Questions & Answers about הנשים מדברות זו לזו בשקט.
Why is הנשים feminine plural, and how do I know it means the women?
נשים is the plural of אישה (woman), although it is an irregular plural, so it does not look like a regular feminine plural in -ות.
The ה־ at the beginning is the definite article, meaning the.
So:
- נשים = women
- הנשים = the women
Why is the verb מדברות and not מדברים?
Hebrew verbs in the present tense agree with the subject in gender and number.
Since הנשים is feminine plural, the verb must also be feminine plural:
- מדבר = speaking (masculine singular)
- מדברת = speaking (feminine singular)
- מדברים = speaking (masculine plural)
- מדברות = speaking (feminine plural)
So הנשים מדברות means the women are speaking.
What exactly is מדברות grammatically? Is it really a present-tense verb?