Questions & Answers about אני אחכה לך עוד שלוש דקות.
How is this sentence pronounced?
Roughly:
Ani akhake lekha od shalosh dakot
if speaking to a man
Ani akhake lakh od shalosh dakot
if speaking to a woman
A few pronunciation notes:
- kh in akhake and lakh is the throaty sound of ח, like the ch in German Bach.
- The stress is usually near the end: akhaKE, daKOT.
What does each word do in the sentence?
Word by word:
- אני = I
- אחכה = will wait
- לך = for you / to you
- עוד = another / more
- שלוש = three
- דקות = minutes
So the structure is basically:
I + will wait + for you + another three minutes
Why is אני included? Doesn’t אחכה already mean I will wait?
Yes. In Hebrew, the verb already tells you the person.
- אחכה by itself already means I will wait
- So אני is optional here
That means both are possible:
- אני אחכה לך עוד שלוש דקות
- אחכה לך עוד שלוש דקות
Including אני can make the sentence a little more explicit or slightly more emphatic, but it is not required.
What tense and form is אחכה?
אחכה is:
- future tense
- first person singular
- from the verb לחכות = to wait
So:
- אני אחכה = I will wait
- אתה תחכה = you (masc. sg.) will wait
- את תחכי = you (fem. sg.) will wait
Hebrew future verbs change according to person, number, and sometimes gender.
Why is it לך? Why not a direct object?
Because the Hebrew verb לחכות normally takes ל־ before the person you are waiting for.
So Hebrew says, literally, something like:
- wait to/for someone
Examples:
- אני מחכה לך = I’m waiting for you
- הוא חיכה לי = he waited for me
So אחכה לך is correct, while אחכה אותך would not be the normal standard phrasing.
Does לך mean the sentence is addressed to a man or to a woman?
In unpointed Hebrew, לך can mean either one.
With vowel marks:
- לְךָ = to/for you when speaking to a man, pronounced lekha
- לָךְ = to/for you when speaking to a woman, pronounced lakh
So the written sentence אני אחכה לך עוד שלוש דקות can fit either situation. You know which one is meant from context or speech.
What does עוד mean here?
Here עוד means another / more.
So:
- עוד שלוש דקות = another three minutes / three more minutes
This word is very common and can mean slightly different things in different contexts, such as more, another, or still, but in this sentence the meaning is clearly three more minutes.
A very useful contrast:
- עוד שלוש דקות = for another three minutes
- בעוד שלוש דקות = in three minutes
That little ב־ changes the meaning a lot.
Why is it שלוש דקות and not שלושה דקות?
Because דקה is a feminine noun, and Hebrew numbers agree with the noun’s gender.
For 3–10:
- feminine nouns take forms like שלוש, ארבע, חמש
- masculine nouns take forms like שלושה, ארבעה, חמישה
So:
- שלוש דקות = three minutes because דקה is feminine
- שלושה ימים = three days because יום is masculine
This is one of the most important number patterns in Hebrew.
Why is דקות plural?
Because with numbers from three and up, Hebrew normally uses the plural noun.
Examples:
- דקה אחת = one minute
- שתי דקות = two minutes
- שלוש דקות = three minutes
So דקות is exactly what you expect after שלוש.
Can the word order change?
A little, yes.
Very natural versions include:
- אני אחכה לך עוד שלוש דקות
- אחכה לך עוד שלוש דקות
You may also hear:
- אני אחכה עוד שלוש דקות if for you is already understood from context
- אני אחכה לך שלוש דקות נוספות = a slightly more formal or careful way to say another three minutes
But the original word order is very natural and everyday.
Why use future אחכה instead of present מחכה?
Because the sentence expresses a decision or promise about what the speaker will do from now on.
- אחכה = I will wait
- מחכה = waiting / am waiting
So:
- אני אחכה לך עוד שלוש דקות = I’ll wait for you three more minutes
- אני מחכה לך = I’m waiting for you
In spoken Hebrew, present tense can sometimes sound future-like in the right context, but אחכה is the clearest and most direct form here.
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