ביום שישי אין לי משמרת, ולכן אני יכולה לעשות סידורים עם אמא.

ביום שישי means on Friday.

Literally, it is something like on the day Friday:

• ב־ = in / on
• יום = day
• שישי = sixth / Friday

Hebrew often uses ב־ with time expressions, so ביום שישי is a very natural way to say on Friday.

You may also hear simply בשישי in casual speech, which can also mean on Friday.

In Hebrew, the days of the week are mostly numbered:

• יום ראשון = first day = Sunday
• יום שני = second day = Monday
• יום שלישי = third day = Tuesday
• יום רביעי = fourth day = Wednesday
• יום חמישי = fifth day = Thursday
• יום שישי = sixth day = Friday

So שישי literally means sixth, but in this context it means Friday.

This is a very common Hebrew structure.

Hebrew usually expresses to have with a structure like there is to me:

• יש לי = literally there is to me = I have
• אין לי = literally there isn’t to me = I don’t have

So:

• אין לי משמרת = I don’t have a shift

This is different from English, because Hebrew does not usually use a direct verb meaning have in everyday possession sentences.

לי is the preposition ל־ (to / for) plus the suffix ־י (me).

So:

• ל־ = to
• ־י = me
• לי = to me / for me

This kind of attached pronoun is very common in Hebrew:

• לי = to me
• לך = to you
• לו = to him
• לה = to her
• לנו = to us

In אין לי משמרת, the phrase literally means there is no shift for me / to me, which is how Hebrew says I don’t have a shift.

Hebrew has the (ה־), but it does not have a separate word for a / an.

So:

• משמרת can mean a shift
• המשמרת means the shift

That is why אין לי משמרת naturally means I don’t have a shift.

משמרת means shift, usually a work shift.

For example:

• יש לי משמרת מחר = I have a shift tomorrow
• אני במשמרת = I’m on shift / I’m working a shift

It is a feminine noun, which is useful to know for adjective and number agreement in other sentences.

ולכן means and therefore, so, or and that’s why.

It is made of:

• ו־ = and
• לכן = therefore / therefore so

So the sentence structure is:

• I don’t have a shift on Friday, and therefore...
• more naturally in English: I don’t have a shift on Friday, so...

The ו־ is very common in Hebrew and often connects ideas in a smooth, natural way.

Because the speaker is female.

Hebrew verbs and adjectives often agree with gender. Here, יכולה is the feminine singular form, while יכול is the masculine singular form.

• אני יכול = I can (said by a male speaker)
• אני יכולה = I can (said by a female speaker)

So this sentence tells us the speaker is female.

יכולה is part of the verb יכול/יכולה, which means can / am able to.

Hebrew commonly uses יכול/יכולה followed by an infinitive:

• אני יכולה לעשות = I can do
• אני יכול ללכת = I can go
• היא יכולה לבוא = she can come

So:

• אני יכולה = I can
• לעשות = to do

Together: אני יכולה לעשות = I can do

לעשות means to do or to make.

The ל־ at the beginning is the normal marker for the infinitive in Hebrew, similar to English to:

• לעשות = to do / to make
• ללכת = to go
• לראות = to see

So after יכולה, Hebrew uses the infinitive:

• יכולה לעשות = can do

סידורים means errands.

This idea is usually plural in Hebrew, just as it often is in English:

• לעשות סידורים = to run errands / do errands

The singular סידור can mean arrangement, organization, or in some contexts a specific errand, but the plural סידורים is the common everyday expression when talking about routine tasks like shopping, paying bills, going to appointments, and so on.

Hebrew often uses לעשות (to do) in expressions where English might use a more specific verb.

So:

• לעשות סידורים = literally to do errands/arrangements
• natural English: to run errands

This is just a standard expression. Learners should treat לעשות סידורים as a common chunk.

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different.

• עם אמא = with Mom
• עם אמא שלי = with my mom

When speaking about one’s own mother, Hebrew often uses אמא by itself, especially in casual speech, much like English speakers say Mom instead of my mom.

So עם אמא sounds natural and conversational.

The given word order is very natural:

• ביום שישי = setting the time first
• אין לי משמרת = main fact
• ולכן אני יכולה לעשות סידורים עם אמא = result

Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible, but this version sounds smooth and clear.

For example, you could also say:

• אין לי משמרת ביום שישי, ולכן אני יכולה לעשות סידורים עם אמא.

That means essentially the same thing. Putting ביום שישי first gives a little more emphasis to the time: On Friday, I don’t have a shift...

Yes, it makes sense here because ולכן introduces the result of the first clause.

The sentence has two linked ideas:

1. ביום שישי אין לי משמרת
2. ולכן אני יכולה לעשות סידורים עם אמא

The comma helps show that the second part follows logically from the first: I don’t have a shift on Friday, so I can run errands with Mom.

In informal writing, punctuation can vary, but this comma is standard and helpful.

Yes. יכול/יכולה covers both ideas:

• I can
• I am able to

So אני יכולה לעשות סידורים עם אמא can be understood as:

• I can run errands with Mom
• I’m able to run errands with Mom

In most everyday contexts, can is the most natural English translation.