התנשאי לי?
hatinsei li?
'will you marry me?' in Hebrew is expressed as התנשאי לי? (hatinsei li?)
A formal request made to a woman asking her to become one's spouse.
Which one should you use?
The formal alternative הֲתִשְׁתָּדֵּךְ לִי? specifically means 'Will you become engaged to me?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form התנשאי לי? is specifically addressed to a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
hatinsei li?
Did you know?
- While התנשאי לי? is the textbook translation, many Israelis simply say את תהיי שלי? which means 'Will you be mine?'
- In Hebrew, the verb in התנשאי לי? is reflexive, meaning the literal translation is 'Will you marry yourself to me?'
- Historically, the romantic question התנשאי לי? was rare because marriage was typically a negotiation between two families rather than an individual choice.
Examples in context
- התנשאי לי?hitnash'i li?Will you marry me?
- אני רוצה לשאול: התנשאי לי?ani rotze lish'ol: hitnash'i li?I want to ask: will you marry me?
- הוא שאל אותה, 'התנשאי לי?'hu sha'al ota, 'hitnash'i li?'He asked her, 'will you marry me?'
Example conversation
Daniel kneels before Maya at a restaurant.
- דניאל Danielמאיה, התנשאי לי?Maya, hitnash'i li?Maya, will you marry me?
- מאיה Mayaכן, דניאל! בטח!ken, Daniel! betach!Yes, Daniel! Of course!
- דניאל Danielאני כל כך מאושר.ani kol kach meushar.I am so happy.
- מאיה Mayaגם אני מאוד.gam ani me'od.Me too, very much.
