כל עוד השסתום סגור, האוויר נשאר בצמיג.

כל עוד means as long as or so long as. It introduces a condition that continues over time.

In this sentence, כל עוד השסתום סגור means as long as the valve is closed.

A useful way to think of it:

• כל עוד + clause = as long as + clause

It is very common in both everyday and formal Hebrew.

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

• השסתום סגור literally looks like the valve closed
• but it means the valve is closed

This is completely normal Hebrew grammar.

Compare:

• הדלת פתוחה = the door is open
• הילד עייף = the boy is tired

But in past or future tense, Hebrew does use forms of to be or other structures as needed.

The prefix ה־ is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• שסתום = a valve
• השסתום = the valve

In this sentence, it refers to a specific valve, or to the valve as a known part of the tire.

סגור is masculine singular, and it agrees with השסתום, which is also masculine singular.

Hebrew adjectives match the noun in gender and number.

So:

• masculine singular: סגור
• feminine singular: סגורה
• masculine plural: סגורים
• feminine plural: סגורות

Because שסתום is masculine singular, סגור is the correct form.

Here it functions like an adjective: closed.

In Hebrew, forms like סגור, פתוח, שבור, and similar words often behave like adjectives, even though they are closely related to verbal ideas.

So in השסתום סגור, you should understand it as:

• the valve is closed

not as an action like the valve closes.

נשאר means remains or stays.

It is the present-tense masculine singular form, matching האוויר.

So:

• האוויר נשאר = the air remains / stays

This verb is very common in Hebrew:

• אני נשאר בבית = I’m staying at home
• המים נשארו קרים = the water stayed cold

In your sentence, it describes the continuing state of the air.

Because אוויר is masculine singular, the verb in the present tense is also masculine singular: נשאר.

Hebrew present-tense verb forms often agree with the subject in gender and number.

Compare:

• האוויר נשאר = the air remains (masculine singular)
• הרוח נשארת = the wind remains (feminine singular)
• הילדים נשארים = the children remain (masculine plural)

So the form is chosen to match האוויר.

Again, ה־ means the.

So:

• אוויר = air
• האוויר = the air

In English, air is often used without the, but Hebrew may use the definite article when referring to the air in a specific context, such as the air inside the tire.

So האוויר here is natural Hebrew for the air in that situation.

בצמיג means in a tire or in the tire, depending on context.

It contains the preposition ב־, meaning in.

So:

• צמיג = tire
• בצמיג = in a tire / in the tire

A useful detail for learners: in unpointed Hebrew writing, בצמיג can look the same whether it is indefinite or definite. Context tells you which one is meant.

In this sentence, the meaning is clearly in the tire or inside the tire.

Yes. בתוך הצמיג means inside the tire and is a little more explicit.

But בצמיג is perfectly natural and already gives the idea in the tire.

So:

• בצמיג = natural, simple, compact
• בתוך הצמיג = more explicit: inside the tire

Both are possible, but the shorter version is very normal.

A common pronunciation guide is:

kol od ha-shastom sagur, ha-avir nish'ar ba-tsmig

A few notes:

• כל עוד = kol od
• השסתום = ha-shastom
• סגור = sagur
• האוויר = ha-avir
• נשאר = nish'ar
• בצמיג = ba-tsmig or be-tsmig, depending on how you analyze the definiteness; in normal speech the context makes it clear

If you want a smooth reading rhythm, pause slightly at the comma:

• kol od ha-shastom sagur, / ha-avir nish'ar ba-tsmig

Yes, Hebrew could also say:

האוויר נשאר בצמיג כל עוד השסתום סגור.

That means the same thing: The air stays in the tire as long as the valve is closed.

The version with כל עוד... first puts the condition first, which is very natural. English does the same:

• As long as the valve is closed, the air stays in the tire.

So the original order is normal and stylistically clear.

The comma separates the opening conditional clause from the main clause.

So:

• כל עוד השסתום סגור = the condition
• האוויר נשאר בצמיג = the main statement

This is similar to English punctuation in a sentence like:

• As long as the valve is closed, the air stays in the tire.

The comma helps the sentence read more clearly.