בזמן השהייה עבדנו.

Because the preposition ב־ (in / at / during) is a one-letter prefix in Hebrew, and it normally attaches directly to the following word.

So:

• זמן = time
• בזמן = in time / at the time of / during

In this sentence, בזמן functions as part of the phrase בזמן השהייה, meaning during the stay or at the time of the stay.

This is a very common Hebrew pattern. In phrases like בזמן השהייה, the definiteness is often shown on the second noun, not the first.

So:

• שהייה = a stay / staying
• השהייה = the stay

And the whole phrase בזמן השהייה means during the stay.

This is similar to a construct-type relationship in Hebrew, where the whole phrase becomes definite because the second noun is definite. English speakers often expect both words to be marked, but Hebrew usually does not do that here.

שהייה is a noun meaning stay, staying, or remaining somewhere for a period of time.

It comes from the root ש־ה־ה, which is related to staying, lingering, or being present somewhere for some time.

So השהייה here means the stay. Depending on context, it could refer to:

• a visit
• a period of residence
• a temporary stay somewhere

In Hebrew, verbs usually include the subject inside the verb form itself, especially in the past tense.

עבדנו breaks down as:

• עבד = worked
• ־נו = we

So עבדנו means we worked.

That is why Hebrew does not need a separate word for we here. You could add אנחנו for emphasis, but it is not necessary:

• בזמן השהייה עבדנו = During the stay, we worked.
• בזמן השהייה אנחנו עבדנו = During the stay, we worked.
  (more emphatic or contrastive)

עבדנו is the past tense, first person plural.

That means it is used for we worked.

Hebrew past tense is formed differently for each person, number, and sometimes gender. Here the ending ־נו tells you it is we.

Some related forms:

• עבדתי = I worked
• עבדת = you worked
• עבד = he worked
• עבדה = she worked
• עבדנו = we worked

Yes, both are possible.

• בזמן השהייה עבדנו puts the time phrase first: During the stay, we worked.
• עבדנו בזמן השהייה puts the verb first: We worked during the stay.

Hebrew word order is fairly flexible, especially with adverbial phrases like time expressions. Putting בזמן השהייה first gives it a little more prominence, similar to English when you begin with During the stay...

They are similar, but not always identical.

• בזמן = during / at the time of
• במהלך = during / in the course of
• במשך = במשך often emphasizes duration: for / over the course of

In many contexts, all three can sound natural:

• בזמן השהייה עבדנו
• במהלך השהייה עבדנו

Both can mean During the stay, we worked.

But בזמן can sometimes focus more on the time frame, while במהלך often sounds a bit more formal or like in the course of.
במשך is often used when the duration itself matters.

A common pronunciation is:

bizman ha-shehiyá

Roughly:

• בזמן = beez-MAHN / biz-MAHN
• השהייה = ha-sheh-ee-YAH

A few notes:

• The stress in שהייה is usually on the last syllable: -יָה
• The ש here is pronounced sh
• The ה in השהייה is the definite article the

Hebrew often expresses ideas like during or while using a prepositional phrase instead of a full clause.

Here, בזמן השהייה literally means something like during the stay, so no separate word for while is needed.

If Hebrew wanted to say something closer to while we were staying, it might use a full clause, for example:

• בזמן ששהינו שם, עבדנו = While we were staying there, we worked.

So your sentence is a more compact noun-based expression rather than a clause with while.

Not necessarily. It is perfectly normal Hebrew as it stands.

Like English, Hebrew can leave details unstated when the context already makes them clear. השהייה can refer to a stay that has already been mentioned, such as:

• a stay in a hotel
• a stay abroad
• a hospital stay
• a visit somewhere

So the sentence is grammatically complete, even if the location or nature of the stay is not specified.

Yes. While שהייה commonly means stay or staying, its exact nuance depends on context.

It can refer to:

• temporary residence
• remaining in a place
• a period spent somewhere

In some contexts, related forms can also connect to ideas like delay or lingering, but in this sentence the most natural reading is simply the stay.

So for a learner, the safest understanding here is: השהייה = the stay / the period of staying.