אם הכביש יהיה ריק מחר בבוקר, נגיע לבנק מוקדם ונמשוך כסף לפני העבודה.

Breakdown of אם הכביש יהיה ריק מחר בבוקר, נגיע לבנק מוקדם ונמשוך כסף לפני העבודה.

ו
and
ב
in
מחר
tomorrow
ל
to
בוקר
morning
לפני
before
להיות
to be
מוקדם
early
עבודה
work
אם
if
כסף
money
בנק
bank
להגיע
to get
ריק
empty
כביש
road
למשוך
to withdraw

Questions & Answers about אם הכביש יהיה ריק מחר בבוקר, נגיע לבנק מוקדם ונמשוך כסף לפני העבודה.

Why is אם followed by a future verb here? In English we usually say if the road is empty, not if the road will be empty.

That is a very common question.

In Hebrew, when you talk about a real future condition, it is normal to use the future tense after אם:

  • אם הכביש יהיה ריק = if the road is empty / will be empty

So Hebrew often uses future tense in both parts of the sentence:

  • אם הכביש יהיה ריק... נגיע... ונמשוך...

English usually uses present tense in the if-clause, but Hebrew does not have to match that pattern.


Why is it יהיה and not תהיה?

Because הכביש is a masculine singular noun.

  • כביש = road / highway
  • grammatical gender: masculine
  • singular masculine future of להיות = יהיה = will be

So:

  • הכביש יהיה ריק = the road will be empty

If the noun were feminine singular, you would use תהיה instead.


What exactly does ריק mean here?

ריק means empty.

In this sentence, הכביש יהיה ריק means the road will be empty, meaning there will not be much traffic.

A useful thing to notice:

  • Hebrew often uses adjectives like ריק exactly where English does:
    • חדר ריק = an empty room
    • כביש ריק = an empty road

Why do we need יהיה at all? Could Hebrew just say הכביש ריק?

In the present tense, Hebrew usually does not use a separate word for to be:

  • הכביש ריק = the road is empty

But in the past and future, Hebrew does use forms of להיות:

  • הכביש היה ריק = the road was empty
  • הכביש יהיה ריק = the road will be empty

So here, because the sentence is about tomorrow morning, יהיה is required.


What does מחר בבוקר literally mean, and is that the normal way to say tomorrow morning?

Yes, it is completely natural.

Literally:

  • מחר = tomorrow
  • בבוקר = in the morning

So:

  • מחר בבוקר = tomorrow morning

This is the standard Hebrew way to say it.

Also notice בבוקר:

  • it comes from ב + הבוקר
  • the preposition ב (in) combines with the definite article ה
  • so בהבוקר becomes בבוקר

Why is it נגיע? Does that mean arrive or reach?

נגיע comes from להגיע, which usually means to arrive, to get to, or to reach.

So:

  • נגיע לבנק מוקדם = we’ll get to / arrive at the bank early

It is often used where English might say:

  • arrive
  • get to
  • reach

Hebrew is focusing on successfully getting to the destination, not just the act of going.


Why is it לבנק and not אל הבנק?

Because Hebrew very often uses the prefix ל־ to mean to.

So:

  • לבנק = to the bank / to a bank, depending on context

Also, the preposition ל־ can combine with the definite article ה־. In unpointed writing, לבנק can represent לַבנק = to the bank.

So this is completely normal Hebrew.

You may also see אל הבנק, but ל־ is very common and natural in everyday speech.


Why is מוקדם in masculine singular form? Shouldn’t it agree with we?

Here מוקדם is being used adverbially, meaning early, not as a regular adjective describing a noun.

So:

  • נגיע מוקדם = we will arrive early

Hebrew often uses the masculine singular adjective form as an adverb-like form:

  • לדבר ברור = to speak clearly
  • לקום מוקדם = to wake up early
  • להגיע מוקדם = to arrive early

So מוקדם does not have to match we.


What is the form נמשוך? How is it built?

נמשוך comes from the verb למשוך.

This verb can mean:

  • to pull
  • to draw
  • to withdraw

In the context of money:

  • למשוך כסף = to withdraw money

The form נמשוך means we will withdraw.

So:

  • ונמשוך כסף = and we’ll withdraw money

The נ־ at the beginning marks first person plural future: we will ...


Why does כסף appear without ה־? Why not את הכסף?

Because the sentence means withdraw money in a general sense, not withdraw the money in a specific, already-known sense.

  • נמשוך כסף = we’ll withdraw money
  • נמשוך את הכסף = we’ll withdraw the money

So the version here is more general and natural for the idea of getting some cash before work.

Also, כסף is often used like an uncountable noun, similar to English money.


Why is it לפני העבודה with העבודה? In English we usually say before work, without the.

This is a nice example of Hebrew and English working differently.

  • לפני = before
  • העבודה = the work / the job / work

So literally it looks like before the work, but idiomatically it often just means before work.

Hebrew very often uses the definite article where English does not. In this sentence:

  • לפני העבודה = before work / before the workday starts

So you should not translate the article too mechanically.


What does הכביש mean exactly here? Is it the road or the highway?

כביש can mean road or highway, depending on context.

In everyday Hebrew:

  • כביש often refers to a road used for driving
  • it can sometimes sound more like main road or highway than the very general English word road

Here, הכביש יהיה ריק means the driving route will be empty, basically that traffic will be light.


Is the word order in this sentence flexible, or is this the only correct order?

The given order is very natural:

  • אם הכביש יהיה ריק מחר בבוקר, נגיע לבנק מוקדם ונמשוך כסף לפני העבודה.

Hebrew does allow some flexibility, especially with time expressions, but this version sounds smooth and standard.

For example, מחר בבוקר could sometimes be moved for emphasis, but the original sentence is probably the most neutral and natural way to say it.

The basic structure is:

  • אם
    • condition
  • result clause 1
  • result clause 2

That is a very common Hebrew sentence pattern.

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