כשהתחלנו לחזור מההר, אבא עוד היה מכבה את המדורה ומסדר את הדברים.

כשהתחלנו means when we started.

It is made of:

• כש־ = when
• התחלנו = we started

So literally it is when-we-started.

A learner should also notice that Hebrew often attaches little function words like כש־ directly to the next word, instead of writing them separately.

Because after התחיל / להתחיל (to start / began), Hebrew very often uses ל + infinitive, just like English uses to + verb:

• התחלנו לחזור = we started to return / we started going back

This is a very common pattern:

• התחלתי ללמוד = I started to study
• הם התחילו ללכת = they started to walk

So לחזור is there because it is the action that began.

Here לחזור means to go back / return.

Its basic meaning is to return, but in context it can sound like:

• to head back
• to go back
• to return

So התחלנו לחזור מההר is something like:

• we started heading back from the mountain
• we started returning from the mountain

Because מההר is made from:

• מ־ = from
• ההר = the mountain

Together: from the mountain

So:

• הר = a mountain / mountain
• ההר = the mountain
• מההר = from the mountain

The ה is the definite article the. It stays there after מ־.

Here עוד means still.

So:

• אבא עוד היה מכבה... = Dad was still putting out...

In other contexts, עוד can also mean more / another / again, so learners often need to rely on context.

Here it clearly gives the idea that, at the time we started heading back, Dad had not finished yet.

היה + present participle is a common way to express an ongoing past action, similar to English was doing.

So:

• היה מכבה = was extinguishing / was putting out
• היה מסדר = was arranging / was organizing

This fits the sentence because one past event interrupts or overlaps another:

• כשהתחלנו לחזור... = when we started heading back...
• אבא עוד היה מכבה... = Dad was still putting out...

That gives a background/ongoing sense.

If you said אבא כיבה את המדורה, that would usually sound more like a completed past action: Dad put out the campfire.

Good question: היה + participle can sometimes mean either:

• was doing something at that moment, or
• used to do something habitually

But in this sentence, because of כשהתחלנו לחזור (when we started heading back) and עוד (still), the natural reading is the ongoing one:

• Dad was still putting out the campfire and arranging the things

So here it is not really used to put out; it is was in the middle of putting out.

The verb לכבות means to extinguish / put out / turn off.

It can be used for:

• lights
• a fire
• a cigarette
• electrical devices

Examples:

• לכבות את האור = to turn off the light
• לכבות את המדורה = to put out the campfire

So מכבה את המדורה is completely natural.

Because את marks a definite direct object in Hebrew.

Here both nouns are definite:

• המדורה = the campfire
• הדברים = the things

So Hebrew uses את:

• מכבה את המדורה
• מסדר את הדברים

This does not mean with here. It is just the direct object marker.

A very common rule:

• use את before a specific/definite direct object
• do not use it before an indefinite one

Compare:

• הוא סידר את הדברים = he arranged the things
• הוא סידר דברים = he arranged things

Because one היה can govern both verbs.

So:

• אבא עוד היה מכבה את המדורה ומסדר את הדברים

means:

• Dad was still putting out the campfire and arranging the things

Hebrew often avoids repeating the auxiliary when the subject and tense/aspect are the same for both verbs.

You could repeat it for emphasis or clarity in some contexts, but it is not necessary here.

Literally, מסדר means arranging / organizing / putting in order.

So מסדר את הדברים literally means:

• arranging the things
• organizing the things

In this context, it probably means something like:

• packing things up
• getting the gear in order
• gathering/organizing their belongings

So the literal wording is arranging the things, but the practical meaning in context may be closer to packing up.

Hebrew often uses הדברים very naturally in places where English might prefer:

• the stuff
• the things
• the gear
• their belongings

So מסדר את הדברים is a flexible, natural phrase. It does not have to refer to abstract things; it can simply mean the items they had with them.

The sentence has two parts:

1. כשהתחלנו לחזור מההר
   = when we started heading back from the mountain

2. אבא עוד היה מכבה את המדורה ומסדר את הדברים
   = Dad was still putting out the campfire and arranging the things

So the structure is:

• a time clause introduced by כש־ (when)
• followed by the main clause

This is a very common Hebrew sentence pattern.

Yes. Even if the meaning is already known, it helps to see the range:

• When we started heading back from the mountain, Dad was still putting out the campfire and packing up the things.
• When we began returning from the mountain, Dad was still extinguishing the campfire and organizing our things.
• As we started back from the mountain, Dad was still putting out the campfire and gathering our stuff.

The Hebrew stays the same, but English may choose different natural wording depending on style.