הכלב ליקק את כף הרגל והתגרד בגלל פרעוש.

The dog licked its paw and scratched itself because of a flea.

Breakdown of הכלב ליקק את כף הרגל והתגרד בגלל פרעוש.

• את: direct object marker
• כלב: dog
• בגלל: because of
• כף רגל: paw

Questions & Answers about הכלב ליקק את כף הרגל והתגרד בגלל פרעוש.

Why does הכלב start with ה־?

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.

What does את do in this sentence?

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.

Why is it כף הרגל and not just רגל?