Questions & Answers about אם תחפרי עמוק מדי, את יכולה לפגוע בשורש של העץ.
Why is תחפרי feminine? Does this sentence address a woman or girl?
Yes. This sentence is addressed to one female person.
- תחפרי = you (feminine singular) will dig / dig
- את יכולה = you (feminine singular) can
Hebrew usually marks gender in the second person, unlike English.
If you were talking to a man, you would say:
- אם תחפור עמוק מדי, אתה יכול לפגוע בשורש של העץ.
If you were talking to more than one person, the forms would change again.
Why does the sentence use אם תחפרי with a future form? Is that how Hebrew says if you dig?
Yes. In Hebrew, after אם meaning if, it is very common to use the future tense to talk about a possible condition:
- אם תחפרי... = if you dig...
Even though English often uses the present in this kind of sentence (if you dig), Hebrew often uses the future form for this type of condition.
So this pattern is very normal:
- אם תבואי, נשמח. = If you come, we’ll be happy.
- אם תאכל יותר מדי, תרגיש רע. = If you eat too much, you’ll feel bad.
What root is תחפרי from, and how is it built?