היה לנו ויכוח קטן על הכסף, אבל בסוף דיברנו בשקט.

Hebrew often expresses possession with יש / היה + ל־.

• יש לנו = we have / literally there is to us
• היה לנו = we had / literally there was to us

So היה לנו ויכוח קטן is literally something like there was to us a small argument, but in natural English that becomes we had a small argument.

This is a very common Hebrew pattern.

Because היה agrees with ויכוח, and ויכוח is:

• masculine
• singular

So the verb is masculine singular too:

• היה ויכוח = there was an argument
• הייתה מריבה = there was a quarrel/fight (feminine singular)
• היו ויכוחים = there were arguments (plural)

Even though לנו means to us, the verb is not agreeing with us. It is agreeing with the thing that existed: ויכוח.

Hebrew has no separate word for a / an.

So:

• ויכוח קטן = a small argument
• הוויכוח הקטן = the small argument

The absence of ה־ usually makes the noun indefinite.

ויכוח means argument, disagreement, or sometimes debate.

It usually refers to a verbal disagreement, not necessarily a physical fight. Depending on context, it can be:

• mild disagreement
• serious argument
• even a more formal debate

In this sentence, because of קטן, it sounds like a minor argument or small disagreement.

A pronunciation note learners often ask about: ויכוח is usually pronounced roughly vi-KU-ach, with the final ח as a throaty sound.

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• ויכוח קטן = a small argument
• בית גדול = a big house
• ילד טוב = a good boy

Also, the adjective must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

Since ויכוח is masculine singular, the adjective is קטן.

If the noun were feminine singular, it would change:

• מריבה קטנה = a small quarrel

Here על can correspond to English about or over.

So:

• ויכוח על הכסף = an argument about the money
• also naturally in English: an argument over the money

With ויכוח, על often introduces the topic or cause of the disagreement.

Also, learners sometimes wonder why there is no את before הכסף. The reason is that הכסף is not a direct object here; it comes after the preposition על.

בסוף literally means at the end or in the end, but very often it means:

• in the end
• eventually
• after all that

So in this sentence, אבל בסוף means something like:

• but in the end
• but eventually

It refers to the final outcome of the situation, not necessarily a physical location at the end of something.

In Hebrew, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb already shows who is doing the action.

דיברנו means we spoke / we talked.

The ending ־נו marks we.

So:

• דיברנו = we spoke / we talked
• אמרנו = we said
• הלכנו = we went

You can add אנחנו for emphasis or contrast, but it is not necessary in a normal sentence.

It can mean either, depending on context.

• לדבר often means to speak or to talk
• דיברנו בשקט is very natural as we talked quietly/calmly

In this sentence, talked often sounds more natural in English because the idea is that after the disagreement, they had a calmer conversation.

בשקט literally means in quiet, but in English it can mean:

• quietly
• softly
• calmly
• without yelling

So דיברנו בשקט does not only suggest low volume. It can also suggest a calmer, more peaceful tone after the argument.

That is why an English translation might be:

• we spoke quietly
• we talked calmly

depending on the context.

The prefix ב־ usually means in, at, or with, but Hebrew often uses ב + noun to create adverb-like expressions.

So:

• בשקט = quietly / in a quiet way
• literally: in quiet

This is a common pattern in Hebrew. For example:

• במהירות = quickly
• בשמחה = happily / gladly
• בכעס = angrily

So בשקט is a very normal way to say that something was done quietly or calmly.