Breakdown of אנחנו לא נתחיל לאכול עד שהילדים יבואו.
Questions & Answers about אנחנו לא נתחיל לאכול עד שהילדים יבואו.
Yes. Hebrew often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.
- נתחיל already means we will start
- So לא נתחיל לאכול... is perfectly natural
Adding אנחנו gives a little extra emphasis or clarity, similar to saying we won't start eating.
נתחיל is the future tense, first person plural form of להתחיל (to begin / to start).
Breakdown:
- להתחיל = to start
- נתחיל = we will start
The prefix נ- often marks we in the future tense.
So:
- אתחיל = I will start
- נתחיל = we will start
- יתחיל = he will start
Because after להתחיל (to begin/start), Hebrew usually uses an infinitive.
So:
- להתחיל לאכול = to start eating
- literally: to start to eat
This is very similar to English start eating or start to eat.
Using אוכלים here would not be the normal structure.
עד by itself means until or up to.
When a whole clause follows, Hebrew usually uses עד ש־:
- עד = until
- ש־ = that / when / introducing the following clause
So:
- עד שהילדים יבואו = until the children come
You can think of עד ש־ as a fixed pattern meaning until...
This is a very common question. Hebrew and English work differently here.
In Hebrew, after עד ש־ when talking about a future situation, you normally use the future tense:
- עד שהילדים יבואו = until the children come
Even though English uses a present form (come), Hebrew uses future: יבואו.
So this is normal Hebrew grammar, not a special exception.
יבואו is the future, third person masculine plural form of לבוא (to come).
Breakdown:
- לבוא = to come
- יבוא = he will come
- יבואו = they will come
Since הילדים is plural, the verb is plural too.
The root is ב-ו-א, which is why this verb can look a little unusual compared with more regular verbs.
הילדים means the children.
The prefix ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, like the in English.
- ילדים = children
- הילדים = the children
So this sentence refers to specific children, not children in general.
That is the normal way to negate a verb in Hebrew.
- נתחיל = we will start
- לא נתחיל = we will not start
So לא comes directly before the verb it negates.
This is true in many basic sentences:
- אני לא יודע = I do not know
- הם לא יבואו = they will not come
Yes. In many contexts, לבוא can be translated as either come or arrive, depending on what sounds more natural in English.
So עד שהילדים יבואו could be understood as:
- until the children come
- until the children arrive
Both fit the Hebrew well.
The given order is very natural:
- אנחנו לא נתחיל לאכול עד שהילדים יבואו
Hebrew can sometimes rearrange parts for emphasis, but this is the most straightforward order:
- subject: אנחנו
- negated future verb: לא נתחיל
- infinitive: לאכול
- time clause: עד שהילדים יבואו
So for a learner, this is a good standard model to follow.
It would be:
- לא נתחיל לאכול עד שהילדים יבואו.
This is still completely correct and very natural.
Because נתחיל already means we will start, Hebrew does not need אנחנו unless the speaker wants extra emphasis, contrast, or clarity.
A simple pronunciation guide is:
Anáchnu lo natchíl le'echól ad shehayeladím yavo'u.
Approximate stress:
- aNACHnu
- lo
- natCHIL
- le-eCHOL
- ad
- she-ha-ye-laDIM
- yaVO'u
A couple of notes:
- אנחנו has the rough ch sound of Hebrew ח
- לאכול begins with le-e..., so there is a slight break between the vowels
- יבואו is pronounced roughly ya-vo-'u, with a small break before the last vowel
Yes, depending on style.
For example, Hebrew can also say:
- לא נתחיל לאכול... = we will not start eating...
- לא נאכל... = we will not eat...
But these are not exactly the same.
- לא נתחיל לאכול emphasizes the beginning of the action
- לא נאכל simply says we will not eat
So the original sentence specifically focuses on not starting before the children come.