המורה אמרה שלא צריך לדבר מהר; חשוב יותר לדבר ברור.

The teacher said that you do not need to speak quickly; it is more important to speak clearly.

Breakdown of המורה אמרה שלא צריך לדבר מהר; חשוב יותר לדבר ברור.

• לא: not
• לדבר: to speak
• להיות צריך: to need
• לומר: to say

Questions & Answers about המורה אמרה שלא צריך לדבר מהר; חשוב יותר לדבר ברור.

Why is it אמרה and not אמר?

Because the verb agrees with the speaker, and אמרה is she said. The noun המורה can mean either the teacher (male or female), but the verb tells you this teacher is female here.

• המורה אמרה = the teacher (female) said
• המורה אמר = the teacher (male) said

Does המורה itself show gender?

Not by itself. המורה can refer to either a male teacher or a female teacher. Hebrew often makes the gender clear through the verb or other words in the sentence.

So in this sentence, you know the teacher is female because of אמרה.

What exactly does שלא mean here?

שלא is made from ש־ + לא.

• ש־ = that
• לא = not

So שלא צריך לדבר מהר means something like that there is no need to speak quickly or that one shouldn’t speak quickly, depending on context.

In this sentence, it is introducing what the teacher said.

Why is it צריך and not or ?