השתמשנו במסיר הכתמים מבלי שהעור נפגע.

השתמשנו is the past-tense, 1st person plural form of the verb להשתמש (to use).

So it means we used.

A few useful details:

• Base verb: להשתמש
• Past-tense singular/plural pattern here:
  • השתמשתי = I used
  • השתמשת = you used
  • השתמש = he used
  • השתמשה = she used
  • השתמשנו = we used

This verb is commonly followed by ב־ before the thing being used.

Because the verb להשתמש normally takes the preposition ב־ (with / by means of / using).

So Hebrew says, literally, something like:

• השתמשנו במסיר הכתמים = we used the stain remover

This is just how the verb works in Hebrew. Similar examples:

• השתמשתי בעט = I used a pen
• השתמשנו במחשב = we used the computer
• היא משתמשת בכרטיס = she uses a card

So במסיר = ב + מסיר.

במסיר is made from:

• ב־ = in/with/by
• המסיר = the remover

When ב־ attaches to a word with ה־ (the), they combine:

• ב + המסיר → במסיר

This is very common in Hebrew:

• ב + הבית → בבית = in the house
• ל + הספר → לספר = to the book
• כ + הילד → כילד = as a child / like the child, depending on context

So במסיר הכתמים means with the stain remover / using the stain remover.

This is a construct phrase in Hebrew, called סמיכות.

• מסיר = remover
• כתמים = stains
• מסיר כתמים = stain remover

When the whole phrase is definite (the stain remover), Hebrew often marks definiteness on the second noun:

• מסיר כתמים = a stain remover
• מסיר הכתמים = the stain remover

So even though מסיר itself does not have ה־, the entire phrase is definite because the second word is definite.

This is a very common pattern:

• ספר תלמיד = a student’s book / a student book
• ספר התלמיד = the student’s book

Here מסיר functions like a noun, but historically it comes from the verb להסיר (to remove).

It is an active participle form, and active participles in Hebrew often act like adjectives or nouns.

So:

• להסיר = to remove
• מסיר = removing / remover

In this sentence, מסיר הכתמים means stain remover.

You can think of it as similar to English forms like cleaner, remover, driver, where a verb-related form becomes the name of a thing or person.

מבלי means without, especially before a whole clause.

In this sentence:

• מבלי שהעור נפגע = without the skin/leather being damaged

Compared with בלי:

• בלי is very common in everyday Hebrew and is often used before a noun or infinitive.
• מבלי is a bit more formal or written-style, and it often introduces a clause with ש־.

Examples:

• בלי מים = without water
• בלי לדבר = without speaking
• מבלי שהילד שם לב = without the child noticing

In many contexts, בלי ש־ and מבלי ש־ can be quite similar, but מבלי often sounds more formal.

Because what follows is a full clause, not just a noun.

Compare:

• בלי נזק = without damage
  Here, נזק is just a noun.

• מבלי שהעור נפגע = without the skin/leather being damaged
  Here, העור נפגע is a clause: the skin/leather was damaged.

So ש־ introduces that clause, roughly like that in English, though in natural English we usually do not translate it directly.

Structure:

• מבלי ש־ + clause

Examples:

• מבלי שהוא ידע = without him knowing
• מבלי שהדלת נפתחה = without the door opening / being opened

נפגע comes from the root פ־ג־ע, which is related to being hit, harmed, affected, or damaged, depending on context.

In this sentence, נפגע means something like:

• was damaged
• was harmed
• got damaged

So:

• העור נפגע = the skin/leather was damaged / got damaged

This verb is in the נפעל pattern, which often gives a passive or intransitive meaning.

That is why it does not mean damaged in the active sense of someone damaged something, but rather was damaged.

Because it agrees with העור, which is masculine singular.

So:

• העור נפגע = the skin/leather was damaged

If the subject were feminine singular, you would expect:

• נפגעה

If it were masculine plural:

• נפגעו

Agreement is very important in Hebrew, even in these passive-like forms.

It can mean either skin or leather, depending on context.

• עור = skin
• עור = leather

In a sentence about a stain remover, both are possible depending on what kind of product is being discussed. If the broader context is about clothing, furniture, or shoes, leather may be more likely. If it is about a cosmetic or cleaning product used on the body, skin may be more likely.

So Hebrew allows this ambiguity unless context makes it clear.

Because העור means the skin / the leather.

The form שהעור is:

• ש־ = that
• העור = the skin/leather

Together:

• שהעור נפגע = that the skin/leather was damaged

So the ה is simply the definite article the.

It is somewhere between those ideas, which is very common in Hebrew.

נפעל forms often cover meanings that in English may be translated as:

• was damaged
• got damaged
• was harmed
• became affected

So העור נפגע can sound either passively descriptive (was damaged) or like a change of state (got damaged), depending on the context.

In this sentence, English would usually say:

• without the skin/leather being damaged or
• without damaging the skin/leather

Both capture the idea well.

Yes. בלי שהעור נפגע is possible and sounds more everyday or conversational.

Compare:

• מבלי שהעור נפגע = a bit more formal / written
• בלי שהעור נפגע = more common in everyday speech

Both mean essentially the same thing here.

The sentence has two parts:

1. השתמשנו במסיר הכתמים
   = we used the stain remover

2. מבלי שהעור נפגע
   = without the skin/leather being damaged

So the whole structure is:

• main action
  • without X happening

This is a very useful Hebrew pattern for expressing that something was done successfully and no unwanted result occurred.

For example:

• הוא תיקן את המכשיר מבלי שהוא נשבר
  = He fixed the device without it breaking

• ניקינו את השולחן מבלי שהצבע ירד
  = We cleaned the table without the paint coming off

Yes. A few alternatives are possible, depending on style:

• השתמשנו במסיר הכתמים בלי שהעור נפגע.
• השתמשנו במסיר הכתמים בלי לפגוע בעור.

The first keeps the same structure and just uses בלי instead of מבלי.

The second changes the wording to without harming the skin/leather, which is often very natural in speech.

Your original sentence is perfectly good Hebrew; it just leans a bit more formal or written.