בזמן שאני מחכה לאוטובוס, אני קורא עיתון.

While I am waiting for the bus, I am reading a newspaper.

Breakdown of בזמן שאני מחכה לאוטובוס, אני קורא עיתון.

• אני: I
• לקרוא: to read
• עיתון: newspaper
• אוטובוס: bus

Questions & Answers about בזמן שאני מחכה לאוטובוס, אני קורא עיתון.

What does בזמן שאני mean here?

It means while I am or at the time that I am.

So:

• בזמן שאני מחכה לאוטובוס = while I’m waiting for the bus
• Literally, בזמן is at the time / during the time

In everyday Hebrew, this is a normal way to introduce an action happening at the same time as another action.

Why is there a ש after בזמן?

The ש is the Hebrew word that, used here as a connector.

So בזמן שאני מחכה is literally something like:

• at the time that I am waiting

This is very common in Hebrew. You will often see:

• בזמן ש... = while...
• כש... = when / while...

So the ש is not random; it links בזמן to the full clause that follows.

Why are מחכה and קורא in the present tense? Where is the Hebrew equivalent of am waiting / am reading?