הכלב ליקק את כף הרגל והתגרד בגלל פרעוש.

ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the. So כלב is dog, and הכלב is the dog.

A few useful notes:

• כלב = a dog
• הכלב = the dog

In this sentence, we are talking about a specific dog, so Hebrew uses the definite article.

את marks a definite direct object. It does not have a direct English translation here.

In הכלב ליקק את כף הרגל:

• הכלב = the dog
• ליקק = licked
• את כף הרגל = the paw / the sole of the foot

Hebrew often uses את before a direct object when that object is definite.

Compare:

• ליקק כף רגל = licked a paw / a foot
• ליקק את כף הרגל = licked the paw / the foot

So את is a grammar marker, not a separate word you translate word-for-word.

רגל means leg or foot, depending on context.
כף הרגל is a more specific expression meaning the sole of the foot or, in animal context, often the paw.

So this phrase is more precise than just רגל.

Breaking it down:

• כף = palm, spoon, sole, paw-like surface
• רגל = foot / leg
• כף רגל = sole of the foot / paw area

In a sentence about a dog licking itself, כף הרגל sounds natural because it refers to the foot/paw area.

This is because כף הרגל is a construct phrase in Hebrew, called סמיכות.

In a construct phrase:

• the first noun usually does not take ה־
• definiteness is usually shown on the second noun

So:

• כף רגל = a foot’s sole / a paw
• כף הרגל = the sole of the foot / the paw

Even though only the second word has ה־, the whole phrase becomes definite.

This is a very common Hebrew pattern.

ליקק is the past tense, third person masculine singular form of the verb ללקק, meaning to lick.

So:

• ללקק = to lick
• ליקק = he licked / it licked

Since הכלב is grammatically masculine singular, ליקק matches it.

Some related forms:

• אני ליקקתי = I licked
• היא ליקקה = she licked
• הם ליקקו = they licked

In Hebrew, past tense verbs change according to person, number, and sometimes gender.

והתגרד means and scratched itself or and was scratching itself.

It comes from the verb להתגרד, which means to scratch oneself.

Breaking it down:

• ו־ = and
• התגרד = scratched himself/itself

Because this verb is in the התפעל pattern, it often has a reflexive meaning, so the dog is doing the action to itself.

That is why התגרד is not just scratched, but more specifically scratched itself.

Because להתגרד already means to scratch oneself, it usually does not need a separate object.

So:

• הכלב התגרד = the dog scratched itself

If you want, you can add a body part:

• הכלב התגרד באוזן = the dog scratched its ear
• הכלב התגרד בגב = the dog scratched its back

But in your sentence, the body part is not repeated, because the general idea is enough.

בגלל means because of.

So:

• בגלל פרעוש = because of a flea

It is followed by a noun or noun phrase that gives the cause.

Examples:

• בגלל הגשם = because of the rain
• בגלל הכלב = because of the dog
• בגלל פרעוש = because of a flea

It is a very common everyday word.

Because the sentence means because of a flea, not because of the flea.

So the noun is indefinite:

• פרעוש = a flea
• הפרעוש = the flea

If a specific flea had already been mentioned, Hebrew could use הפרעוש. But here, it is just an unspecified flea.

Yes. The word order is very natural.

The sentence is:

• הכלב = the dog
• ליקק = licked
• את כף הרגל = the paw
• והתגרד = and scratched itself
• בגלל פרעוש = because of a flea

This is basically:

Subject + verb + object + and + verb + reason

Hebrew often allows flexible word order, but this version is straightforward and natural for learners.

Yes. In והתגרד, the prefix ו־ means and.

So:

• התגרד = scratched itself
• והתגרד = and scratched itself

In Hebrew, ו־ is attached directly to the next word instead of standing alone.

Its pronunciation can vary slightly depending on the next sound, but its function here is simply and.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

ha-kelev li-kek et kaf ha-regel ve-hit-ga-red bi-glal par-ush

A few notes:

• הכלב = ha-KE-lev
• ליקק = li-KEK
• כף הרגל = kaf ha-RE-gel
• והתגרד = ve-hit-ga-RED
• בגלל = bi-GLAL
• פרעוש = par-USH

The stress is usually toward the end in several of these words.

Yes, it is a useful vocabulary word, especially in contexts about animals.

• פרעוש = flea
• plural: פרעושים = fleas

It appears in everyday speech, pet-related conversations, and children’s stories.

If you are learning animal vocabulary, it is worth remembering.

Yes. That is a very natural English rendering.

Hebrew often does not explicitly say its the way English does, because the context makes possession clear.

So את כף הרגל literally looks more like the paw / the sole of the foot, but in context English naturally says its paw.

That is a common difference between Hebrew and English: Hebrew may use the where English prefers its or another possessive.