הכלב מכיר את הפקודה.

A common pronunciation is:

ha-kelev makir et ha-pkudá

Word by word:

• הכלב — ha-kelev — the dog
• מכיר — makir — knows / is familiar with / recognizes
• את — et — a marker for a definite direct object
• הפקודה — ha-pkudá — the command

The stress is usually:

• ke-LEV
• pku-DA

Because ה is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• כלב = dog
• הכלב = the dog

and:

• פקודה = command
• הפקודה = the command

Unlike English, Hebrew attaches the directly to the beginning of the noun.

את marks a definite direct object.

In this sentence, the thing being known is הפקודה (the command), and because it is definite, Hebrew usually puts את before it:

• הכלב מכיר את הפקודה = The dog knows the command

English does not have a special word for this, so את is often not translated at all.

A very important rule:

• Use את before a definite direct object
• Do not use it before an indefinite direct object

For example:

• הכלב מכיר את הפקודה = The dog knows the command
• הכלב מכיר פקודה = The dog knows a command
  (grammatically showing the contrast, though this may sound less natural depending on context)

מכיר comes from the verb להכיר, which often means:

• to know someone/something by familiarity
• to recognize
• to be acquainted with

In this sentence, מכיר means the dog is familiar with the command or recognizes it.

This is slightly different from יודע (knows) in some contexts. Hebrew often uses להכיר when the meaning is closer to be familiar with / recognize, which fits well with commands, people, places, and similar things.

So הכלב מכיר את הפקודה is very natural for:

• The dog knows the command
• The dog recognizes the command

Yes. מכיר is present tense, masculine singular.

Hebrew present tense forms often behave a bit like adjectives in agreement, so they change for gender and number.

Here:

• מכיר = masculine singular
• it matches הכלב (the dog), which is a masculine singular noun

So the sentence means:

• The dog knows/is familiar with the command
• in the present tense

Because כלב (dog) is a masculine noun.

Hebrew present tense verbs agree with the subject in gender and number:

• masculine singular: מכיר
• feminine singular: מכירה

So:

• הכלב מכיר את הפקודה = The dog (male / grammatically masculine) knows the command
• הכלבה מכירה את הפקודה = The female dog knows the command

Even if you are talking about a specific pet whose biological sex matters, the grammar still follows the noun you use:

• כלב is masculine
• כלבה is feminine

The dictionary form is להכיר.

This is the infinitive, meaning:

• to know
• to recognize
• to become familiar with
• sometimes to get to know, depending on context

Some useful forms:

• להכיר = infinitive
• מכיר = present, masculine singular
• מכירה = present, feminine singular

So if you look up מכיר in a dictionary, you would usually search for להכיר.

It comes from the root נ־כ־ר.

In this verb, the root appears in the pattern of להכיר, which is a common verb pattern in Hebrew.

You do not need to master the full system immediately, but it helps to know that:

• Hebrew words are often built from a root
• the root carries a core idea
• different patterns create related meanings and grammatical forms

Here, מכיר is one form built from the root behind להכיר.

Yes, but this order is the most straightforward and neutral:

subject + verb + object

• הכלב = subject
• מכיר = verb
• את הפקודה = object

So:

• הכלב מכיר את הפקודה = neutral, standard word order

Hebrew can change the order for emphasis, style, or context, but this version is the most natural one for a basic statement.

For example, a different order might emphasize the command rather than the dog, but for learners, the sentence as given is the normal pattern to remember.

פקודה usually means:

• command
• order
• instruction

In the context of a dog, it naturally means a training command, such as:

• sit
• stay
• come

So in this sentence, הפקודה most likely means:

• the command
  in the sense of a command the dog has learned to recognize or obey

Yes. That is a very reasonable interpretation.

Because מכיר often has the sense of recognizes or is familiar with, this sentence can suggest:

• the dog has learned the command
• the dog recognizes it when it hears it
• the dog is familiar with that specific command

So depending on context, English could translate it as:

• The dog knows the command
• The dog recognizes the command
• The dog is familiar with the command

Not in standard Hebrew if the object is definite.

Because הפקודה means the command, it is definite, so standard Hebrew expects:

• הכלב מכיר את הפקודה

Without את:

• הכלב מכיר הפקודה

that would sound incorrect in standard usage.

So a good rule is:

• definite object → use את
• indefinite object → usually no את

The present tense verb would change to agree with the subject.

Examples:

• הכלבים מכירים את הפקודה = The dogs know the command
  (מכירים = masculine plural)

• הכלבות מכירות את הפקודה = The female dogs know the command
  (מכירות = feminine plural)

So the form מכיר specifically matches a masculine singular subject like הכלב.