדויקת יותר, מאשר... = more precise than...

It introduces the thing being compared to. The speaker wants an answer that is more precise than responses like אולי or נראה לי.

In modern Hebrew, people also often use just מ־ for than, especially in simpler comparisons. So learners may also encounter structures like:

  • יותר טוב מ... = better than...

But מאשר is a standard and clear comparative word, especially in more careful or formal phrasing.

Could this sentence also be said without מאשר?

Yes, very often it could.

A very natural alternative would be:

אני רוצה תשובה יותר מדויקת מ־אולי או מ־נראה לי.

or more smoothly:

אני רוצה תשובה יותר מדויקת מ־אולי או מ־נראה לי.

That said, the original version with מאשר is understandable and grammatical. It can sound a bit more formal or emphatic in comparison.

Why is there no ל־ after רוצה?

Because רוצה can be followed by either:

  1. a noun phrase

    • אני רוצה תשובה = I want an answer
  2. an infinitive

    • אני רוצה לדעת = I want to know

Here the speaker wants a thingתשובה — not to do something. So no infinitive marker ל־ is needed.

Why is there no ה־ on תשובה? Why not את התשובה?

Because the sentence means I want a more precise answer, not I want the more precise answer.

  • תשובה = an answer
  • התשובה = the answer

If you said אני רוצה את התשובה, that would refer to a specific answer. Here the speaker is asking for a type of answer — one that is more precise — so the indefinite noun תשובה makes sense.

What exactly does נראה לי mean grammatically?

Literally, נראה לי means something like it seems to me.

Breakdown:

  • נראה = seems / appears
  • לי = to me

So the expression is not literally I think, even though in many contexts that is how it functions in English.

It is a very common Hebrew phrase for expressing uncertainty or a personal impression. In this sentence, the speaker is rejecting vague replies like:

  • אולי = maybe
  • נראה לי = it seems to me / I think
Is נראה לי formal or informal?

It is very common in everyday speech and usually sounds fairly natural and conversational. It is not slang, but it is often less firm than a direct statement.

For example:

  • נראה לי שהוא צודק = I think he is right / It seems to me he is right

In your sentence, the speaker is basically saying: I want something more exact than a hesitant answer like אולי or נראה לי.

Why are אולי and נראה לי set off like this?

They are being mentioned as examples of the kinds of answers the speaker does not want.

In English, we might write something like:

  • more precise than maybe or I think

In Hebrew, it is common to mark such quoted or cited words with quotation marks, especially when referring to them as expressions rather than simply using them in a sentence.

Is the comma before מאשר necessary?

Not always. Hebrew punctuation is somewhat flexible here, and many writers would omit the comma.

So both of these can appear:

  • אני רוצה תשובה מדויקת יותר מאשר...
  • אני רוצה תשובה מדויקת יותר, מאשר...

The version without the comma is often more neutral. The comma can create a slight pause or emphasis.

Would תשובה יותר מדויקת also be possible instead of תשובה מדויקת יותר?

Yes. Both patterns can occur, and both are understandable:

  • תשובה מדויקת יותר
  • תשובה יותר מדויקת

In many cases, both are acceptable and natural. The first version may feel slightly more straightforward or traditional in structure, while the second is also very common in modern speech.

So a learner should recognize both patterns.

What tone does the whole sentence have?

It sounds like the speaker is asking for a clearer, less vague response. Depending on context, it can sound:

  • neutral and direct
  • mildly impatient
  • insistent on precision

The contrast with אולי and נראה לי makes it clear that the speaker is not satisfied with uncertainty and wants a firmer answer.

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