לא קל להתרגל לשכונה חדשה כשעדיין לא מכירים את השכנים.

Hebrew often does not use a dummy subject like English it in expressions such as it is easy / it is hard.

So:

• לא קל = not easy
• literally, this is just not easy
• naturally in English we translate it as it’s not easy

This is very common in Hebrew:

• קל להבין = It’s easy to understand
• קשה לדעת = It’s hard to know

So לא קל להתרגל... literally means not easy to get used to..., but in natural English: It’s not easy to get used to...

להתרגל means to get used to, to become accustomed to.

It describes a process of adjustment, not a permanent state.

For example:

• אני מתרגל לעבודה החדשה = I’m getting used to the new job
• היא התרגלה לרעש = She got used to the noise

A useful comparison:

• להתרגל = to get used to
• להיות רגיל ל־ = to be used to

So:

• אני מתרגל לשכונה = I’m getting used to the neighborhood
• אני רגיל לשכונה = I’m used to the neighborhood

The verb להתרגל normally takes ל־ before the thing you are getting used to.

So:

• להתרגל ל... = to get used to...

Examples:

• להתרגל למזג האוויר = to get used to the weather
• להתרגל לאוכל חדש = to get used to new food
• להתרגל לשכונה חדשה = to get used to a new neighborhood

This is just the standard pattern of the verb, so it should be learned together as a chunk:

להתרגל ל־

In Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• שכונה חדשה = a new neighborhood
• שכן נחמד = a nice neighbor
• בית גדול = a big house

The adjective also agrees with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

Here:

• שכונה is feminine singular
• so the adjective is also feminine singular: חדשה

If it were definite, both words would become definite:

• השכונה החדשה = the new neighborhood

כש means when.

It introduces a time clause:

• כשעדיין לא מכירים את השכנים = when you still don’t know the neighbors

You can think of כש as a very common everyday word for when in Hebrew.

Examples:

• כשאני עייף, אני שותה קפה = When I’m tired, I drink coffee
• כשמגיעים הביתה, נחים = When you get home, you rest

In your sentence, כש connects the main idea with the situation that makes it difficult.

עדיין means still.

So:

• לא מכירים את השכנים = don’t know the neighbors
• עדיין לא מכירים את השכנים = still don’t know the neighbors

It gives the sense that this situation may change later.

Examples:

• אני עדיין עובד = I’m still working
• הם עדיין לא הגיעו = They still haven’t arrived

In this sentence, עדיין suggests that the speaker expects that eventually the neighbors will be known.

This is a very common question. מכירים is grammatically third person masculine plural: they know / they are familiar with.

But in Hebrew, this form is often used in a general, unspecified way, similar to English:

• you
• people
• one
• sometimes even a passive-like idea

So:

• כשעדיין לא מכירים את השכנים does not necessarily mean when they still don’t know the neighbors
• it more naturally means when you still don’t know the neighbors or when people still don’t know the neighbors

This impersonal plural is very common in Hebrew:

• אומרים ש... = They say that... / People say that...
• כאן מדברים עברית = Hebrew is spoken here / People speak Hebrew here
• בישראל אוכלים הרבה סלט = In Israel, people eat a lot of salad

So the plural verb here is general rather than referring to a specific group.

Yes, but that would be more personal and specific.

Compare:

• כשעדיין לא מכירים את השכנים = when you/people still don’t know the neighbors
  This is general and neutral.

• כשעדיין לא מכיר את השכנים = when you/I/he still don’t know the neighbors
  This would depend on context and on who the subject is.

• כשעדיין לא מכירה את השכנים = same idea, but feminine singular

The version in your sentence is more general, which is why it sounds natural in a broad statement.

Hebrew has more than one way to say know, and the choice depends on what kind of knowing is meant.

Here the sentence uses להכיר = to know / be acquainted with / be familiar with.

That is the correct verb for people, places, and things you are familiar with through experience.

So:

• להכיר את השכנים = to know the neighbors
• להכיר עיר חדשה = to know a new city / be familiar with a new city

By contrast, לדעת usually means:

• to know a fact
• to know information
• to know how to do something

Examples:

• אני יודע את התשובה = I know the answer
• היא יודעת עברית = She knows Hebrew
• אנחנו יודעים לשחות = We know how to swim

So in this sentence, מכירים is used because it is about being acquainted with the neighbors, not knowing information about them.

את marks a definite direct object in Hebrew.

Here:

• השכנים = the neighbors
• because it is definite, Hebrew uses את

So:

• מכירים את השכנים = know the neighbors

Compare:

• אני רואה את הבית = I see the house
• אני רואה בית = I see a house

In the second sentence there is no את, because בית is indefinite.

So the rule is:

• definite direct object → usually use את
• indefinite direct object → usually no את

Yes. שכנים is the masculine plural form of שכן (neighbor).

Forms:

• שכן = male neighbor
• שכנה = female neighbor
• שכנים = neighbors, masculine plural or mixed group
• שכנות = female neighbors / feminine plural

In your sentence:

• השכנים = the neighbors

Because it begins with ה־, it is definite: the neighbors, not just neighbors.

Yes, the structure is very natural Hebrew.

The sentence is:

• לא קל — general statement: it’s not easy
• להתרגל לשכונה חדשה — infinitive phrase: to get used to a new neighborhood
• כשעדיין לא מכירים את השכנים — time clause: when you still don’t know the neighbors

So the overall pattern is:

Not easy + infinitive idea + when-clause

This kind of structure is common in Hebrew:

• לא פשוט להתחיל עבודה חדשה כשלא מכירים אף אחד
  = It’s not simple to start a new job when you don’t know anyone
• קשה ללמוד כשעייפים
  = It’s hard to study when you’re tired

So the word order may feel slightly different from English, but it is very normal in Hebrew.

They are related.

• רגיל = used to / accustomed / regular
• להתרגל = to get used to

Both come from the root ר-ג-ל in this word family.

So:

• אני רגיל לזה = I’m used to it
• אני מתרגל לזה = I’m getting used to it

This is a helpful connection to remember:

• רגיל = the state
• מתרגל / להתרגל = the process of reaching that state

Not very naturally.

A very literal breakdown would be:

• לא = not
• קל = easy
• להתרגל = to get used
• לשכונה חדשה = to a new neighborhood
• כשעדיין = when still
• לא מכירים = do not know / are not acquainted
• את השכנים = the neighbors

But natural English would be:

It’s not easy to get used to a new neighborhood when you still don’t know the neighbors.

So a literal translation helps you understand the grammar, but a smoother English translation gives the real meaning.