Questions & Answers about אם הציפור תחזור מחר, נשאיר מים ליד הקן ולא ניגע בענף.
אם means if, so it introduces a condition.
Here the idea is conditional: the bird may return tomorrow, and if that happens, then we will do something.
Hebrew would use כש for when if the speaker treats the event as expected or certain:
- אם הציפור תחזור מחר... = If the bird returns tomorrow...
- כשהציפור תחזור מחר... = When the bird returns tomorrow...
So אם is the natural choice for an open possibility.
That is a very common difference between English and Hebrew.
In modern Hebrew, with a real future condition, it is normal to use the future tense in both parts:
- אם הציפור תחזור מחר, נשאיר...
- literally: If the bird will return tomorrow, we will leave...
English usually uses:
- present in the if clause: if the bird returns
- future in the main clause: we will leave
So the Hebrew structure is normal, even though it does not match English word-for-word.