למה את מתכוונת כשאת אומרת "אחר כך"? לפני העבודה או אחרי העבודה?

Yes. These are all addressed to a woman.

• את = you (singular, feminine)
• מתכוונת = mean / intend (feminine singular present form)
• אומרת = say (feminine singular present form)

If you were speaking to a man, you would say:

למה אתה מתכוון כשאתה אומר "אחר כך"? לפני העבודה או אחרי העבודה?

So Hebrew often shows gender much more clearly than English does.

Literally, it means To what are you intending? or What do you mean?

In natural English, the best translation is simply:

What do you mean...?

The verb here is להתכוון = to mean / to intend.
In Hebrew, this verb usually takes ל־ before the thing meant:

• לְמָה = to what
• למה את מתכוונת? = What do you mean?

So even though English says what do you mean?, Hebrew structures it more like to what are you referring / meaning?

Great question. למה usually does mean why, but in some contexts it can literally be understood as to what:

• ל־ = to
• מה = what

With the verb להתכוון (to mean / intend), למה is understood as what do you mean?

So:

• למה את מתכוונת? = What do you mean?
• not Why do you intend?

This is just a fixed, common Hebrew pattern with this verb.

It is a combination:

• כש־ = when / as
• את = you (feminine singular)

So:

• כשאת אומרת = when you say

You may also see it written more fully in very careful or formal style as something related to כאשר את, but כשאת is the normal everyday form.

That is exactly what it means: when you say “later.”

Hebrew often uses the present tense where English uses present tense too in this kind of clause:

• כשאת אומרת = when you say
• not when you are saying in most normal translations

So the structure is very natural Hebrew:

• למה את מתכוונת כשאת אומרת "אחר כך"?
• What do you mean when you say “later”?

אחר כך means afterward, later, or after that.

It is a fixed expression made of two words:

• אחר = after
• כך = so / thus / that way

Together, אחר כך functions as an adverbial phrase meaning later / afterward.

Examples:

• נדבר אחר כך = We’ll talk later
• אחר כך הלכתי הביתה = After that, I went home

So you should learn אחר כך as one set phrase.

Because the speaker is asking about that exact expression.

The sentence is not just asking when something happens. It is asking what the other person means by using the specific phrase אחר כך.

So the quotation marks highlight the exact words being discussed, just like in English:

What do you mean when you say “later”?

If you want to avoid quotation marks in explanation, you can think of it as: the speaker is talking about the phrase itself.

In Hebrew, העבודה literally means the work / the job / work, and Hebrew often uses the definite article where English would simply say work.

So:

• לפני העבודה = literally before the work
• natural English: before work

And:

• אחרי העבודה = literally after the work
• natural English: after work

This is very normal Hebrew usage. In English, we often drop the in expressions like before work, but Hebrew commonly keeps it.

They work in a very similar way here.

• לפני = before
• אחרי = after

They are followed by a noun phrase:

• לפני העבודה = before work
• אחרי העבודה = after work

These are very common prepositions, and you will use them a lot with times, events, and actions.

Examples:

• לפני השיעור = before the lesson
• אחרי הארוחה = after the meal

This is a normal Hebrew way to build the sentence:

1. למה את מתכוונת = what do you mean
2. כשאת אומרת "אחר כך" = when you say “later”

So Hebrew first asks what do you mean, and then adds the situation that needs clarification.

This is parallel to English:

• What do you mean when you say “later”?

Hebrew word order is often flexible, but this version sounds natural and standard.

You would change the pronouns and the verb forms.

To a man: למה אתה מתכוון כשאתה אומר "אחר כך"? לפני העבודה או אחרי העבודה?

To a group of women: למה אתן מתכוונות כשאתן אומרות "אחר כך"? לפני העבודה או אחרי העבודה?

To a group of men or a mixed group: למה אתם מתכוונים כשאתם אומרים "אחר כך"? לפני העבודה או אחרי העבודה?

Hebrew requires these agreement changes much more than English does.

Yes, that can also be said in some contexts, especially when you mean What do you mean by “later”?

For example:

• למה את מתכוונת ב"אחר כך"?
• What do you mean by “later”?

That said, למה את מתכוונת כשאת אומרת "אחר כך"? sounds very natural when you want to focus on the moment the person uses that expression.

So both can work, but the original sentence is slightly more explicit and conversational.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Lama at mitkavenet kshe'at omeret akhar kakh? Lifnei ha-avoda o akharei ha-avoda?

A few notes:

• מתכוונת = mitkavenet
• כשאת sounds roughly like kshe-at
• אחר כך = akhar kakh
• העבודה = ha-avoda

The kh sound in אחר and כך is the throaty sound heard in many Hebrew words, like the ch in some pronunciations of German Bach.

It is neutral and very natural in everyday speech.

It is not especially formal, but it is perfectly polite. It sounds like a normal clarification question:

What do you mean when you say “later”? Before work or after work?

If you wanted to sound more formal, you might choose slightly more formal wording, but this sentence is completely standard and useful in real conversation.