המשכיר והשוכר חתמו על פרוטוקול מצב הדירה.

The landlord and renter signed the apartment condition report.

Breakdown of המשכיר והשוכר חתמו על פרוטוקול מצב הדירה.

• על: on
• לחתום: to sign
• משכיר: landlord; lessor
• שוכר: renter; lessee

Questions & Answers about המשכיר והשוכר חתמו על פרוטוקול מצב הדירה.

What do המשכיר and השוכר mean exactly? Are these everyday words or legal terms?

They are very common words in rental contexts:

• המשכיר = the person who rents out the property, so the landlord / lessor
• השוכר = the person who rents the property, so the tenant / lessee

These are normal Hebrew words, but they do sound a bit more formal or legal than very casual speech. In casual conversation, people might also say בעל הדירה for the apartment owner / landlord, though that is not always exactly the same thing as המשכיר.

Why do both nouns begin with ה־?

ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• משכיר = a landlord / lessor
• המשכיר = the landlord / lessor

and:

• שוכר = a tenant / renter
• השוכר = the tenant / renter

In this sentence, both people are specific and known, so both nouns are definite.

Why is the verb חתמו plural?