אילו מחזיר האור היה מקולקל, לא הייתי נוסעת בלילה.

Here אילו introduces a hypothetical, contrary-to-fact condition: if ... were / if ... had been.

Compared with אם:

• אם is the basic everyday word for if
• אילו is more literary or formal
• אילו often sounds more clearly hypothetical or unreal

So this sentence has the feel of If the reflector were broken, I wouldn’t drive at night, not just a neutral if.

Because this is a construct chain (סמיכות).

In Hebrew construct chains, the first noun usually does not take ה־. Instead, definiteness is shown on the second noun, and that makes the whole phrase definite.

So:

• מחזיר אור = a light reflector / reflector
• מחזיר האור = the light reflector / the reflector

That is why you do not say המחזיר האור here.

It is a noun phrase, not a verb phrase.

Even though מחזיר can look like a participle meaning returning or returns, here the whole expression מחזיר האור functions as a noun: reflector.

So learners should read it as one unit, not as:

• מחזיר = returns
• האור = the light

Because it agrees with מחזיר האור, which is grammatically masculine singular.

In Hebrew, the verb in this kind of clause agrees with the subject:

• masculine singular: היה
• feminine singular: הייתה
• masculine plural: היו
• feminine plural: היו

Since מחזיר is masculine singular, היה is the correct form.

Because adjectives in Hebrew agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.

Here:

• מחזיר האור = masculine singular
• so the adjective must be מקולקל

If the noun were feminine singular, you would expect מקולקלת instead.

This is a very common Hebrew way to express would in hypothetical situations.

The pattern is:

• הייתי / היית / היה / היינו
  • participle

So:

• הייתי נוסעת = I would travel / I would drive
• לא הייתי נוסעת = I would not travel / I would not drive

A simple future like לא אסע would usually sound more like a real future statement, not this kind of unreal conditional.

Because the speaker is female.

The participle agrees with the speaker:

• female speaker: הייתי נוסעת
• male speaker: הייתי נוסע

So this sentence tells you something about the speaker’s gender.

Yes. Hebrew allows some flexibility here.

For example, you could also say:

• אילו היה מחזיר האור מקולקל, לא הייתי נוסעת בלילה.

This means essentially the same thing. The original sentence is grammatical, but some learners may notice that Hebrew often moves היה earlier in the clause.

It sounds somewhat formal or literary, mainly because of אילו.

In everyday spoken Hebrew, many people would more naturally say:

• אם מחזיר האור היה מקולקל, לא הייתי נוסעת בלילה.

So the grammar is normal, but אילו gives the sentence a more elevated tone.

בלילה means at night / in the night.

It comes from the preposition ב־ (in / at) attached to לילה. In this form, Hebrew uses the definite version, giving בלילה.

This is very common in time expressions. English often says simply at night, while Hebrew naturally says בלילה.