הדירה הקודמת שלנו הייתה קטנה יותר.

ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, equivalent to the in English.

So:

• דירה = an apartment / apartment
• הדירה = the apartment

In this sentence, the noun is definite because we are talking about a specific apartment: our previous apartment.

In Hebrew, when a noun is definite, an adjective describing it is usually definite too.

So:

• דירה קודמת = a previous apartment
• הדירה הקודמת = the previous apartment

This is a very important Hebrew pattern:
noun + adjective, and if the noun is definite, the adjective usually takes ה־ as well.

Because it describes דירה, and דירה is a feminine singular noun.

Hebrew adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

So:

• masculine singular: קודם
• feminine singular: קודמת
• masculine plural: קודמים
• feminine plural: קודמות

Since דירה is feminine singular, the correct form is קודמת.

הייתה is the past tense form of to be for she/it in the feminine singular.

In this sentence, the subject is הדירה הקודמת שלנו = our previous apartment, and because דירה is feminine singular, the verb must also be feminine singular.

So:

• היה = was for masculine singular
• הייתה = was for feminine singular

Example:

• הבית היה קטן = The house was small
• הדירה הייתה קטנה = The apartment was small

For the same reason: it describes דירה, which is feminine singular.

Hebrew adjectives agree with the noun they describe.

So:

• קטן = masculine singular small
• קטנה = feminine singular small

Compare:

• הבית היה קטן = The house was small
• הדירה הייתה קטנה = The apartment was small

יותר means more and is used to form the comparative, like smaller, bigger, more interesting, etc.

Hebrew usually forms comparisons with:

adjective + יותר

So:

• קטנה = small
• קטנה יותר = smaller / more small

Other examples:

• גדול יותר = bigger
• יפה יותר = more beautiful / prettier
• מהיר יותר = faster

Unlike English, Hebrew does not usually add something like -er to the adjective. It uses יותר instead.

In Hebrew, possessive words like שלי, שלך, שלו, שלה, שלנו usually come after the noun.

So:

• הדירה שלנו = our apartment
• literally: the apartment of-us

This is the normal Hebrew structure.

Some common forms:

• הספר שלי = my book
• החבר שלך = your friend
• הבית שלנו = our house

So הדירה הקודמת שלנו is the natural Hebrew order.

Here הקודמת means previous or former.

So הדירה הקודמת שלנו means:

• our previous apartment
• our former apartment

It does not usually mean last apartment in the sense of final. It means the one that came before the current one.

Hebrew and English build noun phrases differently.

English:

• our previous apartment

Hebrew:

• הדירה הקודמת שלנו
• literally: the apartment previous our

The usual Hebrew order here is:

noun + adjective + possessive

So the sentence structure is perfectly normal Hebrew, even though it feels reversed compared with English.

In the past tense, yes, Hebrew uses forms of היה / הייתה to mean was / were.

So:

• הדירה הייתה קטנה = The apartment was small

But in the present tense, Hebrew usually does not use a word for is in simple sentences like this.

For example:

• הדירה קטנה = The apartment is small

So:

• present: no separate is
• past: use היה / הייתה
• future: use future forms of to be when needed

Sometimes yes, depending on meaning.

• הדירה הקודמת שלנו הייתה קטנה = Our previous apartment was small
• הדירה הקודמת שלנו הייתה קטנה יותר = Our previous apartment was smaller

With יותר, there is a comparison, even if the second thing being compared is not stated explicitly. Usually the listener understands it as smaller than our current apartment or smaller than something else being discussed.

So יותר adds the idea of comparison, not just description.

Yes, in a sense.

קטנה יותר means smaller, but Hebrew often leaves the comparison target unstated if it is obvious from context.

If you want to say it explicitly, you can use מ־ meaning than:

• הדירה הקודמת שלנו הייתה קטנה יותר מהדירה הנוכחית
  = Our previous apartment was smaller than the current apartment

So in your sentence, the than part is just understood from context.

Then the verb and adjectives would change to masculine forms.

For example, with הבית (the house, masculine):

• הבית הקודם שלנו היה קטן יותר
• Our previous house was smaller

Compare the two:

• הדירה הקודמת שלנו הייתה קטנה יותר
• הבית הקודם שלנו היה קטן יותר

Changes:

• הקודמת → הקודם
• הייתה → היה
• קטנה → קטן

This is a great way to see Hebrew agreement clearly.