אם הכבל לא טוב, אי אפשר לחבר את המדפסת למחשב.

אם means if.

It introduces a condition:

• אם הכבל לא טוב = if the cable is not good

This is a very common way to make if-sentences in Hebrew.

Because הכבל (the cable) is a masculine singular noun.

The adjective has to agree with the noun:

• masculine singular: טוב
• feminine singular: טובה

So:

• הכבל לא טוב = the cable is not good

If the noun were feminine, you would use טובה instead.

Here טוב is broader than just good in a moral or abstract sense. In everyday Hebrew, it often means:

• good
• okay
• fine
• working properly
• in good condition

So הכבל לא טוב can naturally mean something like:

• the cable isn’t good
• the cable isn’t okay
• the cable is faulty / not working properly

אי אפשר means it is impossible, you can’t, or it’s not possible.

In this sentence:

• אי אפשר לחבר את המדפסת למחשב
  = it’s impossible / you can’t connect the printer to the computer

This is a very common impersonal expression in Hebrew. It does not refer to a specific person like I can’t or you can’t. It means that, in general, the action cannot be done.

Because Hebrew often uses impersonal expressions without a separate word for it.

In English, we say:

• it is impossible
• it is possible

But in Hebrew, אי אפשר already functions as that full idea. So you do not need a separate subject.

Compare:

• אפשר = it is possible / you can
• אי אפשר = it is impossible / you can’t

Because after אפשר or אי אפשר, Hebrew often uses the infinitive.

So:

• אפשר לחבר = it is possible to connect
• אי אפשר לחבר = it is impossible to connect

Here לחבר means to connect.

A conjugated form like מחברים would mean something more like they connect or people connect, which is not the structure being used here.

לחבר comes from the root ח-ב-ר.

This root is related to ideas like:

• connecting
• joining
• linking

So לחבר means to connect / to attach / to join.

You may also see related words from the same root, such as:

• חבר = friend
• חיבור = connection or composition

The basic idea is things being joined together.

את marks a definite direct object.

In this sentence:

• את המדפסת = the printer as the direct object of לחבר

Hebrew uses את when the direct object is definite, for example when it has the:

• המדפסת = the printer

So:

• לחבר את המדפסת = to connect the printer

But if it were a printer rather than the printer, you usually would not use את.

Because ל means to, and it combines with the definite article ה.

So:

• ל + המחשב becomes למחשב

This contraction is very common in Hebrew.

So:

• מחשב = computer
• למחשב = to the computer

In this sentence:

• לחבר את המדפסת למחשב = to connect the printer to the computer

The prefix ה is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• כבל = cable
• הכבל = the cable

and

• מדפסת = printer
• המדפסת = the printer

Hebrew usually adds ה directly to the beginning of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

Because in the present tense, Hebrew usually does not use a word equivalent to is / am / are.

So:

• הכבל לא טוב literally looks like the cable not good
• but it means the cable is not good

This is normal Hebrew grammar.

In past or future tense, Hebrew does express the verb to be differently, but in simple present-tense descriptions it is usually omitted.

Yes. אי אפשר can often be translated in more than one natural way, depending on context:

• it is impossible to connect the printer to the computer
• you can’t connect the printer to the computer
• it’s not possible to connect the printer to the computer

All of these are reasonable translations here.

English often prefers you can’t in everyday speech, even when no specific you is meant.

The comma separates the condition from the main result:

• אם הכבל לא טוב, = if the cable isn’t good,
• אי אפשר לחבר את המדפסת למחשב. = it’s impossible to connect the printer to the computer.

This works much like English punctuation in an if-clause placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Yes. Hebrew can also say the main clause first and the if-clause second.

For example:

• אי אפשר לחבר את המדפסת למחשב אם הכבל לא טוב.

That still means:

• You can’t connect the printer to the computer if the cable isn’t good.

The original version puts the condition first, which is very common.

מדפסת means printer, and it is a feminine noun in Hebrew.

That is simply the grammatical gender of the word, and learners usually need to memorize it along with the noun.

So:

• מדפסת = printer
• המדפסת = the printer

Its gender matters when adjectives or verbs agree with it in other sentences.

A close breakdown is:

• אם = if
• הכבל = the cable
• לא = not
• טוב = good / okay / working
• אי אפשר = it is impossible / you can’t
• לחבר = to connect
• את המדפסת = the printer
• למחשב = to the computer

So the structure is roughly:

• If the cable is not good, it is impossible to connect the printer to the computer.

That helps show how the Hebrew sentence is built, even if the most natural English translation might be:

• If the cable isn’t good, you can’t connect the printer to the computer.