כולנו מחכים ליד השער, כי הטיסה מאוחרת.

כולנו means all of us.

It is made from:

• כול = all
• ־נו = us / our

So literally, it is something like all of us.

In this sentence, כולנו מחכים means we are all waiting or all of us are waiting.

Because the subject is כולנו = all of us, which is plural.

Hebrew present-tense forms agree with the subject in number and often in gender:

• מחכה = waiting (masculine singular)
• מחכה = waiting (feminine singular; same spelling without vowels)
• מחכים = waiting (masculine plural)
• מחכות = waiting (feminine plural)

Since we is plural, the sentence uses מחכים.

Also, masculine plural is often used for a mixed group or when gender is unspecified.

In Hebrew, the verb to be is usually not stated in the present tense.

So:

• כולנו מחכים = We are all waiting
• literally: All of us waiting

This is completely normal Hebrew.

The same thing happens later in the sentence:

• הטיסה מאוחרת = The flight is late
• literally: The flight late

ליד means next to, by, or near.

In this sentence:

• ליד השער = by the gate / next to the gate

It usually suggests physical closeness.

A learner may compare it with:

• ב־ = in / at
• ליד = next to / beside / near

So ליד השער is more specifically near the gate, not just at the gate.

ה־ is the Hebrew definite article, meaning the.

So:

• שער = a gate / gate
• השער = the gate

In the sentence, it is a specific gate, probably the known gate for the flight.

So:

• ליד השער = by the gate

The noun טיסה (flight) is a feminine singular noun in Hebrew.

Because Hebrew adjectives must agree with the noun they describe, מאוחרת is also feminine singular.

So:

• הטיסה = the flight
• מאוחרת = late (feminine singular)

If the noun were masculine singular, you would usually expect מאוחר instead.

This agreement is a very important feature of Hebrew grammar.

In this sentence, מאוחרת is best understood as an adjective meaning late.

So:

• הטיסה מאוחרת = the flight is late

Because Hebrew usually leaves out is in the present tense, an adjective can serve as the predicate:

• הילד עייף = the boy is tired
• הדלת פתוחה = the door is open
• הטיסה מאוחרת = the flight is late

So even though English uses is, Hebrew just uses the adjective.

כי means because (and in some contexts that).

Here it introduces the reason:

• כולנו מחכים ליד השער = we are all waiting by the gate
• כי הטיסה מאוחרת = because the flight is late

So כי connects the two parts just like because in English.

Other ways to say because exist in Hebrew, but כי is very common and natural.

Yes, Hebrew word order is somewhat flexible.

The given sentence:

• כולנו מחכים ליד השער, כי הטיסה מאוחרת.

A different but still natural order could be:

• כי הטיסה מאוחרת, כולנו מחכים ליד השער.
• ליד השער כולנו מחכים, כי הטיסה מאוחרת.

However, the original version is very natural and straightforward.

Putting כולנו first gives a slight emphasis to all of us.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Kulanu mekhakim leyad ha-sha'ar, ki ha-tisa me'ukheret.

A few notes:

• כולנו = ku-LA-nu
• מחכים = me-kha-KIM
  
  • the kh is the throaty Hebrew sound, like ch in German Bach
• ליד = le-YAD
• השער = ha-SHA-ar
• כי = ki
• הטיסה = ha-ti-SA
• מאוחרת = me-u-KHE-ret

Stress is often toward the end in Hebrew words.

The dictionary form is usually given as the past tense 3rd person masculine singular:

• חיכה = he waited

From that verb, the present forms are:

• מחכה = waiting (singular)
• מחכים = waiting (masculine plural)
• מחכות = waiting (feminine plural)

So מחכים comes from the verb לחכות = to wait.

A very common pattern is:

• לחכות ל־... = to wait for ...

But in your sentence, ליד השער tells you where they are waiting, not what they are waiting for.

Grammatically, yes, but in normal English the best translation here is we are all waiting.

Hebrew present tense often covers both:

• habitual present: we wait
• ongoing present: we are waiting

Context tells you which one is meant.

In this sentence, because it describes a current situation at the gate, we are all waiting is the most natural English meaning.

In modern Hebrew writing, a comma before כי is common when it introduces a full clause, as it does here:

• כי הטיסה מאוחרת = because the flight is late

So the comma is normal and helps separate the main statement from the reason.

In informal writing, punctuation can vary, but the comma here is perfectly standard.