Breakdown of הם התחילו לאכול בלי שחיכו לי, כי הגעתי מאוחר מאוד.
Questions & Answers about הם התחילו לאכול בלי שחיכו לי, כי הגעתי מאוחר מאוד.
Literally, it is something like without that they waited for me.
In natural English, that becomes without waiting for me or without having waited for me.
Here is the breakdown:
- בלי = without
- ש־ = that / a connector introducing a clause
- חיכו = they waited
- לי = for me
So Hebrew uses a full clause here: without that they waited for me, where English usually prefers without waiting for me.
The ש־ introduces a subordinate clause.
In this sentence, בלי ש... means without ...ing or without the fact that.... It is a very common Hebrew structure.
Compare:
- בלי שחיכו לי = without waiting for me
- בלי שראיתי = without seeing
- בלי שהוא אמר לי = without him telling me
So ש־ is needed because what follows is a finite verb: חיכו.