את רוצה להכין לעצמך קפה?

coffee

Breakdown of את רוצה להכין לעצמך קפה?

• לרצות: to want
• את: you
• להכין: to make

Questions & Answers about את רוצה להכין לעצמך קפה?

What does את mean here, and is it the same word as the את that marks a definite direct object?

Here, את means you when speaking to one female.

It is spelled exactly the same as the very common object marker את, but they are different words.

• את = you (feminine singular), usually pronounced at
• את = direct object marker, usually pronounced et

Because everyday Hebrew is usually written without vowel marks, native speakers rely on context to tell which one it is. In this sentence, it must be the pronoun you, because it comes before the verb and the sentence is clearly addressing someone.

Is this sentence addressed to a woman?

Yes. This sentence is addressed to one woman or one girl.

You can tell from:

• את = you feminine singular
• רוצה here is the feminine singular form in pronunciation
• לעצמך also matches a feminine singular you

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

אתה רוצה להכין לעצמך קפה?

Why is רוצה written the same way for masculine and feminine?