לפני שהאורחים מגיעים, אני מתחיל לטאטא את הרצפה עם מטאטא כדי שלא יהיה אבק בכל הסלון.

לפני ש־ means before when it introduces a whole clause.

• לפני by itself means before
• ש־ means that and links it to the next clause

So:

• לפני שהאורחים מגיעים = before the guests arrive

Without ש־, you would not be properly introducing a full clause here.

Because Hebrew normally needs ש־ before a subordinate clause after words like לפני, אחרי, and similar connectors.

So the structure is:

• לפני ש... = before...
• אחרי ש... = after...

That is why you get:

• לפני שהאורחים מגיעים

and not:

• לפני האורחים מגיעים ❌

The ה at the start of האורחים is just the definite article the, so שהאורחים is really:

• ש־
  • האורחים

This is a very common question. In Hebrew, the present tense can sometimes be used for a future event, especially when the event is expected, planned, or viewed as imminent.

So:

• לפני שהאורחים מגיעים can mean before the guests arrive

However, many learners are also taught the more explicitly future version:

• לפני שהאורחים יגיעו

That version is often the safest and most standard if you want to emphasize a future event. The sentence you have uses מגיעים in a natural, conversational way.

So both ideas are possible, but:

• מגיעים = more colloquial / vivid / “as they’re about to come”
• יגיעו = clearly future

After מתחיל (start / begin), Hebrew normally uses an infinitive.

So:

• אני מתחיל לטאטא = I start to sweep

Here:

• מתחיל = start / am starting
• לטאטא = to sweep

Using מטאטא there would not work, because מטאטא is usually either:

• a noun: broom
• or in some contexts a present-tense verb form, depending on the sentence

But after מתחיל, you want the infinitive: לטאטא.

את marks a definite direct object.

Here, הרצפה means the floor, which is definite because of ה־ (the). Since the floor is the direct object of לטאטא (to sweep), Hebrew uses את:

• לטאטא את הרצפה = to sweep the floor

Compare:

• אני מטאטא רצפה = I sweep a floor / flooring in general
• אני מטאטא את הרצפה = I sweep the floor

English does not have a special word like את, so this often feels strange at first.

They look very similar, but they are different words here:

• לטאטא = to sweep (verb, infinitive)
• מטאטא = broom (noun)

So in the sentence:

• אני מתחיל לטאטא את הרצפה עם מטאטא

you get both:

• לטאטא = to sweep
• מטאטא = a broom

This is one of those Hebrew pairs that can be confusing because the verb and the related noun are very close in form.

Yes, it could be left out.

• אני מתחיל לטאטא את הרצפה already means I start sweeping the floor

Adding עם מטאטא means with a broom, so it explicitly mentions the tool being used.

That is grammatically fine, although in everyday speech it may feel a bit more explicit than necessary, since sweeping already suggests a broom. Still, it is perfectly natural if the speaker wants to emphasize the instrument.

Also note:

• עם מטאטא = with a broom
• not with the broom, because there is no ה־ on מטאטא

Because the sentence is talking about specific guests, a specific floor, and a specific living room, but not a specific broom.

• האורחים = the guests
• הרצפה = the floor
• הסלון = the living room
• מטאטא = a broom

If the speaker meant a specific broom already known in context, it could be:

• עם המטאטא = with the broom

So the presence or absence of ה־ works very much like the in English.

כדי means in order to / so that.

When the purpose is negative, Hebrew uses כדי שלא:

• כדי שלא יהיה אבק = so that there won’t be dust

You can think of it as:

• כדי = so that / in order that
• שלא = that not

So this part expresses purpose:

• I sweep the floor so that there won’t be dust

This is a very common structure in Hebrew.

Because this is a subordinate clause introduced by כדי.

Hebrew often uses ש־ inside these kinds of clauses, and when negation is involved you get:

• שלא = ש־
  • לא

So:

• כדי שלא יהיה אבק = so that there will not be dust

If you said only כדי לא יהיה אבק, that would be ungrammatical.

Because אבק (dust) is grammatically singular in Hebrew.

So Hebrew says:

• יהיה אבק = there will be dust

not:

• יהיו אבק ❌

Even though in English dust can feel like a substance spread around, Hebrew treats אבק as a singular noun.

Literally, בכל הסלון is something like in all the living room, but in natural English it means:

• all over the living room
• throughout the living room
• everywhere in the living room

Here:

• ב־ = in
• כל = all / every
• הסלון = the living room

So בכל הסלון is an idiomatic way to say the dust is spread throughout the living room.

The given word order is very natural:

• לפני שהאורחים מגיעים, אני מתחיל...

This puts the time clause first: Before the guests arrive...

Hebrew can sometimes rearrange parts of a sentence, but this version is clear and natural because it sets the time frame first and then gives the main action.

For example, you could also say:

• אני מתחיל לטאטא את הרצפה לפני שהאורחים מגיעים...

That is also grammatical. The difference is mostly about emphasis and flow, not basic meaning.

It is standard and helpful here.

The first part:

• לפני שהאורחים מגיעים

is a subordinate clause, and then the main clause begins:

• אני מתחיל לטאטא...

The comma makes the structure easier to read. In modern Hebrew writing, this kind of comma is very common and natural.

A very common alternative would be:

• לפני שהאורחים יגיעו, אני מתחיל לטאטא את הרצפה עם מטאטא כדי שלא יהיה אבק בכל הסלון.

The main change is:

• מגיעים → יגיעו

This makes the arrival explicitly future. Everything else can stay the same.

So:

• מגיעים = conversational present with future meaning
• יגיעו = straightforward future

Both are understandable, but many learners find יגיעו easier to interpret at first.