שינינו את התוכנית הקיימת.

שינינו is the past tense, first person plural form of the verb לשנות, meaning to change.

So:

• שיניתי = I changed
• שינית = you changed
• שינה / שינתה = he / she changed
• שינינו = we changed

In this sentence, שינינו means we changed.

In Hebrew, את marks a definite direct object.

Here, the thing being changed is התוכנית הקיימת = the existing plan/program, and it is definite because it has ה־ (the).

So Hebrew says:

• שינינו את התוכנית הקיימת

Literally: We changed + [direct object marker] + the existing plan

A native English speaker often wants to translate את, but usually you should think of it as a grammar marker, not as a separate word with meaning in English.

If the object were indefinite, את would usually not appear:

• שינינו תוכנית = we changed a plan

Because it has the prefix ה־, which is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to the.

• תוכנית = a plan / program
• התוכנית = the plan / the program

So the sentence is talking about a specific plan, not just any plan.

הקיימת means existing or current, and it comes after the noun because that is the normal position for adjectives in Hebrew.

So:

• התוכנית הקיימת = the existing plan

In English, adjectives usually come before the noun:

• existing plan

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after:

• תוכנית קיימת

And when the noun is definite, the adjective is usually definite too:

• התוכנית הקיימת

Because תוכנית is a feminine singular noun, and the adjective must agree with it in gender and number.

Agreement here is:

• noun: התוכנית = feminine singular
• adjective: הקיימת = feminine singular

Compare:

• הספר הקיים = the existing book (masculine singular)
• התוכנית הקיימת = the existing plan (feminine singular)

So הקיימת matches תוכנית.

In Hebrew, when a noun is definite and is followed by an adjective, the adjective usually becomes definite too.

So Hebrew says:

• התוכנית הקיימת

not:

• התוכנית קיימת when you mean the existing plan

This is a very important pattern:

• ספר טוב = a good book
• הספר הטוב = the good book

Likewise:

• תוכנית קיימת = an existing plan
• התוכנית הקיימת = the existing plan

Yes, תוכנית is feminine.

A useful clue is the ending ־ית, which often marks feminine nouns in Hebrew.

Examples:

• מכונית = car
• תוכנית = plan / program

Because it is feminine, words that agree with it must also be feminine, such as:

• הקיימת
• verbs or pronouns referring back to it in some contexts

They are two spelling variants of the same word.

• תוכנית is the more common modern full spelling
• תכנית is a shorter spelling you may also see

Both mean plan or program, and both are pronounced basically the same in modern Hebrew.

So this sentence could also appear as:

• שינינו את התכנית הקיימת

A common pronunciation is:

shinínu et ha-tokhnít ha-kayémet

Approximate stress:

• shi-NI-nu
• tokh-NIT
• ka-YE-met

A few notes:

• שינינו = shi-NI-nu
• את is often pronounced et
• התוכנית = ha-tokh-NIT
• הקיימת = ha-ka-YE-met

Hebrew past tense often covers both ideas, depending on context.

So שינינו can mean:

• we changed
• we have changed

If the context is about a completed action with present relevance, English might prefer we have changed. But Hebrew still commonly uses the simple past form.

It comes from the root ש־נ־ה.

In the verb לשנות, this root carries the idea of change / make different.

From the same root family you may also see related words, though not all with exactly the same meaning in every form.

For this sentence, the important point is:

• לשנות = to change
• שינינו = we changed

Yes. This sentence has a very normal Hebrew structure:

verb + את + object

So:

• שינינו = we changed
• את התוכנית הקיימת = the existing plan

Hebrew often allows some flexibility in word order, but this version is completely natural and straightforward.

Possibly, yes, depending on context.

Two words here can be somewhat flexible:

• תוכנית can mean plan, program, or even scheme
• שינינו can mean changed, modified, or altered, depending on the situation

And הקיימת can mean existing or current.

So in real-life translation, the best English wording depends on context, even though the Hebrew grammar stays the same.