Questions & Answers about בסוף השבוע אנחנו יושבים במרפסת ומדברים בשקט.
Why does the sentence use יושבים and מדברים if the meaning is something like we sit and we talk?
In Hebrew, the present tense is usually built with forms like יושב / יושבת / יושבים / יושבות and מדבר / מדברת / מדברים / מדברות. These forms can mean both:
- we sit / we talk in a general or habitual sense
- we are sitting / we are talking in a current ongoing sense
So אנחנו יושבים במרפסת ומדברים בשקט can naturally describe a repeated habit, especially because of בסוף השבוע (on the weekend / at the end of the week).
Hebrew does not usually need a separate equivalent of English are in the present tense.
Why is אנחנו included? Could the sentence just say יושבים במרפסת ומדברים בשקט?
Yes, Hebrew often allows you to leave out the subject pronoun because the verb form already shows person, number, and often gender. So יושבים already suggests we if the context makes that clear.
However, אנחנו is often included:
- for clarity
- for emphasis
- because it sounds natural in many contexts
So both of these are possible:
- בסוף השבוע אנחנו יושבים במרפסת ומדברים בשקט
- בסוף השבוע יושבים במרפסת ומדברים בשקט
The version with אנחנו is clearer for learners and very natural.
Why is it and not ?