ישבנו במרפסת כל הערב.

ישבנו means we sat or we were sitting, depending on context.

It is made from:

• the root י־ש־ב, which is connected to sitting / dwelling / staying
• the past-tense ending -נו, which means we

So:

• ישבתי = I sat
• ישבת = you sat
• ישב = he sat
• ישבנו = we sat

In this sentence, ישבנו is the verb in the past tense.

Hebrew past tense often does not make the same distinction English does between:

• we sat
• we were sitting
• sometimes even we had been sitting in the right context

The Hebrew form ישבנו simply gives the basic past action/state. The exact English translation depends on context.

Because the sentence also includes כל הערב (all evening), English often prefers we sat on the balcony all evening or we were sitting on the balcony all evening. Both can work.

It is pronounced approximately ya-SHAV-nu.

A more precise pronunciation is:

• י = ya
• שב = shav
• נו = nu

So the stress is usually on the middle syllable: ya-SHAV-nu.

במרפסת means on the balcony or literally in/at the balcony, depending on how you want to express it in English.

It is made of:

• ב־ = in / at / on
• המרפסת = the balcony

When ב־ is attached to a noun with ה־ (the), they combine:

• ב + המרפסת → במרפסת

This kind of contraction is very common in Hebrew.

This is a very common learner question because English says on the balcony.

In Hebrew, places like a balcony, room, kitchen, garden, or office are often introduced with ב־, even when English uses in, on, or at.

So:

• במרפסת = on the balcony
• בחדר = in the room
• במשרד = at the office / in the office

You can sometimes use על for a more physical sense of on top of, but for the usual location on the balcony, במרפסת is the natural choice.

Hebrew often attaches short prepositions directly to the noun:

• ב־ = in / at / on
• ל־ = to / for
• כ־ = as / like

When one of these is attached to a noun with ה־ (the), the forms merge.

For example:

• ב + ה + מרפסת → במרפסת
• ל + ה + בית → לבית
• כ + ה + ילד → כילד

So במרפסת already includes the idea of the balcony.

כל הערב means all evening or the whole evening.

It is made of:

• כל = all / every
• הערב = the evening

Together, it expresses duration: the action continued throughout the evening.

Similar examples:

• כל היום = all day
• כל הלילה = all night
• כל השבוע = all week

Because כל הערב means the whole evening / all evening, referring to one specific evening.

But כל ערב means every evening.

Compare:

• ישבנו במרפסת כל הערב = We sat on the balcony all evening
• אנחנו יושבים במרפסת כל ערב = We sit on the balcony every evening

So the ה־ in הערב is important:

• כל הערב = all the evening / the whole evening
• כל ערב = every evening

Yes. ישבנו במרפסת כל הערב is a very natural Hebrew sentence.

The order is:

• verb: ישבנו
• place: במרפסת
• time duration: כל הערב

Hebrew often allows some flexibility in word order, but this version sounds completely normal and neutral.

You might also hear:

• כל הערב ישבנו במרפסת = All evening we sat on the balcony

That version gives more emphasis to all evening.

In theory, the root י־ש־ב can relate to sitting, staying, or living/dwelling, depending on context.

But in this sentence, the natural meaning is clearly we sat / were sitting on the balcony all evening.

Why?

• מרפסת suggests a place where people sit
• כל הערב describes a time span typical for sitting or spending time somewhere
• living on the balcony all evening would not make sense in normal context

So here, learners should understand ישבנו as sat / were sitting.

No. In this sentence, Hebrew does not need a separate equivalent of English were.

English uses:

• we were sitting

Hebrew simply uses the past-tense verb:

• ישבנו

Hebrew often expresses ideas that English builds with was/were + -ing by using a simple past form, especially when the context already makes the meaning clear.

A native speaker would usually prefer ישבנו במרפסת כל הערב.

Using על המרפסת may sound more like:

• physically on top of the balcony surface
• less idiomatic for the normal location meaning

So for ordinary everyday Hebrew, if you mean we sat on the balcony, use:

• ישבנו במרפסת כל הערב

A natural present-tense version would be:

אנחנו יושבים במרפסת כל הערב

This means either:

• we sit on the balcony all evening
• we are sitting on the balcony all evening, depending on context

Here:

• יושבים = sitting / sit
• אנחנו = we

Hebrew present tense uses a participle-like form, not a form built with a separate word like English are.