אני הולך לעבודה, ואחר כך אני חוזר הביתה.

I go to work, and afterward I return home.

Breakdown of אני הולך לעבודה, ואחר כך אני חוזר הביתה.

• אני: I
• ו: and
• ללכת: to go
• ל: to
• עבודה: work
• הביתה: home
• לחזור: to return
• אחר כך: then

Questions & Answers about אני הולך לעבודה, ואחר כך אני חוזר הביתה.

Why is there no separate word for am in אני הולך?

In Modern Hebrew, you normally do not use a separate present-tense to be in a sentence like this. So אני הולך is a complete present-tense expression by itself.

To an English speaker, it may feel like I going, but in Hebrew it means I go or I am going, depending on context.

Why is it הולך with אני? Shouldn’t there be a special form for I?

In Hebrew present tense, verbs usually show gender and number, but not person. That means הולך is simply the masculine singular present form, and it can be used with אני, אתה, or הוא, depending on the subject.

So:

אני הולך = I go / I am going for a male speaker
אתה הולך = you go / you are going to a male
הוא הולך = he goes / he is going

A female speaker would say:

אני הולכת לעבודה, ואחר כך אני חוזרת הביתה.

Does הולך mean go or walk?

It can mean either, depending on context.

In אני הולך לעבודה, the most natural meaning is usually I go to work or I am going to work. It does not have to mean that the person is physically walking.

If you want to make it clear that someone is going on foot, Hebrew often adds ברגל:

אני הולך ברגל לעבודה = I walk to work / I go to work on foot

What does the ל in לעבודה mean, and why is it attached to the word?

The prefix ל means to. Hebrew often attaches short prepositions directly to the following word instead of writing them separately.

So לעבודה is literally to-work.

This is very common in Hebrew. A learner should get used to prepositions like ל, ב, and כ appearing as prefixes attached to nouns.

What exactly does ואחר כך mean?

אחר כך is a fixed expression meaning after that, afterward, or then.

The ו at the beginning means and, and Hebrew writes it as a prefix attached to the next word. So:

ואחר כך = and then / and afterward

This is a very common way to connect actions in sequence.

Why is אני repeated in the second part: ואחר כך אני חוזר הביתה?

Because in the present tense, the verb form does not tell you the person clearly enough by itself. חוזר only tells you masculine singular, not specifically I.

So repeating אני makes the sentence clear and natural:

אני הולך לעבודה, ואחר כך אני חוזר הביתה.

In casual speech, once the subject is already obvious, people may sometimes omit the second אני:

אני הולך לעבודה, ואחר כך חוזר הביתה.

But the full version with both אני words is completely normal.

What tense is this sentence? Is it I go or I am going?

The verbs הולך and חוזר are in the present tense, but Hebrew present tense covers more than one English possibility.

Depending on context, the sentence can mean:

• I go to work, and afterward I return home
• I am going to work, and afterward I am coming back home

Hebrew often leaves that distinction to context, while English usually chooses between simple present and present progressive.

Why is it הביתה instead of לבית?

הביתה is a special directional form meaning homeward or to home. The final -ה is an old ending that adds the idea of motion toward a place.

So:

בבית = at home / in the house
הביתה = home / to the house

That is why Hebrew can say:

אני חוזר הביתה = I return home / I come back home

without needing a separate ל before it.

Can the word order change, or is this the only correct order?

This word order is very natural, but Hebrew does allow some flexibility.

The given sentence:

אני הולך לעבודה, ואחר כך אני חוזר הביתה.

is a standard and clear way to say it.

You may also see or hear:

אני הולך לעבודה ואחר כך אני חוזר הביתה
with no comma

or, in some contexts:

אני הולך לעבודה, אחר כך אני חוזר הביתה

The version you were given is a very good default pattern for a learner.