הן רוצות להכין את כל הארוחה בעצמן.

to want

Breakdown of הן רוצות להכין את כל הארוחה בעצמן.

• את: direct object marker
• הן: they
• ארוחה: meal

Questions & Answers about הן רוצות להכין את כל הארוחה בעצמן.

Why does the sentence start with הן? What exactly does it mean?

הן means they, but specifically they for an all-female group.

Hebrew distinguishes gender in the third person plural:

• הם = they (masculine or mixed group)
• הן = they (feminine group)

So if the people being talked about are women or girls, הן is the correct form.

Why is it רוצות and not רוצים?

Because the subject is feminine plural: הן.

Hebrew verbs agree with the subject in gender and number. In the present tense:

• רוצה = wants (masculine singular or feminine singular? Actually singular forms are different: masculine רוצה, feminine רוצה in writing, though pronounced differently in careful grammar)
• רוצים = want (masculine plural)
• רוצות = want (feminine plural)

Since the subject is הן, the verb must also be feminine plural: רוצות.

What form is להכין?

להכין is the infinitive, meaning to prepare.

The prefix ל־ often marks the infinitive in Hebrew, similar to to in English:

• לכתוב = to write
• לאכול = to eat
• להכין = to prepare

After a verb like רוצות (want), Hebrew usually uses an infinitive:

• הן רוצות להכין = they want to prepare