השארנו מקום לאוורור בשביל שלא יהיה עובש.

השארנו means we left or we left behind.

It comes from the verb להשאיר, which means to leave, to leave something behind, or to keep something in place.

The ending -נו shows we in the past tense:

• השארתי = I left
• השארת = you left
• השאיר = he left
• השאירה = she left
• השארנו = we left

So השארנו מקום literally means we left space.

In Hebrew, the verb itself usually shows the subject, especially in the past tense.

So השארנו already means we left. You do not need to add אנחנו unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• השארנו מקום = we left space
• אנחנו השארנו מקום = we left space / it was we who left space

The second version is more emphatic.

Here מקום means space.

In Hebrew, מקום can mean both:

• place
• space
• sometimes even room

In this sentence, השארנו מקום לאוורור means we left space for ventilation, not we left a place in the location sense.

This is a very common learner question.

• לאוורר = to ventilate / to air out (verb, infinitive)
• אוורור = ventilation / airing out (noun)

So:

• מקום לאוורור = space for ventilation
• מקום לאוורר would sound unusual here, because that would be more like space to ventilate, which is not the normal phrasing in this sentence.

The ל־ here means for:

• ל + אוורור = for ventilation

So the phrase is built like:

• השארנו מקום לאוורור = we left space for ventilation

Here בשביל means so that, in order that, or for the purpose of.

In other contexts, בשביל can also mean:

• for
• for the sake of
• sometimes because of in informal use

But in this sentence, it introduces a purpose:

• בשביל שלא יהיה עובש = so that there won’t be mold

So the whole sentence is about intention: we left space for ventilation so that there wouldn’t be mold / so there wouldn’t be mold.

Yes, very naturally.

You could say:

• השארנו מקום לאוורור כדי שלא יהיה עובש.

This means almost the same thing: We left space for ventilation so that there wouldn’t be mold.

In many cases, בשביל and כדי can both introduce purpose.

Very roughly:

• כדי is often a bit more neutral or standard
• בשביל can sound a bit more conversational

But both are common and natural here.

Here שלא means that not or more naturally so that ... not.

It is made from:

• ש־ = that
• לא = not

So:

• בשביל שלא יהיה עובש literally = for-that-not there-will-be mold
• natural English = so that there won’t be mold

This structure is very common in Hebrew after words of purpose like כדי or בשביל.

Examples:

• סגרתי את החלון כדי שלא ייכנס גשם.
  I closed the window so that rain wouldn’t get in.

• השארנו מקום לאוורור בשביל שלא יהיה עובש.
  We left space for ventilation so that there wouldn’t be mold.

יהיה is the future tense of להיות = to be.

Here it means there will be.

So:

• יהיה עובש = there will be mold
• שלא יהיה עובש = so that there won’t be mold

Hebrew often uses forms of to be in this existential way, like English there is / there will be.

So although יהיה literally means will be, the natural translation is:

• there will be mold
• there won’t be mold

Because עובש is a masculine singular noun.

Hebrew verbs in this kind of structure agree with the noun:

• יהיה עובש = there will be mold
• תהיה בעיה = there will be a problem

Compare:

• עובש is masculine singular → יהיה
• בעיה is feminine singular → תהיה

So the sentence uses יהיה because עובש is grammatically masculine.

Because the sentence is talking about mold in a general sense, not a specific known mold.

• שלא יהיה עובש = so that there won’t be mold
• שלא יהיה העובש would sound like so that the mold won’t be, which is usually not what you want here

In Hebrew, uncountable or general substances often appear without the definite article:

• יש מים = there is water
• יש אבק = there is dust
• יש עובש = there is mold

So עובש without ה־ is the normal choice.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• השארנו = we left
• מקום = space
• לאוורור = for ventilation
• בשביל = so that / in order that
• שלא = so that not
• יהיה = there will be
• עובש = mold

So the logic is:

1. We left space
2. for ventilation
3. so that there wouldn’t be mold

This is a very normal Hebrew way to express purpose.

Yes, it is natural and understandable.

A very close alternative would be:

• השארנו מקום לאוורור כדי שלא יהיה עובש.

That may sound slightly more neutral or textbook-like, but the original sentence with בשביל is also perfectly natural.

A native speaker might also say something like:

• השארנו פתח לאוורור כדי שלא יהיה עובש.
• השארנו רווח בשביל אוורור כדי שלא יהיה עובש.

But the original sentence is good Hebrew.