Learn Hardcore Hebrew: אתה יכול לשאול את עצמך אם באמת כדאי לריב על דבר כזה. - You can ask yourself whether it is really worth quarrelling over something like that.

Word

אתה יכול לשאול את עצמך אם באמת כדאי לריב על דבר כזה.

Meaning

You can ask yourself whether it is really worth quarrelling over something like that.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Breakdown of אתה יכול לשאול את עצמך אם באמת כדאי לריב על דבר כזה.

What does אתה יכול לשאול את עצמך mean literally?

Literally, it means you can ask yourself.

So the structure is very close to English: you can ask yourself.

Why is there an את before עצמך?

In Hebrew, את marks a definite direct object.

Here, the verb לשאול takes a direct object: you are asking yourself. Since עצמך is specific, Hebrew uses את:

This is not the same את as the word meaning you (feminine singular). It is the object marker.

A useful way to remember it:

את often appears before a specific person or thing receiving the action of the verb.

For example:

What exactly is עצמך?